Dry lips are extremely common, especially in the winter time, and millions of people use lip balms to alleviate the condition. However, some lip balm users notice that they sometimes develop small pimples or blemishes around the edge of the lips, where the skin meets the lips.
In this article you’ll learn why this happens, and how you can prevent it from happening in the future.
Why Some Lip Balms Cause Acne
While acne on the lips themselves is very rare, lip balm often gets on the skin near the edge of the lips and this can lead to pimples and blemishes.
But do all lip balms have the potential to cause acne?
No, not all lip balms can cause acne, however many commercially available brands do. The ones that tend to cause acne around the lips do so because they are comedogenic. This means that the product, or an ingredient in the product, is capable of clogging pores.
There are a few ingredients commonly found in lip balms that are known for being comedogenic.
Lanolin, Isopropyl Myristate, and Isopropyl Palmitate
Many lip balms that you’ll find in stores contain the ingredients lanolin, isopropyl myristate, and isopropyl palmitate. These are the ingredients you want to watch out for, because they are highly comedogenic.
You’ll notice that some lip balms don’t list the ingredients directly on the package, and it’s generally best to just avoid those. While some might be non-comedogenic, it’s better to play it safe and go with alternative that you know won’t clog pores.
Non-comedogenic Alternatives to Lip Balm
There are a few non-comedogenic alternatives to lip balms that are widely available, and work great for moisturizing the lips.
Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
A lot of people would never think that petroleum jelly could be used on the skin without causing acne, because they think that the greasiness of the product means that it must be clogging pores. However, this is actually not true! Petroleum jelly does not clog pores. Not only that, but it’s actually a fantastic lip balm.
Jojoba Oil
While not as widely known as petroleum jelly, jojoba oil (pronounced ho-ho-ba) is a fantastic product that closely emulates the natural oils that are produced by the skin. Not only is it great for chapped lips, but it’s also a nice addition to any acne skin care regimen.
