Propolis lip balm

01 · WHY LIPS

The only skin on your face that makes no oil of its own

Lips have no sebaceous glands: they do not produce the oily film that protects the rest of the face, which is why they are the first thing to dry out on a windy morning or a long day in the sun. A protector like this one puts that film on from the outside, and that is why the base is fats and waxes — paraffin, candelilla, carnauba, beeswax — rather than water: what you want is a layer that stays put, not something that cools and disappears.

02 · COMPOSITION

What it really contains, in the order the label declares it

It is the question that comes up most about this stick, so here it is in full. The declared formula opens with liquid paraffin and continues with vegetable waxes (candelilla and carnauba), castor oil, cetyl palmitate, polybutene, polyethylene and lanolin. The three hive ingredients that give it its name — propolis, beeswax and honey — come afterwards, well down the list. It closes with a preservative (methylparaben), BHA, fragrance and colourant.

None of those is unusual in a pharmacy lip balm, but if you are buying in search of a formula free of petroleum derivatives, parabens or fragrance, this is not it. The list printed on the pack you receive always takes precedence: check it there if you have known sensitivities.

03 · IN THE APIARY

It goes on with your gloves still on, without touching the product

You twist the base, apply and close: no finger in the product and nothing left exposed between uses, so it works with gloves on and fits in a bee-suit pocket or the glovebox. A warning about the glovebox, in fact: the formula is waxes and fats, it softens with heat, and a stick left in the sun on the dashboard melts and never winds up properly again. Keep it at room temperature and upright.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

This is a cosmetic for daily care: it protects and moisturises exposed lips, and it does not treat any condition. The pink tone of the stick comes from the colourant, not from the hive ingredients.

⚠ PRECAUTIONS

Do not use in case of known allergy to bee products or sensitivity to propolis, and always follow the manufacturer’s label. Propolis is a recognised contact allergen and the risk of sensitisation rises with repeated exposure, which particularly concerns anyone handling it in the apiary. It also contains lanolin and fragrance, both known sensitisers. External use on the lips; stop using it if any reaction appears.