Can you get addicted to Lip Balm?

If you’re like us you have lip balm for every occasion, in every drawer, at all times. But can someone be addicted to lip balm? Rumors abound that applying too much balm can actually make your lips more chapped (say it ain’t so!).

How do we find out the truth? Sounds like the job for an expert. Lucky for us, earlier this month Beautylish officially launched Nudestix—which was created by Jenny Frankel and her daughters, Ally and Taylor. Jenny is a chemical engineer with almost 20 years of experience in the beauty industry. She has also formulated products for MAC, Cover FX, and more! Basically, we love her (her Nudestix Lip & Cheek Pencils are a must have) and we are excited to have her on hand to give us some lip balm wisdom.

So...Is The Rumor For Reals?

Frankel calmed us down: “There is no such thing as too much lip balm because most lip balms provide a surface effect. Lip balms are designed to be water resistant and bind to the lip surface, even if moist.” It actually turns out that using lip balm is essential in protecting your lips.

The Right Balm

Frankel mentions it is especially important to use a balm that contains an SPF because unlike our skin, the lip membrane has no natural SPF. She adds that skin usually has a natural SPF of 2-8 depending on amount of natural melanin. So popping on a lip balm will provide a ‘faux’ lipid barrier to lock moisture into your lips and protect them from harsh UVA and UVB damage.

Fragrances: Do They Do Damage?

Sometimes we’ve been guilty of slathering on lip balm just because it smells amazing. But we wanted to know if the ingredients that make our chapstick smell and feel amazing could potentially be harmful to our health. Frankel once again put our anxious minds at ease, “Products sold legally in North America must follow Food and Drug Administration regulations on ingredients used. Therefore ingredients found in lip balms should considered safe and effective.” Phew! The only thing Frankel cautions against is using sunscreens or cosmetics approved for other parts of the body, on the lips because those ingredients may not be approved for use specifically in the lip area. She follows up by saying, “If you have dry lips caution the use of long-wear lip products with harsh volatiles or too much clay because they’ll cause puckering and dryness of lips”.

What To Look For in A Lippie

So what are some of the key ingredients we should look for in our lip balm to get the most bang for our buck? If you’ve got dry, chapped lips or need some extra lip TLC in the winter months, Frankel suggests a balm that contains Vitamin E and butters (like shea and cocoa butter) that prevent and repair dry, chapped lips faster.