Lips are not like the rest of your face, and it shows in how quickly they chap. The outer layer of lip skin is only a few cells thick - roughly three to six layers, against fifteen or sixteen on the cheek. Lips have no oil glands and no sweat glands, so they cannot moisturise themselves the way the rest of your skin does. The barrier is thinner and holds less water, which is why lips dry out faster than anywhere else, especially in wind, cold and dry indoor air.
There is a second thing worth mentioning. Because we eat, drink, talk and lick our lips all day, lip balm wears off and is partly swallowed in a way that a face cream never is. Lip skin is also more permeable than skin elsewhere. Neither fact is cause for alarm - but both are reasonable reasons to care a little more about what is in the one product you reapply to your mouth several times a day.
None of this means lips need an elaborate formula. If anything, the opposite. Thin, easily-irritated skin tends to do better with less.
The reapply cycle some balms create
Have you ever used a lip balm that felt wonderful for ten minutes, then left your lips needing it again? That is not always your imagination.
Some balms create a cooling or tingling sensation that reads as relief but does not actually condition the lip. Menthol, camphor and similar ingredients stimulate the nerve endings - it feels like something is working - while quietly irritating and drying the skin. The sensation fades, the lips feel worse, and you reach for the tube again. Dermatologists describe this as rebound dryness, and it is one of the more common reasons a "soothing" balm keeps you coming back.
There is a related trap with humectants. Ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid draw water toward the lip, which is helpful - but only if something seals it in. On their own, in dry air, they can pull moisture from the lip and let it evaporate. A good balm pairs them with an occlusive, or skips the water-chasing altogether and simply seals.
Common ingredients worth recognising
This is not a list of things to fear. It is a list of things to recognise, so you can decide for yourself - especially if your lips chap easily or you find yourself reapplying all day. The notes matter as much as the names.
| Ingredient | Why it's used | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Menthol, camphor, phenol, eucalyptus | A cooling, tingling "medicated" feel | Feel soothing, but can dry and irritate thin lip skin and feed the reapply cycle. |
| Salicylic acid | Exfoliates flaky lips | Usually too harsh for delicate lip tissue; can worsen the dryness it promises to fix. |
| Fragrance / Parfum / Flavour | Scent and taste (vanilla, cherry, mint) | A leading cause of lip irritation and allergy. Flavour also encourages licking, which dries lips further. |
| Lanolin | A sealing occlusive | Effective and well-loved, but a recognised allergen (named Allergen of the Year for 2023). Fine for many, not for all. |
| Chemical UV filters (octinoxate, oxybenzone) | Sun protection | SPF on lips is genuinely valuable. But these filters can irritate sensitive lips - mineral filters (zinc, titanium) are a gentler option. |
| Petrolatum / mineral oil / paraffin | A sealing occlusive | Safe and often dermatologist-recommended. It seals well but is inert - it does not condition the way plant butters and oils do. A preference, not a problem. |
You will notice the list is mostly about additives - the tingle, the scent, the flavour - rather than the base. That is the pattern. The base of most balms is doing a reasonable job; it is what gets added on top, often to make a balm feel or taste more exciting, that tends to cause the trouble for sensitive lips.
A word on petrolatum
It would be easy, and a little dishonest, to put petroleum jelly at the top of a villains list. It does not belong there. Cosmetic-grade petrolatum is safe, and dermatologists frequently recommend it as one of the most effective ways to seal moisture into chapped lips.
The honest distinction is narrower. Petrolatum is an excellent sealant, but it is inert: it forms a barrier on top of the lip without conditioning the skin underneath. Plant butters and oils seal and soften, bringing their own fatty acids and vitamin E to the lip while they do it. Neither approach is wrong. Whether you prefer a petroleum-based balm or a plant-based one is a matter of taste, not safety - and we would rather you chose on the facts than on fear.
One thing that is not a matter of taste: sun protection. Lip skin is thin and sun-vulnerable, and a daytime balm with SPF 30 or higher is worth having in the rotation, whatever its base. If your everyday balm has no SPF, treat sun protection as a separate daytime step.
What a good lip balm actually needs
Strip the marketing away and a lip balm has a simple job: seal moisture in, and soften the skin while it does. Almost everything beyond that is optional, and for sensitive lips, optional often means avoidable.
What to look for
- An occlusive to seal moisture in: beeswax, shea butter, plant oils, or petrolatum.
- Emollient plant oils and butters to soften the lip.
- A short ingredient list you can actually read.
- No menthol, camphor, phenol or salicylic acid if your lips irritate easily.
- No fragrance or flavour if your lips react, or if you reapply all day.
- SPF 30 or higher for daytime sun - a separate step if your balm has none.
- Patch test anything new, and see a professional if lips stay cracked, bleed or won't settle.
How Skin Botanist does lips
Our lip balms are built on the same idea as everything else we make: a short list of plant ingredients, nothing added that does not need to be there. The base is conditioning rather than inert - shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax to seal and soften, apricot kernel oil so it absorbs cleanly, and vitamin E to keep the oils fresh. Waterless, so no preservatives. Cold-blended in small batches in Victoria.
The one place we add anything for the senses is the Botanical Lip Balm, which carries a light, natural peppermint and rose geranium lift. It is worth being straight about that, given everything above: this is a single, subtle natural note, not the heavy synthetic menthol of a medicated balm. But peppermint is still an essential oil, and very reactive lips can find any fragrance too much. That is exactly why we also make a fragrance-free option.
Three ways to keep it simple
Pick by what your lips want. A soft botanical lift, nothing added for scent, or a child-friendly version with no menthol or flavour to encourage licking. Patch test first, especially if your lips react easily.
| Lip balm | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Botanical Lip Balm / 7 ingredients - $15 | Shea, coconut, beeswax, apricot kernel, vitamin E, with a light natural peppermint and rose geranium lift. |
| Bare Lip Balm / Fragrance-free | The fragrance-free version. No essential oils and no added scent, for lips that react to fragrance or menthol. |
| Kids Lip Balm / For little lips | A simple, food-friendly balm for children, with no menthol or flavour to encourage licking. |
We are not going to claim any balm is right for every set of lips, or that a simple formula fixes everything - lips that stay cracked, split or sore deserve a look from a GP or dermatologist, not just another product. What a short list does offer is something to read, and fewer things to react to. On skin this thin, that tends to count for a lot.
Frequently asked questions
Which lip balm ingredients should you look out for?
The ones dermatologists most often flag are the cooling, medicated ingredients - menthol, camphor, phenol and eucalyptus - and salicylic acid, which can dry and irritate thin lip skin and leave you reaching for more. Fragrance and flavour are common triggers too, and some people react to lanolin. None of these are dangerous, but on lips that chap or react easily, a short, plain formula is often the easier choice. Patch test anything new.
Why does my lip balm make my lips feel drier?
Some balms create a cooling or tingling sensation that feels like relief but does not actually condition the lip. Ingredients like menthol and camphor can irritate and dry the skin, so the relief fades and you reapply, which can become a cycle. Humectants such as glycerin without an occlusive to seal them can also draw moisture from the lip in dry air. A simple balm that seals and softens, without the tingle, usually settles things.
Is petroleum jelly or petrolatum bad for your lips?
No. Cosmetic-grade petrolatum is safe and is often recommended by dermatologists as an effective sealant for chapped lips. The honest distinction is that it seals moisture in but is inert - it does not condition the lip the way plant butters and oils do. Whether you prefer a petroleum-based or a plant-based balm is a matter of preference, not safety.
Do we really swallow lip balm?
A fair amount, over time. Because we eat, drink, talk and lick our lips, lip products wear off and are partly ingested in a way that products elsewhere on the body are not. Lip skin is also thin and more permeable than the rest of the face. Neither fact is cause for alarm, but both are reasonable reasons to care what is in a product you wear on your lips every day.
Is peppermint or menthol bad in a lip balm?
It depends on the amount and your lips. The concern dermatologists raise is mainly about heavy synthetic menthol, camphor and phenol in medicated balms, which can dry and irritate. A small amount of natural peppermint for a subtle finish is a different thing. That said, peppermint is still an essential oil, and very reactive lips can find any fragrance too much - in which case an essential-oil-free balm is the safer choice.
What ingredients are good for dry lips?
Lips do best with an occlusive to seal moisture in - beeswax, shea butter, plant oils or petrolatum - and emollient plant oils and butters to soften. Vitamin E helps keep the oils fresh. For daytime sun, a lip product with SPF 30 or higher protects against UV damage, which lip skin is especially vulnerable to. Short, simple formulas tend to suit sensitive lips best.
Should a lip balm have SPF?
For daytime and outdoor use, yes - lip skin is thin and sun-vulnerable, and dermatologists recommend SPF 30 or higher to help protect against UV damage and lip cancer. SPF can be a separate daytime step if your everyday balm does not contain it. Mineral filters such as zinc oxide tend to suit sensitive lips better than chemical filters.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology. Seven dermatologists' tips for healing dry, chapped lips. Available: aad.org
- Cleveland Clinic. Lip balm ingredients to avoid for chapped lips (Dr Melissa Piliang). Available: health.clevelandclinic.org
- American Contact Dermatitis Society. Lanolin named Allergen of the Year, 2023.
- Wertz PW. Lipids and the permeability and antimicrobial barriers of the skin. Journal of Lipids, 2018. doi:10.1155/2018/5954034
- Wertz PW. Roles of lipids in the permeability barriers of skin and oral mucosa. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021.
