What are the ingredients in lip balm?

Some lip balm ingredients are manufactured, such as petroleum jelly. Others are natural, such as beeswax. There has been some debate over which is better for you.

Dr Emma Craythorne, a consultant dermatologist and surgeon, who uses petroleum jelly as a lip balm, told the Sliced Bread podcast: “Sometimes if you’re creating something synthetically, you’re making it in a more pure form, whereas if you have it from a natural source, it may be contaminated with other things. Natural ingredients are wonderful, but some natural ingredients are really, really harmful, so I wouldn’t say natural was better.”