Wax-Free Lip Balms

Wax-Free Lip Balms The skin of the lips is very thin and devoid of sebaceous glands, and so it needs extra hydration and protection from harmful environmental factors. That’s why you should invest in a high-quality lip balm. Most lip balms are formulated with beeswax which has great moisturising and protective properties, but what if you’re allergic to it or vegan? In such a case wax-free lip balms come to rescue.

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honey bees which use it to make honeycombs within the beehive. Worker bees secrete it from special wax-producing glands. This fat-like product has a complex chemical composition which depends on a region where bees live and what they eat. Its main components are palmitate, palmitoleate, and oleate esters of long-chain aliphatic alcohols. In general, beeswax contains about 300 different chemical compounds which stipulate its unique properties.

For thousands of years, beeswax has had a wide variety of uses. Today, purified and bleached beeswax is widely used in the production of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. According to a German study, beeswax is superior to petrolatum-based products when it comes to moisturising and protecting the skin. It is commonly used in lip balm and lip gloss because it effectively hydrates and protects the lips, as well as provides for a great texture, making lip care products easy to apply.

Despite all useful properties of beeswax, there are people who can’t use personal care products which contain this ingredient. Some are allergic to bee products, while others do it for ethical reasons. Luckily, there are natural alternatives to beeswax. Most beeswax-free lip balms are formulated with vegetable oils and butters such as cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, etc.

What oils and butters are most commonly used in natural lip balms? Let’s name some of them.

Cocoa butter (theobroma oil) is one of the most stable fats due to its high antioxidant content. It has been used for treatment of chapped lips for centuries.
Shea butter (karite butter) is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturiser. It is a common substitute for cocoa butter both in the chocolate and cosmetic industries.
Jojoba oil is found in many cosmetic products made from natural ingredients, it has great emollient properties and is relatively stable.
Coconut oil (copra oil) is very resistant to rancidification, so it is a common ingredient in lip balms and other personal care products with moisturising properties.

Cocoa butter is one of the most widely used beeswax alternatives. It has pronounced emollient and conditioning properties. Cococare’s Cocoa Butter Lip Balm, commonly referred to as the yellow stick, is among the most popular lip care products with cocoa butter. It hydrates and nourishes your lips, makes them soft and supple, protects them from wind, cold and UV radiation. The balm also has healing properties, it accelerates the healing of minor injuries and prevents dry, chapped, cracked or windburned lips.

Cococare’s yellow stick has a remarkably soft texture. It is very easy to apply, but at the same time the balm doesn’t leave your lips feeling greasy of sticky. Note that the melting point of cocoa butter is about 35 °C, so you should keep the lip balm at room temperature and avoid putting it in your pocket to prevent melting which can have a negative effect on its properties.

Note that most wax-free lip balms have a slighter greasier texture than their counterparts formulated with beeswax because they have a higher content of vegetable oils. On the other hand, vegetable oils and butters absorb quicker than beeswax, so you have nothing to worry about. In general, beeswax-based and oil-based natural lip balm are equally effective.

You can find a wide range of natural lip care products, both beeswax-based and wax-free, in our online store Organic Shop. We present a variety of brands including Cococare, Aromatika, Home Doctor, Green Pharmacy, and Sierra Bees. All these brands offer effective yet affordable lip care products which will keep your lips moisturised, conditioned and protected. You will surely find the one that is just right for you!