The Differences Between Lip Balm and ChapStick

Can’t Decide Between Lip Balm and Chapstick?

Chapped, irritated lips are not limited to any season. In the winter, cold air dries out your lips. If you don’t protect them in the summer, the sun will burn your lips, leaving them red and sore.

We’ve all been in a situation where our lips are chapped, and we instinctively reach for a lip balm. But have you ever stopped to think about what ingredients are actually inside the lip balm that make it effective?

100% Pure is an example of a brand that carefully chooses the ingredients for its products. They have high standards for safety and only choose ingredients that will be beneficial to consumers.

Be vigilant of what you’re putting on your lips. It might seem like it’ll stay put, but many lip care products have ingredients that are eventually ingested.

If a product contains a toxin, don’t use it; even if it has an initial cooling sensation. Lips easily absorb chemicals and other undesirable cheap fillers.

In this article, we’ll discuss what goes into a quality lip balm, which unwanted ingredients to avoid, and the difference between ChapStick and lip balm.

Defining Lip Balm

Lip balm is a hydrating and protective substance that helps to heal dry, chapped lips. The wax helps lock in moisture, guarding against dehydration that often leads to chapped lips.

Chapped lips are often dry, bleeding, peeling cracked and uncomfortable.

A lip balm is a temporary solution for the dry, chapped skin of the lips. The lips can become hydrated easily, but it’s more difficult to keep them moisturized because they’re made of sensitive and thin skin.

This type of skin is called stratified squamous epithelium. Keeping your lips healthy becomes even more challenging during extreme weather conditions, such as summer or winter.

Although ChapStick is a widely known brand name for lip balm, there really is no difference between lip balm and ChapStick.

Many people don’t realize that the ingredients listed on the back of popular lip product brands may be harmful, so always research those before use.

List of Popular Lip Balm Ingredients

We usually assume that the things we purchase from corner stores are safe to use. Actually, anything you find in your store has been “approved” for usage by regulating agencies.

The cosmetics industry in the U.S. is barely regulated—in fact, only synthetic color is regulated—so often, companies regulate themselves.

Many ingredients used in American products are banned in other countries because they’re toxic and risky.

If you aren’t sure whether your lip balm contains these ingredients, check the product brand’s website.

The most common ingredients in lip balms are:

Salicylic, Menthol, and Phenol

The lip balm we all know and love for its cooling, tingling sensation is full of drying chemicals. Medicated lip balms typically contain phenol, menthol, and salicylic acid – ingredients that may provide momentary relief but will ultimately leave your lips feeling dry and cracked.

Did you know that if you constantly feel as though you need to reapply your lip balm, it could be because of an addiction?

Ironically, the more often you use products with phenol, menthol, and/or salicylic acid, ,the drier your lips will become. In time, this will cause raw and irritated skin. Exfoliants scrub away the outermost layer of dead skin cells from the body, but we don’t recommend using them on your delicate lips every time before applying a lip product.

Parabens

If you’re like most of us, you’ve received the message that parabens are bad. But few people actually know what they are and why they’re harmful.

Parabens in cosmetics slow down the aging process, which is why that foundation from five years ago is still usable today (although we advise against it).

Parabens are chemicals known to disrupt hormones, specifically estrogen in women’s bodies and testosterone in men’s.

You may not realize your product contains parabens unless you’re familiar with how they appear on an ingredient list. Popular varieties of paraben include butylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, and propylparabin.

Parabens are commonly used in lip balm and other cosmetics, but they have a high potential for causing toxicity and harm.

These chemicals usually have an Environmental Working Group rating of 9 or higher, which means that there is plenty of evidence to support these claims.

Petroleum

You’re familiar with it, have used it before, and probably even have some in your house right now. Petroleum jelly is a common product ingredient, but is it safe? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Petroleum is mostly unsafe because of the process used to refine and purify it for use in cosmetics. Often, chemical agents and heat are employed during this process, which can contaminate the product and make it dangerous.

Furthermore, petroleum isn’t an element that does good things for your skin, not even in lip balm. It’s a bad product that creates a barrier on your skin, which doesn’t allow air to get to your skin. The cells of your skin need oxygen to stay healthy and hydrated.

Aditional Fragrances or Flavors

The appealing smell and taste of a lip balm may entice you to lick your lips, but beware. The scents and flavors in some lip balms come from ingredients that are not always safe for use.

In fact, cosmetic companies don’t even have to share the ingredients they used to create their fragrances and flavors on the product label.

According to U.S. regulations set by the FDA, fragrance and flavor ingredients in cosmetic products only have to be listed as “Fragrance” or “Flavor.”

This makes it extremely difficult for consumers like you and I to know exactly what we’re putting on our lips. Furthermore, a quality product should not come at the expense of your safety; effective lip care products can also be safe.

You shouldn’t have to compromise between efficacy and safety when choosing a lip balm—you deserve both!

Healing Your Lips

Some people might not know this, but the ingredients in nature-based lip balms are not only safer for your lips, they’re much more effective. Unlike other products that rely on synthetic ingredients, green-beauty based lip balm is the safest and most reliable way to heal dryness and chapping.

Here are some tips on how to keep your lips hydrated and find the best lip balm for you.

Look For Good Ingredients

Let’s focus on ingredients that can help your lips be soft, smooth, and hydrated instead of those you already know to avoid.

• Antioxidant-rich jojoba oil is quickly and easily absorbed by the skin due to its close similarity to our skin’s natural sebum. This ensures that your skin stays hydrated all day long.
• This organic cocoa seed butter is perfect for keeping your lips hydrated and healthy. It contains vitamin E, which helps to restore moisture levels, leaving you with smooth, soft lips.
• Candelilla Wax is a better, more natural alternative to synthetic wax and petroleum. This plant-based wax is rich in vitamins and protective antioxidants, helps skin retain moisture, and doesn’t suffocate the skin.
• Beeswax is perfect for your skin as it contains amino acids!

Try these:

Lysine + Herbs Lip Balm. This lip balm is packed with nourishing ingredients that leave lips feeling hydrated and comfortable, without stealing their natural moisture. The lightly tinted formula gives your lips a gentle hint of color.

Coconut Cream.If you need a quick solution for your dry, chapped lips, look no further than this raw coconut cream. Made with 100% pure, raw, and unrefined organic coconut oil, it will penetrate your lips without burning or stinging, and help heal them so that they retain their natural moisture level. It is also rich in lauric and caprylic acids, which have antifungal and antibacterial properties.

Drink Plenty of Water

Dehydration often begins with dry lips. avoids this by consuming at least 91 ounces of water each day — that’s 12 cups.

Humidifier

A humidifier will add much-needed moisture to your lips while you sleep, which is crucial in both hot and dry climates and when indoor heaters are running.

In Conclusion

Many people believe that chapstick and lip balm are interchangeable, but the key to finding a product that works best for you lies in understanding the differences between them. Chapstick is simply a brand name, while lip balm contains ingredients that help to keep your lips moisturized.