There are different types of external medicine, ranging from dry powders through semisolids to liquids.
SOLIDDusting powder made from fine particle-size powder which may be drug alone or together with other excipients.

of course is not this type of powder la... -____-
LIQUIDSSoaks - have ingredients dissolve in aq solvent and often used as astringents, cooling or to leave a film of solid on the skin. Oily emollient can be added tho to leave an emollient film on the skin surface
Applications - solutions or emulsions that contain parasiticides
Liniments - designed to be rubbed onto skin, usually a rubefacient
Lotions - cool skin and deposit protective layer of solid
Paints & tinctures - concentrated antimicrobial solutions
Collodions - containing polymer and keratolytic agent for treating corns and calluses
SEMI-SOLIDSOintments - contain oily vehicles that may contain surfactant, used as emollient or for drug delivery to the surface or for deeper penetration (this is what we gonna make next week! haha)

we get to pack them in both tube and jar... jar easier to pack for me.. =p
Creams - usually give cooling and are less greasy than ointments, also used for drug delivery onto or into skin ( what we did this week! but... i think it's very greasy already la! especially when we need to clean our apparatus... headache ah!)

Zinc cream.. that's exactly what we have to produced this week
Pastes - vehicles with high concentration of solid, for localizes drug delivery and can also be used for sun blocks ( this is gonna be assess the week after next... seems hard to do.. o.O )
Gels - usually aq gel used for lubrication or applying drug to the skin
All the information i get is from our pharmaceutical practice book. ^^