Is lip balm addictive?

billythebrit

The more moisture you add to your lips, the more it needs. Therefore, if you start adding extra moisture and softness to your lips in the form of lip balm, you do need to keep on doing it, otherwise it your lips will feel very dry. I read an article on this a few years ago, so sorry, can't quote any verifiable sources, but basically, once you start, it's hard to stop. Jun 17 07, 9:05 AM

billythebrit

According to this source, it's all a bit of a conspriracy - http://www.kevdo.com/lipbalm/addict.html An extensive article on lip balms appeared in the November 13, 1997 issue of Newsday. The tingling sensation you get from those products usually comes from menthol, camphor or phenol. "All those things are drying and irritating," says Paula Begoun, a well-known critic of the cosmetics industry whose new book, "The Beauty Bible" (Beginning Press, $16.95), is due out this month. She says she suspects that these ingredients are routinely used "to make the consumer think something is happening. If you want a cooling sensation, drink some cold water." Known as counter-irritants, camphor and menthol dry out the lips, a necessary step for healing cold sores, but too extreme for ordinary dryness. Phenol's main purpose is to kill bacteria and help prevent infections and should be used only in severe cases, not on a daily basis. Users, meanwhile, often find the pleasant tingling habit-forming. "You get so accustomed to that cooling, soothing sensation, that it's like, `Yeah, I need that in my life all the time,' " says Gordon Espinet, a makeup artist for Toronto-based M.A.C. cosmetics and a dry-lip sufferer. Subjected to this constant irritation, it's not surprising that your lips don't get any better. Jun 17 07, 2:14 PM

zbeckabee

Yes AND No...There's an old urban legend that states that the makers of lip balm (Carmex, specifically), add ground-up fiberglass to their product. The glass irritates people's lips, causing them to feel like they need to apply the balm again and again. There's another urban legend that states that lip balm interferes with the moisture sensors in the lips, causing lips to become dry and requiring more lip balm to be applied. Neither of these urban legends is true. Dr. Monte Meltzer is the chief of dermatology at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. He says lip balm often includes ingredients that cause a tingling, such as salicylic acid, phenol and menthol. Some of these are exfoliants that cause lips to peel. In turn, the lips become thinner and less able to protect against the elements. So people need to apply again, and the vicious cycle continues. http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/3926/ Jun 17 07, 9:27 PM