Review | Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

I'm going to be honest with you guys, I have no idea how to open this post. Sometimes I just want to write a review so freaking bad, but I do have some writer block moments from time to time. Plus, my writing skill is getting rustier due to the fact that I haven't been writing anything for a while 😅. So yup, without further ado, let me go ahead and review the lip balm that I'm currently using. It's the one from Burt's Bee- an old, classic cult favourite brand when it comes to lip care products.



I bought mine at Olive Young Namsan Tower for 3000 won (that would be around RM12) which was such a good deal considering they had it here at our Sephora for RM24 each. And speaking of Namsan Tower, these are some of the throwback pictures I took when I was there. I remember waiting for 3 hours in one of the coldest days of January 2016 just to see the sun setting from Namsan Park. I got bored whilst waiting so I decided to go and check out Olive Young store. For your information, Olive Young is just like our Watsons and Guardian here in Malaysia. It's apparently the largest beauty store they have in Seoul!




So right, Burt's Bee.
Founded in 1984, they started off by selling candles made from beeswax but it was not until the 1990s when they decided to come off with a lot of personal care products including their ever-famous beeswax lip balm. This company sources their beeswax supply from a family business in Africa as they claimed that the wax is clean from pesticides and has zero contamination.
Here's what Burt's Bee has to say about the product;

"The original. The best. And still your favourite. Our must-have balms have been playing in purses and pockets since 1991. Beeswax conditions skin, while antioxidant vitamin E moisturises. A final hint of peppermint oil provides that one-of-a-kind refreshing tingle. The result? Smooth, supple lips everyone will be buzzing about."

Packaging
This original beeswax lip balm available in a twist up tube, tin and squeezable version. I'm not sure whether the formulation of squeeze lip balm is the same as the rest, but it's definitely having the most hygienic packaging out of all. Mine is in the tube and I get 4.25 gram of product (or 0.15oz). I like how they put the ingredient list on the tube itself. Also, the cap is actually coordinated with the flavours available.



Ingredients
Cera alba (beeswax, Cire d'abeille), Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, Mentha Piperita (peppermint) oil, lanolin, Tocopherolrosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, soybean oil, canola oil and limonene. [cosDNA link: here]



I'm pretty much happy with the ingredient list, it may not be as simple as the previous lip balm I've tried (reviewed here) but the balm does contain a lot of caring and moisturising oils. There's no SPF added in this lip balm. I don't look for SPF in a lip balm but I know some people might have wanted that.

Discussions
Beeswax and lanolin are both considered as a classic natural wax for balms.
1. Beeswax is most often a by-product of honey processing. Once the beekeeper empties out the comb, it will then go for rendering and filtering processes to obtain pure wax that is usually brownish yellow in colour (depending on the type of bees). Naturally, more filtering process is involved, the more "white" wax is produced. Beeswax is a good film former that helps to seal and protect the lip when used in moisturising formulas. Beeswax allergy (or propolis, since wax can possibly be contaminated with it) does exist as reported in several medical journals, so if you happen to know that you're allergic to it, avoid this lip balm at all cause.

2. Lanolin
Lanolin is derived from sheep wool fat. Just like beeswax, lanolin, which is also an emulsifier is said to be a breathable barrier that helps to soften and maintaining moisture on the lips. While it's a good cosmetic ingredient because it contains a lot of fatty acids, Lanolin has known to have a long history with contact sensitization although the prevalence is relatively low among people without atopic dermatitis or eczema.

3. Coconut oil, peppermint oil, rosemary extract, vitamin E and limonene are in fact another possible sources of allergic contact dermatitis even though none of them is considered as common allergens. Pendek kata, semua benda could sensitize on you IF you're sensitive to that particular ingredient, kalau tak, tak lah kan? selamat je guna 😊. I'll leave a link [here], in case you have the access and want to read more about peppermint oil and acute allergic contact dermatitis. In this case report, it's clearly mentioned about the lip balm together with its brand. All of the patients developed erythematous, edematous, papulovesicular and eczematous dermatitis on their lips and the skin near them.

4. Also, if you want to learn more about how Burt's Bee produce their lip balm from scratch, Elle.com has a good article up for you to read. Link [here].

Sources:

1) Bogdanov, Stefan. (2016). Beeswax: Production, Properties, Composition, Control. Bee Product Science.
2) Fransen, M., Overgaard, L. E. K., Johansen, J. D. and Thyssen, J. P. (2017), Contact allergy to lanolin: temporal changes in prevalence and association with atopic dermatitis. Contact Dermatitis. doi:10.1111/cod.12872
3) Wakelin, S.H., Smith, H., White, I.R., Rycroft, R.J.G. and Mcfadden, J.P. (2001), A retrospective analysis of contact allergy to lanolin. British Journal of Dermatology, 145: 28–31. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04277.x
4) Tran A., Pratt M., and DeKoven J., Acute allergic contact dermatitis of the lips from peppermint oil in a lip balm. Dermatitis 2010 Mar-Apr;21(2):111-5


Colour and Smell
Though the lip balm looks slightly yellow in the tube, it goes on clear and transparent.

Scent
It doesn't smell like honey or something, it's just pure peppermint oil. Not strong tho and it's still bearable. 

Texture
Super waxy. So much different than the famous Maybelline's Baby Lips balm that glides on easily like butter. Due to the texture of this Burt's Bee lip balm, I'd say it's a hard but sturdy lip balm and it won't melt easily in high humidity weather like Malaysia. Even Burt's Bee said that the balms will undergo a series of two heating and cooling units to prevent them from cracking.



Application
Once you apply it onto your lips, it has this tingling sensation due to the peppermint oil content in the formulation. I was not the biggest fan of it at first but then I found myself reapplying just to get that 'plump' and 'refreshing' feeling. SO WEIRD YET SATISFYING. I stumbled upon a news article where some students put a thin layer of Burt's Bee on their eyelids to keep them stay awake and alert. It had me laughing.....but but but... the trend also reminds me of my study years where some students would spread a tiny amount of minyak cap kapak (it's a menthol ointment) near the eyes area. It's not safe forreal! So don't do it.

Moisturising Level
Whilst it's not drying at all, it's not that moisturising either and if I'd to put a score, then it's gonna be 5/10. Maybelline Baby Lips Colour lip balm is definitely a lot more moisturising than this, same goes to the previous Mentholatum's lip balm I've tried. Burt's Bee is comfortable, I guess? It's like you really don't feel anything and yet you feel the lips moisturized. 

So what does make this lip balm differs from the previous balms I've tried? Well, it's honestly nothing special but since it's waxy, I'd say it's suitable to use underneath lipstick or lip cream. You know sometimes when the lip balm is oily and greasy, it gets anything sitting on top of it slides easily? Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm doesn't do much on that!



That's it, guys. My takes on the Beeswax original lip balm from Burt's Bee. I'm one of those rare people who dislike having stuff on the lips and as I've already told you before, I've never fancied lip products anyway, but this Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is one of those, I like and feel comfortable wearing it. However, it's still not my go-to lip balm when it comes to treating chapped lip. For the original beeswax version, I'd rate it as 3/5.

P/S: Did you guys know Burt's Bees recently launched its full makeup range that consists of foundation, blush, mascara, eyeshadow palette, liner and brow pencil? before this, I remember that they already have a couple of tinted lip products and BB cream. While I'm so excited to try, I don't think it will be available in Malaysia.



For more updates, don't forget to follow me on my Instagram, @ieyrahm as well as my Bloglovin. Till then!
Follow

Share This Article:

CONVERSATION