ChapStick is one of the most popular lip balms in the world. The brand was founded in the 1970s, and is used to treat chapped lips as well as to generally moisturize the lips.
But does ChapStick contain research-backed ingredients for improving lip appearance and health? Are there any unhealthy additives? Which ChapStick is the healthiest? And are there natural alternatives that work better?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in ChapStick to give our take on whether it's healthy or unhealthy.
We’ll also explain which ChapStick flavor we consider the healthiest, and share a natural alternative that may be a better option than ChapStick.
Key takeaways:
- Some ChapStick flavors have unhealthy additive ingredients
- ChapStick 100% Natural has no unhealthy additives
- We recommend ChapStick Natural
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredient in ChapStick Original is shown below:
White petrolatum is the only active ingredient, and this ingredient has significant research backing.
A 2016 clinical trial reported that petrolatum has a skin barrier protecting effect and an antimicrobial effect.
A medical review published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology found that petrolatum can reduce water loss from the skin by up to 98% when included at a minimum concentration of 5% (the concentration in ChapStick is 45%).
This suggests that petrolatum is one of the most effective moisturizing ingredients.
As we documented in our article on is Vaseline good for your face, petrolatum was also clinically shown to protect skin from environmental irritants.
The inactive ingredients in ChapStick Original are shown below:
Fragrance is included in many cosmetic products, but a medical review published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal analyzed clinical data on this class of ingredient and concluded the following:
“Results of this study provide compelling evidence that everyday fragranced products can impose serious risks to human health, environmental quality, businesses, and society.”
Red 6 Lake and Yellow 5 Lake are artificial colorants, and a 2015 medical review found that artificial dyes can absorb through the skin and may have immune-disrupting effects systemically.
Overall, we consider ChapStick Original to be unhealthy due to the use of fragrance and artificial dyes.
Which ChapStick is the Healthiest?
The ingredients in ChapStick 100% Natural Lip Butter are shown below:
Coconut oil was shown to be highly effective at moisturizing skin in a clinical trial published in the Dermatitis journal.
Beeswax was shown in a 2016 medical review to have antimicrobial activity.
Shea butter is clinically shown to promote skin barrier repair, as we documented in our LifeCell Skin review article.
Avocado oil was shown in a 2008 clinical trial to be nutrient-rich, and the researchers described this compound as “an excellent source of enrichment for dry, damaged or chapped skin.”
Most importantly, there are no inactive ingredients in this formulation that we consider unhealthy.
Overall, we consider ChapStick 100% Natural Lip Butter to be the healthiest formulation sold by the brand, and we consider it likely to be effective for improving lip health and appearance.
Our Clean Lip Balm Pick
Dr. Bronner's Organic Lip Balm is our top healthy lip balm pick.
This product has the healthiest formulation of any lip gloss we’ve reviewed. It contains hydrating natural ingredients like organic avocado oil and organic jojoba seed oil.
However it's fragrance-free and contains no additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
As the author of this article, I've switched my lip balm from ChapStick to Dr. Bronner's, and even keep an extra one in the car:
What I've noticed is that although it's more expensive, the price works out to about the same in the long-run, because you need to use less.
There is no "rebound" effect.
