Does ChapStick actually moisturize your lips? Or does it do just the opposite? Well, there are plenty of claims all over the Internet offering evidence for both sides, so it’s hard to get an actual answer.
Anecdotally, people have found that it does clearly work, while others claim it makes their lips look and feel more dehydrated. So, according to the consumers themselves, it’s questionable whether ChapStick truly does what it claims to.
When deciding if a product works or fulfills its claims, there are many factors and details to consider. If it’s a broad product like lip balm, numerous brands may use different ingredients, which means that people may react differently to certain ingredients within a specific brand.
People have a right to be confused because, according to Cleveland Clinic dermatologist, Dr. Melissa Piliang, the claim that ChapStick makes your lips more chapped “is a myth.”
However, Dr. Michelle Henry, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York, states that “petrolatum (petroleum jelly) locks in moisture, but it doesn’t provide moisture.” Additionally, petrolatum itself isn’t necessarily the same as ChapStick.
Overall, doctors agree that ChapStick is a temporary solution to dry lips. Ultimately, though, people find that they need to reapply lip balm frequently and develop a sort of dependence on it.
Cursory internet searches will tell you to use thicker moisturizing ointments – like Vaseline or Aquaphor – in colder weather. Lighter lip moisturizers, like balms or Chapstick, are generally better suited for warmer, more humid months when lips are less prone to drying and cracking. Dermatologists, however, have not verified this information.
In reality, research suggests that it’s all about the ingredients in the products you’re using. Lip balms containing ingredients like phenol, menthol, and salicylic acid make your lips drier. So, you apply more and it becomes a flakey, vicious cycle of chapped lips over and over again.
Ingredients like almond oil or coconut oil soften and moisturize your lips better than ChapStick does. Other oils used to treat chapped lips are olive oil, jojoba oil, canola oil, and mustard oil. They all have moisturizing and protective properties, though their healing properties are not as pronounced as almond and coconut oil.
Does your ChapStick work for you? Are you thinking about switching brands or maybe even using an alternative to ChapStick or lip balm? Or maybe you’ll conduct your own research to see what’s best for you.
