Wax market gets lip service from petroleum jelly

06 November 2008 23:10  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--That urge to re-apply lip balm might be a sign of addiction, according to some highly-disputed claims, but petroleum jelly can protect lips just as well as balm, a wax and base oil source said on Thursday.

There are 192 groups dedicated to lip balm on the global social networking site Facebook, many of them with names like “Addicted to lip balm like CRACK”.

Lip balm addiction is a real problem, according to Lip Balm Anonymous, a support group website that features a 12-step recovery programme.

“Lip Balm Anonymous is often asked if lip balm is really addictive,’’ according to the group’s website. “We wouldn't be here if it wasn't!”

Not everybody agrees with Lip Balm Anonymous.

According to the website, Lip Balm Anonymous was rated no 327 out of 505 in the book 505 Unbelievably Stupid Web Pages.

Lip balm producer Blistex’s website features a section that disputes addiction claims.

The Blistex website includes an excerpt from a 2001 article in The Oregonian, which quoted an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western University School of Medicine as saying "It's not possible to become addicted to lip balm. Not unless it's made with heroin or cocaine. It's just that when people stop using it, their lips get dry. So they use it again."

For those who stay up late at night worrying about such things, there is an alternative.

“It is true that petroleum jelly is the best possible moisturiser for your lips and anywhere else on the body,” said Luther Jones vice president of sales and marketing for Sonneborn, a slackwax producer. Slackwax finds outlets in a wide range of different sectors such as the chipboard, candle and petroleum jelly industries.

Petroleum jelly, petrolatum and soft paraffin are all synonyms and co-products of base oils. It is an approved over-the-counter (OTC) skin protectant and is widely used in cosmetic skin care.

Petrolatum is a natural gel consisting of oils, paraffin and microcrystalline waxes, Sonneborn said.

“Petrolatum USP, also called petroleum jelly, is chemically and biologically inert and will not go rancid. It needs no preservatives to prevent bacterial growth," Jones said. “The natural products do need preservatives and that is where the chemicals come in.”

Petroleum products have been used in skincare products for more than 130 years, Jones said. 

Marcia Driscoll, a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Maryland, said that people with irritated lips should avoid lip balms with phenol, lanolin, parabin or anything that has a fragrance, as they may seem soothing at first but will be irritating in the long run, The Baltimore Sun reported.  

She added that petroleum jelly is as good as anything to prevent and sooth chapped lips and will not lead to dependence.

To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect

ICIS Copyright © Reed Business Information 2009

Author: Heather McGuire Doyle
+1 713 525 2653

< previous article(ICIS Chemical Business podcast November 2, 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.