Anti-Chafe Compare

It is the main thing that separates these. A balm stick goes on dry, stays put under a waistband or a heart-rate strap, and is the easiest to reapply mid-race with cold hands. A spray covers a large area fast and reaches your own back. The usual choice for wetsuit neck and shoulders, because it will not degrade neoprene the way some petroleum products do. A cream or paste sits heaviest and lasts longest, which suits multi-day and very long events but transfers onto clothing. Powders work by keeping skin dry rather than by adding a barrier, so they suit humidity and heat rash more than they suit friction.

Related but not identical. Skin-on-skin and skin-on-fabric chafe (thighs, underarms, nipples, bra line, pack straps) is solved by a barrier that reduces friction. Blisters are friction plus moisture inside a shoe, so a lubricant alone can make things worse if the foot is already damp. Sock choice and fit do more. Several products here are labelled for both; the Body area row tells you what each is actually formulated and sized for.

Balms are generally the cleanest. Most are designed to wash out of technical fabric without staining. Heavier creams and anything petroleum-based are the ones to keep away from merino, light-coloured kit and neoprene. If you race in a wetsuit, use a product that names itself as wetsuit-safe rather than assuming.

More than people carry. Size in grams is on every row here because the practical question is usually whether a stick will survive a wet 100 km with reapplication, or whether you need a second one in your drop bag. A pocket-sized stick is for topping up; the large formats are the ones you leave at home and use before the start.