IN WITH THE NEW: Lip Balm
Welcome to my weekly featured ”IN WITH THE NEW” CLEAN SWAP! This week we are taking a closer look at Lip Balm!
I’m always fielding questions from clients and friends about how they can swap out some of their favorite products for safer, toxin-free options without a loss in quality, taste, or performance (depending on the product). Every week, I cover food, cosmetics, personal care, cleaning and laundry products, and even behavior, so if you enjoy these Clean Swaps, please follow me on Instagram and sign up for my 360° OF WELLNESS Newsletter (⬅️by clicking on this link to the left) so that you never miss a new one.
Let’s talk lip balm 💋
Hi, my name is Victoria and I am a lip balm addict.
I have one in my car, in every handbag, and I can't go to sleep unless I can feel it on my lips.
Yeah, it’s a problem.
SO WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT lip balm? 💁♀️
The skin on your lips is thin and absorbs anything on it more easily. Not to mention that it's inevitable for whatever you put on your smackaroos to end up in your mouth as you eat, drink, or lick your lips. So let's take a look at some of the scary stuff in most products:
🚫 PETROLATUM (or Petroleum Jelly or mineral oil) is made from petroleum (yes, like what's in your car). It's refined (by using toxic compounds) and can end up contaminated during manufacturing, which allows carcinogenic agents to get in. It creates an airtight barrier on the skin which can enhance penetration and absorption of toxic chemicals.
🚫 PARABENS are known to interfere with hormone function, which can lead to early puberty in children and an increased risk of hormonal cancer. They have been linked to male reproductive issues, an increased risk of breast cancer, birth defects, and organ toxicity.
🚫 BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) is a toluene-based ingredient (toluene was rated 37th most toxic chemical by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in 1992) used as a preservative in personal care products like shaving gels. It can mimic estrogen and is a known endocrine disruptor. It’s also a possible carcinogen and is linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity.
🚫 SYNTHETIC COLOR and DYES are derived from coal tar. They are carcinogenic and contain heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto skin, causing sensitivity and irritation.
🚫 FRAGRANCE and FLAVORS (which should just be listed as “hidden toxins”) are packed w/dangerous, synthetic chemicals, like phthalates, powerful hormone disruptors linked to pre-term births, birth defects, decreased sperm counts, reduced female fertility, and a worsening of allergy and asthma symptoms. However, these innocuous but misleading terms are meant to hide hundreds of these ingredients because they are considered “trade secrets” in the eyes of the government, which seems to place the interests of the corporation above the safety of us, the consumers.
🚫 CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS penetrate skin and may disrupt hormones. Oxybenzone, the most common one, has been rated an 8 (on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest and 10 being the most harmful) on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) toxicity rating scale. This means that it is one of the most toxic ingredients found in cosmetic and personal care products. It has been linked to hormone disruption and has the potential to damage cells that may lead to skin cancer. Because it may mimic hormones, oxybenzone can cause endometriosis and can pose a risk to reproductive systems. It has also been increasingly linked to early puberty in girls, low sperm count and male infertility, and an increase in hormone-related cancers. If you need sun protection, look for Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient.
READY FOR the CLEAN SWAP?🙋♀️
Check out Beautycounter Lip Conditioners. They’re made with avocado oil and shea butter and help ELIMINATE dryness rather than just mask it like most other brands.
Beautycounter’s lip conditioners come in two flavors:
👉 Peppermint (love the tingle of this one!) or
👉 Soothing canlendula.
Or try one of Beautycounter’s beautiful, SAFER (i.e., yup, they’re all made without any harmful chemicals) limited edition holiday sets below to keep your kisser soft and kissable all winter long.
Gift them out, separate and stuff them in stockings, or just keep them for yourself.
Do you have a favorite clean brand?
Send me a message or leave a comment below and share what it is. If I feature it, I’ll give you credit and may even send you a free gift!
If you enjoyed this weeks’s Clean Swap, share it with a friend and sign up for my 360° OF WELLNESS Newsletter (below) so you never miss a new one.e.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Gregory is an Integrative Nutritionist and founder of NEWTRITION NEWYOU. Her focus—whether with private clients, readers of her blog, or her followers on social media— is whole body wellness, incorporating whole-food nutrition, supplementation, exercise, toxin-free living, and mindset coaching. Victoria’s personal mission is to help make the world a healthier place, one person at a time, and she has helped thousands of people find joy and self-love through better eating habits and mindfulness. Learn more about Victoria.