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Lip balms were not always full of dangerous chemicals. A physician named Dr. CD Fleet first made such a balm around 1880 in the town of Lynchburg in American Virginia.
At first these balms resembled small wickless candles wrapped in foil. However, because Dr. Fleet’s sales did not do particularly well, he decided to sell the recipe to John Morton for $5.
John Morton and his wife made their first lip balms at home in the kitchen. Eventually this became a successful business, which the Morton family sold in 1963 to the H. Ribbins company.
This company subsequently became responsible for adding flavors (1971), later an SPF protective factor against UV rays (1981) and finally for adding other chemicals such as petroleum derivatives (1985), which have remained in lip balms to this day.
Do toxic chemicals absorb into the body directly through the lips?
When we take a closer look at a moisturizing lip balm with the “original flavor,” we find the following ingredients:
Active – petrolatum (petroleum jelly)
Inactive – arachidyl propionate, camphor, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol, fragrance, isopropyl lanolate, isopropyl myristate, lanolin, light mineral oil, methylparaben, octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, paraffin, phenyltrimethicone, propylparaben, red 6, titanium dioxide, white wax, yellow 5
Let’s now take a slightly closer look at the individual listed ingredients.
Petrolatum (petroleum jelly)
Petroleum jelly is a liquid mixture of geological origin obtained from oil beneath the Earth’s surface.
After oil is extracted, it is processed in refineries to make gasoline, diesel, motor oils, aviation fuel and other products, many of which are added to cosmetic preparations.
A recent study published on the ChemTox site states the following about the toxic side effects of petroleum products:
Chemical substances made from petroleum have several adverse effects on the human nervous and immune systems with prolonged exposure.
Based on medical research, the following diseases have been identified as being caused by these substances: cancer in children and adults, numerous neurological disorders, weakening of the immune system, autoimmune diseases and many others.
carnauba wax
Carnauba wax is obtained from the leaves of the Brazilian carnauba palm.
Topical application of carnauba wax containing titanium dioxide can cause:
- skin drying
- acne
- rashes
- contact dermatitis
- allergic reactions
- skin irritation
- inflammation of hair follicles
It is incomprehensible why this substance is added to lip balms and what purpose it is supposed to serve, since it has nothing to do with moisturizing.
isopropyl myristate
It is an ester of isopropanol and myristic acid. One of its uses is removing lice from hair.
This ester dissolves the wax that covers the surface of lice, causes dehydration in them and thus kills them.
When used in lip balms it is absorbed deeply into the skin and clogs pores. This can result in the strangulation of nutrient supply to the skin, resulting in skin cell death .
propylparaben
The main concern with this substance, as with other parabens, is that they mimic the activity of the female sex hormone estrogen.
Too early exposure to this hormone is often associated with the development of breast cancer . Many studies have been conducted on this topic that have confirmed it.
A group of British scientists discovered traces of parabens in tissue samples taken from cells in breasts. These samples were obtained from 20 women who had developed breast cancer.
The result was that all 20 samples contained traces of parabens.
It is also quite possible that parabens affect men as well. One study found that with the occurrence of parabens, the production of the male sex hormone testosterone decreased.
red 6
This dye is also made from petroleum. It is already the fourth substance found in lip balms that is petroleum-derived.
It has been found to promote hyperactivity in children, increase the risk of brain tumors in laboratory mice and also affect the occurrence of other developmental abnormalities .
yellow 6
The effects of the dye yellow 6 on the human body can be the following:
- cancer
- hyperactivity
- allergic reactions
- diarrhea
- vomiting
- hives
- migraines
- skin swelling at application sites
On many lip balms there is an alarming warning:
“Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed seek medical help immediately or contact the Poison Control Center.”
Why would anyone voluntarily apply something like that near their mouth?
Homemade natural lip balm
If the above information has put you off further use of commercial lip balms, you can make your own from purely natural ingredients.
ingredients
You will need the following for it:
- 1/4 cup (0.5 dl) coconut oil or sweet almond oil
- 1/4 cup (0.5 dl) mango butter or cocoa butter
- 3/4 cup (1.5 dl) beeswax
- 2 drops of essential oil (for example peppermint, lavender, wild orange, ginger, clove, cinnamon or rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder (for flavor) or powdered herbs for color
Preparation
When making the lip balm, proceed as follows:
1. Place the coconut oil and mango butter into a heat-resistant glass measuring container. Melt the oil and butter by placing the container into a pot of boiling water.
2. After the previous ingredients have melted, add the beeswax to the mixture. Melt it as well, stirring constantly with a stainless steel spoon. Be careful, the glass will be very hot!
3. Let the mixture cool slightly and thicken a bit.
4. Then add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixture.
5. If you want, you can color your lip balm by adding a small amount of powdered coloring herbs.
6. Now add the cocoa powder if you have decided on a cocoa flavor. You can also use another flavoring, such as vanilla extract.
7. Mix everything thoroughly again so that there are no lumps in the mixture.
8. Finally, carefully pour the mixture into empty scented tubes. You can either clean and reuse old ones, or buy new
