Sealed propulsion mechanism for a stick-deodorant or the like container

In a stick-deodorant or the like container, wherein a tubular housing with a cylindrical bore is closed at one end by a rotatable base-actuating member having a central threaded stem extending within said housing and on the axis of said bore, wherein a piston member has centrally threaded engagement with said stem and is externally configurated for circumferentially continuously sealed and axially stabilized piloting engagement with said bore, and wherein said stem and piston have ratcheting engagement to retain a lower-limit position of piston retraction within said housing, the improvement wherein at the location of ratcheting engagement said stem is characterized by a circumferentially continuous hub presenting a generally radial annular upper surface to the underside of said piston member, wherein the underside of said piston member integrally includes a downwardly projecting compliantly deformable skirt which axially overlaps at least part of said hub when said piston member is in its lowermost position, said skirt and hub having ratcheting formations which coact to retain one of a relatively large plurality of possible detent positions per single rotation of said threaded engagement, and the underside of said piston member integrally including within said skirt a circumferentially uniform and continuous downward relatively compliant projection that is radially localized for compressionally loaded and circumferentially sealed engagement with said annular surface when in ratcheted lower-limit position, whereby the sealed engagement can protect the ratchet engagement against fouling when the container is being filled with deodorant or the like cosmetic substance.