Many of the basic lip balms on the market contain those drying alcohols, according to Rabach, which is really for their own benefit. Any alcohol ingredients can also dry out the lips.” “They're initially cooling when you put them on but they evaporate quickly and you need to reapply, so it can dry out the skin. “Generally in lip products I recommend avoiding ingredients like menthol, camphor, phenol,” said King. And if you’re unsure about what could potentially irritate you, conduct a patch test before use. The overwhelming PSA from all of these experts is simple: Avoid potential allergens in lip balms. “And then you start using something that potentially has an allergen in it, and you're more likely to develop allergies on skin that's already kind of angry.” “You get licker’s dermatitis from frequent licking of your lips, and then the water evaporates and it's dry,” Campbell said. She also explained why products that have allergens or disguised drying agents can create a vicious cycle. “With lip balm, it's more about creating a barrier because it is usually related to lip licking,” she said. That’ll allow more healing and prevent the usual dehydration that tends to happen overnight.Īs far as the many varieties of emollients go, Campbell specifically suggests looking for ceramides, which are fats or lipids in our skin that keep the water in and the environment out on a microscopic level. Rabach suggests slathering on a thick layer of your most emollient-heavy lip products before bed since you don’t have to worry about talking, eating, or mask-wearing while you sleep. They include things like squalane, mineral oil, vitamin E, petrolatum, and ceramides and work very well to help you feel that moisture on your lips. “Even for people that have acne problems who generally want to stay away from more oily or thick kinds of emollients, lips can definitely take it all.”Įmollients are those saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons that help protect the skin and improve skin texture and appearance. “Lips can definitely take a lot more oil and what we would characterize as emollients than other places on the skin,” Rabach said. She says that having all three is particularly important for good lip products because some have humectants without the emollients and occlusives, which will actually dehydrate the lips in dry environments. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. What you should look for in a lip balmĪs is the case for any hydrating product, you want the ingredients in your lip balm to include humectants, emollients, and occlusives, according to Dr. You’re losing a lot more water through your lips, so that’s why they’re the only thing that really takes the brunt of the weather and the dryness.”Įssentially, most lips have no shot at staying supple all winter long without some intervention, so having an effective lip balm on hand is imperative. “There are so many more blood vessels in your lips than there are in your cheek skin, for example. Morgan Rabach, a dermatologist at LM Medical NYC. “It's pretty thin skin compared to other places on your face and it’s also much, much, much more vascular,” said Dr. ![]() While these external conditions lead to parched skin everywhere, our lips are far more susceptible to drying out than most other parts of the body. “Then we lick our lips, which causes even more water evaporation.” Caren Campbell, a board-certified dermatologist with boutique clinics in Napa and San Francisco. “More water evaporates from the skin with hot showers and heaters,” said Dr. Eating, drinking, kissing, licking, and exposure to the elements (unless you’re wearing a mask outdoors, that is) are just some of the factors our lips are up against, so it’s no surprise that they’re often dry, cracked, and just angry in general.ĭuring winter months in particular, the cold wind and lack of humidity can cause extra dryness and discomfort. ![]() ![]() Oh, and FYI - prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors.
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