We occasionally hear from readers who worry they have become “addicted” to their lip balm. When they dig into the ingredients of the product, they may find something, such as lanolin, that could aggravate the problem.
Lips Were Worse After Using Lip Balm:
Q. I never had chapped lips, but I started using one of the more famous products only to find my lips were MORE chapped after using this product than before. Maybe this product had something in it that promoted dry lips, hence you would buy more of it.
Once I stopped using it, my chapped lips healed. I use regular Vaseline at night now if I experience any dryness.
A. Dermatologists often recommend Vaseline (petroleum jelly) as a moisturizer. We don’t know if they would suggest putting it on the lips, though. You might want to try coconut oil (solid at room temperature) or olive oil to protect your lips when they need it. Flavors such as cinnamon and surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are common culprits in causing chapped lips.
Lanolin in Lip Balm Made Skin React:
Q. Some lip balms made my chapped lips worse. I had rough raw skin from my nose to my chin. Then I remembered that my mother is allergic to lanolin (sheep’s wool oil). Once I stopped using products with lanolin, the problem went away.
My son was licking his lips and I told him to stop licking them and put something on them. He replied that it just made his lips worse. I bought him lip balm without lanolin and his problem was solved.
A. Although lanolin is an excellent moisturizer, some people are sensitive to it. Like you and your son, they do better to avoid it.
SBC noted:
“I used to use Blistex constantly throughout the day because my lips were always dry.
“I do know that I cannot use hand lotion with lanolin in it because it has the effect of drying, not moisturizing. One day I read the tiny print on the Blistex and discovered it, too, had lanolin in it. I now stay away from any lip balm with lanolin and usually just use Chapstick. The use is occasional, not constant.
“I’ve heard that sunscreen can also be irritating in lip balm. Perhaps people should pay more attention to ingredients. It seems to be hit-or-miss.”
Allergies to cinnamon or SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) found in toothpaste can sometimes cause chapped lips as well.
Lip Balm Without Lanolin:
People searching for lip balm without lanolin may want to check out the People’s Pharmacy Natural Lip Care with Pomegranate.
People’s Pharmacy Natural Lip Care with Berry is also free of lanolin, SLS and cinnamon.
