Gimme the Good Stuff

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• Seems to me, that if you're going to research a product, you need to tell everything about it. NOT just the things YOU personally don't like about it. Blistex does indeed have the ingredients in it you listed, but it also has other good ingredients. They also have an 'herbal' balm as well.
  http://www.livestrong.com/article/168895-blistex-lip-balm-ingredients/

• Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately, Blistex's herbal balm is the definition of Sneaky Stuff, containing octinoxate, petrolatum, and oxybenzone.

• Hi Maia,

  Thanks for letting me and the public know this information. I had NO idea. And as for people saying to mention the good things, if something is toxic, I'm not sure I care about "good" ingredients. The best thing to do is just inform and let others make their decision. This one is gone for me. I won't use that anymore.

• They left out a lot. The amount your getting will NOT harm you. Now if you were to eat the whole thing at once it might but I'd say if you're dumb enough to do that you kinda deserve it.

  Though blistex and vaccines are different I'm going to use it as an example. Vaccines carry a small amount of the virus it's trying to prevent so your body can create anti bodies to prevent it. The amount given is not enough to make you sick. Just like blistex.
  The amount given is not enough to hurt you.

• The analogy you try to draw here is incorrect - most vaccines contain attenuated virus that cannot infect, as it has only neutralized components of the virus to initiate the immune response. In fact, a small amount of virus (even a single virion) can be infectious. In making the virus analogy, however, you have struck upon the truth that I personally hold: even a small amount of something bad can have significant consequences to the whole organism. Not knowing what those consequences are ought to make us more wary, not less.

• Hi Maia,

  I use combination of Badger and whole foods brand USDA certifies organic lip balm.
  Any review on whole foods one ? My 2 year old , i havent started using anything yet...what do you reccomend for toddlers ?

• Thank you for this post! I've just found an old tube of blistex and wanted to research a bit its ingredients. It goes to the bin.

  For previous comment: dear T.R. as mentioned above it a series "what's wrong with" so there is no room for being fair and mentioning some good things. Especially that bad stuff always dismisses the good additives.

• ...seems like no one botherd to do their homework, speak with purpose or not at all. Unlike all of blistex's competetors which i have tried, blistex products have worked for my chronic chapped lips very well, not only that but with promising results i use the medicated ointment to accelerate the healing of cuts and to treat acne...that said i have no knowledge of HOW it works (the reason i ended up here)...so rather than naming some random chemicals and saying "these are scarry bad bad" try putting out some....usefull..and...accurate.. information.

  I am not affiliated with blistex yada yada im just a consumer sharing my exsperiance and searching for real information.

• I used blistex ointment for years with no problems. Then last week used it for chapped lips and got burnt lips instead. Painful, scarred lips instead of healed lips. Won’t ever use it again.

• Toxic chemicals are toxic chemicals. I loved Blistex and used it for many years until I developed occupational asthma. It became a trigger for me so I quit. My husband still loves it. We have a dog that is very attached to my husband but once he puts it on , she runs from him. I don’t kiss him when it’s on because it’s an asthma trigger for me. Maybe it won’t effect everyone or cause cancer for all but I avoid anything that makes me unable to properly breathe. Great article ! Our personal care products have many unhealthy ingredients in them, I appreciate the article.

• This makes me think of the antivax campaigns in some ways. With just a list of ingredients and no information about each concerning chemical. I'd like to see some information on how much of each (per gram or ml of whatever) goes into each tube. Then from there have a comprehensive list of how much of each and how much time exposure each chemical listed takes to cause the described effects. Just a thought instead of just telling people "this is bad because of this." say "this is bad because of this, and here's how much exposure you get by using it"

• Well I mean this is probably written by an overconcerned mom... not a scientist. Doesn't make it not true that it has harmful ingredients, but I'd take everything with a grain of salt. And don't forget that the sun is carcinogenic in too large a quantity too. Maybe just use Blistex in moderation.

• Just a word of advice if you want to convince anyone that has any level of education in science and scientific research you need to speak with more facts and more numbers. First of all where are the research studies that found these things to be possible carcinogenic (what" linked to cancer"means. It doesn't mean cancer causing) and in what quantity? and ingested how? and how often? In what formulation? Is like the cyanide in the apples seeds . How many apples would you have to eat in one sitting to get poisoned from thethe seeds? More than plenty! I'm all up for natural products. I don't consume unnecessary ot over the counter medication but we can promote natural remedies without bringing up facts that we are not gonna support with evidence. Is less believable. All the best.

• Hi! I totally agree with you that the "dose makes the poison." And we try our best to not be alarmist or overstate the risks of the products we review. I'm sorry to hear that you don't think we are doing this well!

• You are doing this well! Thank you for your time and service and posts and articles. Everyone can evaluate products for themselves-many products have good/not so good ingredients. I'd just as soon choose something with no toxic ingredients- but each person can choose for themself! If you think the good outweighs the bad- then go for it! Thanks again for your time and research! Really helpful!

• As always, the dose makes the poison and that's why water is great in normal quantities, but kills in large quantities. The LD50 of phenol is 317 mg/kg. The average weight of a human is 62 kg. 20 grams must be consumed to be assured death. One tube of blistex weighs 6 grams, of which 0.03 grams is phenol. Over 600 tubes must be consumed in one sitting to die from phenol poisoning.

  The LD50 of of saccharin is 14.2 g per kg, or 880 grams to poison the average human. The amount of saccharine in a tube of blistex is not listed, but it is the second final ingredient, meaning is contains almost none. Considering saccharin 300x sweeter than sugar, the tube would taste like pure sugar with a content of just 20 mg of saccharin. I'll over estimate and say that is what is in the tube (but it doesn't taste very sweet). Thus, 44,000 tubes must be consumed to die from saccharin poisoning.

  The 2004 study suggesting a link between parabens and breast cancer has been debunked in 2015. Furthermore parabens are required to preserve the product and research has proven almost all natural products claiming to be paraben free are lying when testing is conducted. But most importantly, the debunked study proved a link between contact with the nipple and breast cancer. Lip balm should only be applied to the lips.

  "probably" is not science, we can ignore that one.

  Standard medicated Blistex ointment (the stuff they've made since forever) contains no oxybenzone. Blistex does sell products containing this. They are clearly marked with an SPF number and thus are easy to avoid if you are worried about this risk (though you should apply zinc oxide or another sunscreen for outdoors use to avoid risk).

  Stating something contains petroleum without any more detail is content-free and can be ignored.

  Anyways, stop scaring people with this sort of thing. Saccharin especially is one of the most debunked things ever. The amount that is used actually makes the water in your typical soda product more toxic than the saccharin. Though, honestly, you will likely die from caffeine overdose first unless you select a clear pop. In short... ask a doctor first before posting scare stories.

• I largely agree with these sentiments. I find these articles alarmist. However, I would refrain from using the LD50 to debunk the danger of a substance. It's like saying the LD50 of asbestos is 500 grams, which is like eating a mid-century ceiling tile, so asbestos isn't dangerous. Prolonged exposure to asbestos leads to mesothelioma. You don't get it from one big ol' dose.

• Actually using asbestos is the wrong analogy. You can develop mesothelioma from inhaling the fibres just once if unlucky. It just takes a long time to develop. Its pretty safe as long as it isn't disturbed causing fibres. There would be no actual LD50 for asbestos since it is airborne

• Regular consumption of saccharin causes bladder cancer. No debunking. Your comments, sir, are now full of holes, since you staunchly state things without having facts In hand. You should link your theories for people to read just like you want her to show her sources...which I believe she does, on another part of her site.

• They found a different mechanism in rats so they have decided to remove it from the list of reasons people can get cancer? This is your debunking theory? I watched someone use those little saccharin pills in her coffee for years...then get bladder cancer. None of the other theories listed would explain her getting this particular cancer. I think the manufacturing companies paid someone to do another "study".

• Wow. I didn't know you're a doctor, Maia?! What do people expect from you? Seems like everyone is suddenly an expert on this topic, based on the comments being left.
  This is my first time to this site and this blog/series. I stumbled upon it just because I was curious if blistex may be harmful in any way to my pet cat. Then I read the comments. Doesn't anyone have anything nice to say? Nothing is ever good enough for anyone anymore! You want a detailed list of each ingredient and it's exact amounts and exactly what amount of each causes which effects and how much is too much for each type or age or gender of person and so on?! If you want such detailed info you shouldn't expect to get it in a general column like this, having an informative purpose. I didn't click on this site expecting a scientific fact sheet.
  Why are you all so dissatisfied? The info is not wrong persay- those ARE some ingredients, and those ingredients MAY (in general) have the potential to cause the negative effects listed. That doesn't mean anyone who uses blistex will get cancer. And that's not what Maia is implying. With that info in hand, you can then search further if you feel the depth of information was insufficient.
  For those who found a simple list of ingredients and their possible side effects to be alarmist, that is your choice. What you do with the info is up to you. I was not alarmed, I was informed, having learnt something about blistex that I did not know or consider before. But I am not running to throw away my own stick of blistex just because someone else is. Although I am motivated to look into this info further.

• Thanks for these comments:). I agree!

• I don't know what's in the lip balm, but at least one of the ingredients in Blistex Lip Ointment, Camphor, is toxic to both cats and dogs. They should never be allowed to ingest it by licking or to even have it applied to their skin because the amount absorbed through their skin can poison them.

• These comments are high comedy. Some of you need a hobby, a kick in the tail and a stiff drink! Maia, keep doing a great job. I don't see anywhere that states you are a Dr or expert (actually you state that you are not), you are just trying to open people eyes to potential toxins (that unfortunately surround us) and (hopefully) encourage them to do their own due diligence before blindly trusting whatever is in front of them. Such a shame that these people don't seem to get that. I hope you laughed at all this, I sure did! Keep up the great work, I appreciate the research you do. Your site is a great starting place for conducting ones own research.

• Ok well I’m not here to weigh in on the debate in some of these comments, but to just ask about/recommend another lip balm that I think might be good! I really like Dr. Bronner’s organic lip balm and the ingredients look pretty good to me. Maia, do you think this is a good one too? I don’t see anything sneaky here.

• Yes it's good! The list above is definitely not exhaustive, just my personal faves:)

• I'm curious on the Babo product - I use their baby stuff and love it, but their lip balm does list "fragrance" - how would one know if this is synthetic or natural?

• Babo uses only natural fragrances, so no worries there:).