Healthy Skin Swaps: Everything Balm
Lip balm is one of those staples we’d want to have with us on that desert island. There is nothing like having dry or chapped lips and rummaging through your purse or bag only to find you don’t have any.
Lip balm options have changed a lot over the years. While Chapstick, Carmex and Lip Smackers used to be the go-tos, thankfully, there are a plethora of better-for-you options available. If you are still tied to your trusty ‘ol Chapstick, we are going to shine a light on why we think it’s time to ditch the questionable ingredients and opt for healthier ones.
Chapstick, with its iconic black and white tube (or red and white for the cherry flavor!) became such a household name, it is often the generic name for lip balm (like Kleenex is for facial tissue). When choosing our healthy swap for lip balm, we decided to go with the classic Chapstick Original, still found by the register in many convenience and drug stores. It had been a while since we looked at the ingredients list for this popular product, but when we did, we were a little disgruntled by what we saw.
You don’t have to be a cosmetic scientist to spot the major differences in these two ingredients lists. Let’s highlight some of the key differences and reasons why a natural and organic balm, like our Everything Balm, is the better choice.
- Everything Balm contains familiar and easily identifiable botanical ingredients. There is nothing sketchy or “hidden” like “fragrance”, which is known to contain phthalates - with risks including cancer, human reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, birth defects & respiratory problems.
- Everything Balm contains only USDA certified organic ingredients, which is a food-grade standard. Most ingredients in Chapstick are synthetic.
- In contrast to the organic butters and oils in Everything Balm, the base ingredient in Chapstick is white petrolatum, a derivative of petroleum. The safety of petroleum has much to do with how well it is refined. If not fully refined, it can be contaminated with toxic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Mineral oil and paraffin are other petroleum derived ingredients included in Chapstick.
- Red 6 Lake and Yellow 5 Lake are dyes in Chapstick that are not only unnecessary to the effectiveness of the formula, but they can be toxic. Whether it’s personal care products, make up or food, we try to stay away from synthetic dyes 100% of the time.
- This product is meant to be applied on lips and small amounts are actually ingested. The skin on lips is very delicate and permeable. Lip balm products are meant to have some staying power and sit on the lips as a protectant and moisturizer.
So, here’s the big question: Which of these formulas do you want hanging out on your lips and in your mouth? Tell us in the comments below and we will send an Everything Balm to 3 of you!*
*winners will be chosen on 8/1/22 and emailed directly with the email address used for the comment.
Comments on this post (1)
I’ve been using Everything Balm on
My lips now for a while. Definitely the better choice!
— Suzanne Benson