Lip balm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lip balm or lip salve is a substance topically applied to the lips of the mouth to relieve chapped or dry lips, angular cheilitis or stomatitis, and cold sores. Lip gloss is similar, but generally has only cosmetic properties. The balm is usually manufactured from beeswax, petroleum jelly, menthol, camphor, scented oils, and various other ingredients. Some manufacturers also add vitamins, alum, salicylic acid, or aspirin. Most lip balms contain sunscreen, to minimize sun damage.

Lip balm usually comes in small containers; either one in which a finger is used to apply it to the lips, or in 'stick' form (similar to lipstick) which is applied directly to the lips.

[edit] Addiction claims

There are many stories of lip balm addiction, where the users of lip balm feel the need to constantly re-apply the product, claiming that their lips will chap and dry if they stop. Whether it is a physical withdrawal or purely psychological addiction is unclear. There are some urban legends stating that lip balm manufacturers add special chemicals or even fiberglass to their product to facilitate lip chapping, but none of these claims have ever been proven. Companies such as Blistex and Carmex have even dedicated entire pages of content on their websites to fighting this claim. Other websites (sometimes thought to be made as a joke) such as Lip Balm Anonymous make the claim the desire to reapply constantly does constitute an addiction.