IT’S SAFE TO say that we all love lip balms.
It’s also safe to assume that we all own about 4 million tubes of the bloody stuff and they just seem to appear and disappear of their own volition.
I’m sitting in college with nothing to do because I somehow brought my hand bag instead of my laptop bag :) I might not have a pen, laptop or usb with my assignments on it but at least I have lip balm and earphones
— Zöe Daly Burke (@DalyBurke) March 16, 2018
So what makes them so addicitive? Do they actually work? Why do we sometimes feel the need to eat them?
I have the nicest lip balm ever I just want to lick it
— Hurly Burly (@Sket_bruv) February 8, 2015
We decided to ask a dermatologist to find out.
Dr. Caitriona Ryan is the Consultant Dermatologist at the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin and is an internationally renowned expert in Medical and Cosmetic Dermatology.
According to her lip balms are actually effective despite the constant need we have to apply them at any given moment.
Lip balms are moisturisers for the lips – they will help lubricate lips whether dry or normal. The most moisturising lip balms are simple formulations based on petroleum jelly.
I have no idea. Women tend to be more preoccupied with lip balms than men. Shiny lips are cosmetically appealing and many like the texture of well lubricated lips.
If you tend to have drier lips than the norm, Dr. Ryan suggests a lip balm which is bland and based on petroleum jelly. So something like Vaseline or Aquaphor would be ideal.
If you have particularly sensitive lips, Dr. Ryan recommends a lip balm which is bland and to avoid lip balms that contain fragrances, plants and cinnamates (anything that contains cinnamic acid).
As we suspected, Vaseline will fix any and all problems that you’ll face in life. If you can keep hold of it that is.
Chapped lips on a daily basis + lose a Vaseline’ on a daily basis too
— Conor Ryan (@Conorryan07) March 21, 2018
So there you go, we don’t know why lip balms are so addictive but we do know that they’re effective which is probably the most important thing.
Happy balming!
