If you think buying any chapstick from a store would be fine, think again. As many of us started to pay closer attention to ingredients lists and transitioning into organic foods and skin care products, we’ve left our lips in the dark.
No other part of our body shares the same skin structure as our lips. The stratum corneum (the outer most protective layer) is much thinner on the lips than the rest of the skin. Because of this, lips are more susceptible to elemental damage and absorbs toxic chemicals into the bloodstream easier than other parts of the body.
Using poor ingredients that are toxic to your skin will progressively show signs of aging faster. It can cause more wrinkles and degenerate collagen production. Aging of the lips means flatter and thinner lips.
A lot of the most common ingredients found in lip balm not only leave our lips drier when you stop using them, but can also affect our hormones, reproductive toxicity, irritate our skin, and even cause cancer.
The U.S. has very few laws regulating the cosmetic and personal-care industry. There is no pre-product approval before a product hits stores. Only an incoherent approval process that is only for color additives and for ingredients classified as over-the-counter drugs. The FDA says as long as products are properly labeled and safe for consumers to use as long as they follow directions, they pass. I find this rule to have many loopholes for dishonest companies and can mislead consumers easily. If the FDA could approve for lysol to be used as a douche for women back in the day, I wouldn’t use their judgement on what they find acceptable in the market.
Companies often add chemicals in their products for many reasons. Sadly, it’s often a cheaper and easier route for the company’s gain by sacrificing your health. A few deceptive examples are : Preservatives for a longer shelf life, dyes for attractive product colors, synthetics to give effects of smoothness for your skin. So your favorite moisturizer may just be a physical and tactile illusion created by the company’s magically toxic recipe.
And the crazy thing about most lip balms is that they don’t work by adding moisture, instead they seal your lips with an overcoat of grease so your lips’ won’t lose its own moisture.
Some people may argue that topical ingredients affects your body differently than ingesting. You wouldn’t intentionally eat these chemicals so why would you spread them over your lips where it’s inevitable that parts will be swallowed? They say lipstick wearers will ingest on average 5 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime. If we’re using lip balm daily, that amount would be equivalent.
The same way you look at food labels, you should start reading the ingredients list in your skin and beauty products. Take care of your lips, they make kissing better.
Misleading labels and Toxic ingredients to look out for will be on next blog!