Biossance has been in the news because of Reese Witherspoon and who doesn’t love Clueless? (If you have no idea what I am talking about, then I am not sure how young are and whether its past your bedtime).
Anywho, I regularly inspect a friend’s skin and noted quite dry lips. Its unusual given she is using lip oils but not uncommon given the climate she lives in (40C, constant air-conditioning).
Apart from my favoured lip products (see this BLOG), I promised to test run this lip balm.
Biossance’s squalane and rose vegan lip balm
The notable ingredients in this product are: castor seed oil (2nd listed ingredient), squalane, a Vitamin C derivative and a hyaluronic Acid derivative.
No beeswax (and hence the vegan claim).
Castor seed oil is commonly used in lipsticks – it gives a shine which is not the glossy heavy finish of Vaseline, but a more subtle glossy finish. In lip products its used as an emollient and has very low toxicity. Both squalane and squalene are found naturally in human sebum – so it kind of sits on the surface of our skin. Its (again) great for moisturising. Squalene used to be derived from whale’s (I kid you not) but now plant sources are more readily available (and hence the explosion in products containing squalane).
Vitamin C helps lighten lips and hyaluronic acid is a humectant (and holds onto water).
All in all, the ingredient list should ensure soft and hydrated lips.
What was my experience of using this product?
I didn’t like this product as its simply too sticky for me and didn’t really get rid of the dry skin on my lips.
When testing a lip balm, you need to give it at least a week, because during the first couple of days, your lips are adjusting to a new product. As lip cells tend to desquamate (remove themselves from skin layer) more quickly than other parts of your body, you should not be surprised by more dead skin on your lips. After that, a sign of a good lip balm is it causes lips to be hydrated and softer, without the need for constant application.
This balm ticks the boxes of soft lips but not so much the hydrated part. Also, I find that I am having to constantly reapply this balm.
I feel at this price point £16 (US$ 22/INR 1,700 for 10g (excluding taxes and shipping)) it is a disappointment. Available for sale at cultbeauty.
Finally, if you are worried (as I was) about the overwhelming rose fragrance (don’t be), as it is if anything, underwhelming.
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