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When your lips become dry, you reach for a soothing balm from a tube, a small jar, or one of those strange golf ball-shaped containers. Instantly, you feel relief. But as the effect fades, you find yourself needing more. This cycle continues throughout the winter. Are you practicing good skin care, or have you unknowingly developed an addiction?
The Myths Surrounding Lip Balm Addiction
Let’s define the term 'addiction' for a moment. It involves the brain's reward pathways, typically responding to a chemical—the 'substance' in substance abuse. True addiction comes with withdrawal symptoms and becomes problematic when it disrupts your life, relationships, or when you continue seeking the substance despite its negative impact on your health.
Most lip balm lovers likely aren't dealing with a true addiction. While some may apply it dozens or even hundreds of times a day, psychotherapist Daniel Mattila told Refinery29 that this is more akin to obsessive-compulsive behavior than drug addiction. For these individuals, “[applying lip balm is] a ritual and a self-soothing activity, much like hand-washing.”
But when does it cross the line? Those of us with a more balanced lip balm routine might still carry one with us during winter. (I know I do.) But if you’re constantly applying balm and your lips remain chapped, could the balm actually be contributing to the problem? It would certainly be convenient for the companies profiting from its sale.
The rumors surrounding lip balms have likely been circulating since they first became popular. Take Carmex, for instance, which has been accused of adding harsh acids or ground glass to damage the lips and make you want more. While there’s no evidence supporting such claims, there’s a kernel of truth in the idea that some lip balms may contain irritants. But let’s first understand how lip balms are meant to function.
Understanding How Lip Balms Work
Lip balms are designed with oils and moisturizers that aim to soothe your dry lips. Skin cells are created in the deeper layers of the epidermis and gradually move upwards, shrinking and flattening as they reach the surface. The flattened, almost empty cells at the top form an excellent moisture barrier, particularly since they’re tightly bonded along their edges. This helps keep moisture in and prevents external substances from penetrating.
When your skin becomes dry, cell production speeds up. This results in immature cells reaching the surface, leading to an imperfect barrier: dry skin becomes less protective and more prone to further dehydration. (A detailed explanation of this process can be found in this online dermatology textbook.) Applying something like lip balm, which acts as an artificial barrier, can give the skin a chance to recover and heal itself.
The skin on your lips is particularly vulnerable to drying out due to the lack of sweat and oil glands that help keep the rest of your skin hydrated and smooth. When your lips become dry, the only way to restore their protective layer is by applying a balm. Simply waiting for them to heal may not be effective if the same conditions causing the dryness persist. In winter, this usually means exposure to cold, dry air, which is difficult to avoid.
So indeed: Applying a moisturizer to your lips works just as lip balms claim, keeping them soft and smooth. If your lips are chapped and you use a balm for several days, they should heal. If they don't, it's likely due to other factors. While it's true that moisturizers can temporarily reduce the production of natural oils on your body's skin, this doesn't happen on your lips, as they don't produce much oil in the first place.
Why You Need to Keep Re-Applying
If your lips don’t improve after several days, there may be additional underlying causes at play.
Lip balms sometimes (though not always) contain substances called counter-irritants. These can be soothing for some people but irritating for others. In reality, they can have both effects.
Here’s how it works. When you bump your elbow on a table and rub the spot with your other hand, you’re using the concept of pain gating. There are a limited number of nerve fibers transmitting pain from your elbow to your brain, and by introducing a new sensation—like rubbing—you decrease the amount of pain that can be transmitted. The same idea applies to the tingling ingredients in Tiger Balm or Biofreeze: they occupy the nervous system with mild sensations of cooling or warming, making muscle soreness less noticeable.
Personally, I can’t stand these products; they seem to add more irritation without alleviating any pain. However, everyone has a different response. Those who swear by Biofreeze often find medicated lip balms like Carmex to be 'soothing.'
Menthol, phenol, and camphor are common counter-irritants. Carmex contains all three, while 'natural' lip balms often use peppermint oil for a similar effect. These ingredients can lead to mild dryness or inflammation as a side effect.
If you apply a balm for the cooling sensation but end up with irritated lips, your instinct might be to apply it again. For most people, this doesn’t go beyond a mild irritation, but if it happens to you, consider switching to a brand that doesn’t produce any tingling or stinging.
Counter-irritants are not the only potential issue, but they are a major factor. Other possibilities include:
Your balm may contain ingredients you're allergic to, such as oils or fragrances. If you notice irritation and suspect the balm is the cause, try switching to a more basic option—even simple petroleum jelly—and see if the problem clears up.
The balm might include alpha-hydroxy acids or salicylic acid, which are chemical exfoliants. These compounds help shed the outer skin layers, which is beneficial for healthy skin but not ideal for damaged or sensitive skin.
Your lips could be exposed to environmental factors like dry air, sunlight, or constant lip-licking, which a balm can only temporarily address.
The reason you find yourself reapplying the balm may be due to counter-irritants or other external factors, rather than the moisturizing benefits of the balm itself.
What to Look For in a Lip Balm
If your current lip balm isn't effective, it might be time to explore a new one, with a closer look at the ingredients. Lip balms generally feature a few key types of ingredients:
Occlusive ingredients are greasy or waxy, forming a protective barrier on the skin to prevent moisture loss. Petroleum jelly is a classic example, and many oils and waxes also fall into this category.
Emollients fill in the gaps between skin cells, giving the skin a smooth, soft feeling. These include certain oils, alcohols, and esters. While you may have heard that alcohols should be avoided in lip balms, some alcohols, like octyl dodecanol, hexyl dodecanol, and oleyl alcohol, make excellent emollients without drying out the skin.
Humectants attract water, helping draw moisture from the deeper layers of the skin into the epidermis. Honey, glycerol, and urea are all effective humectants. Yes, urea is found in urine, but it’s also present in sweat and helps hydrate the skin. Urea-based lotions are among the best moisturizers available.
If your lips aren’t chapped yet, a balm with occlusive ingredients can help maintain their health by preventing moisture loss. If your lips are already dry, a balm containing all three types of ingredients might be the most effective option.
The formulation of lip balm and lotion is both an art and a science. A study published in the British Journal of Dermatology discovered that certain oils unexpectedly caused the skin to lose moisture, rather than retain it. 'The ingredients which influence the skin barrier function need to be identified,' the researchers concluded. For now, some trial and error is necessary.
I have two favorites: First, Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm. It applies thickly and stays in place; while it’s hard to say if the honey has a substantial effect, it could act as a humectant. It also smells amazing. The other is Burt’s Bees Ultra Conditioning Balm with Kokum Butter, which consists mostly of butters and oils. It’s designed to be more emollient than typical balms, while still offering some barrier function.
Choosing the right lip balm is a personal decision. What one person finds soothing, another might find drying. But if your chosen balm seems to be making your lips drier rather than providing relief, you don’t have to abandon your chapstick habit—just try a different formulation.
Illustration by Nick Criscuolo.
