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Lips are covered with very thin and delicate skin and in certain situations such as cold, wind, talking for a long time, licking or applying lipstick frequently they become parched, chapped, fissured and with continuous peeling of scales.
Lip disorders are more frequent in women, who have very delicate lip skin, but also affect men.
Traditional lip protection
To protect the lips or to make the lips normal again, a product called lip balm is traditionally used. In the beginning it was a matter of applying this very fluid, gliding, shining and protecting butter to the lips. The name Lip balm has remained as a synonym for lip balm or lip stick.
In reality, today the cosmetics industry generates a huge variety of lip balms that differ in composition, fluidity, and packaging.
In general, a traditional lip balm contains a vegetable butter (cocoa, shea) together with beeswax in a thickening paste. Today, however, they may contain other ingredients such as Vaseline, silicones, essential oils. vitamins, menthol, sunscreens, natural or artificial colourants and much more.
The misconception of lip balm
Long ago, it was thought that in order to tidy up lip disorders, it was important to waterproof the lips from external agents, i.e. to apply butters and waxes.
This concept, however, did not take into account that the lips are covered by skin and that the skin needs to breathe, i.e. to have exchanges with the external environment.
Applying a traditional or modern lip balm waterproofs the skin of the lips, which at first moisturises but which over time suffers from lack of transpiration and excessive moistening.
Lip balm addiction
The application of lip balm on the lips gives the immediate impression of moisturisation, softness, repair. Since these effects are due to the waterproofing action on the skin of the lips, and waterproofing creates problems for the skin of the lips when application is discontinued, one notices that in a short time the lips are back in disarray. In fact, the skin of the lips soaks in excess water and macerates causing rapid drying, fissuring and flaking again. Even continuing with lip balm applications for a long time hardly leads to a restoration of the lip skin. This prompts individuals to apply and re-apply the product to the lips more and more frequently. In the end the lips are always in a mess and in order not to feel discomfort the lip balm is applied continuously as in a compulsive action. This very frequent behaviour is called chapstick addiction. It is the same phenomenon as when one applies butters or moisturising creams with butters on the face: when one does not apply them one feels the skin pulling and has to apply the product again in a crescendo that becomes compulsive (cosmetic addiction).
The Self-Hydrating Lip Project
Self-hydrating ointments are composed of polymers (large molecules) of glycerol or polyglycerols that are able to draw water up from the deepest layers of the skin to the stratum corneum.
These ointments also contain polyisobutene, a 100% plant-based emollient that retains this water on the lips by slowing evaporation. Together, this produces a liquidy, silky and non-sticky balm that properly moisturizes the lips.
LIPLAP is a reparative, self-hydrating lip ointment and, as such, does not cause skin occlusion or lip maceration.
LIPLAP as a lubricant
As LIPLAP contains no water or antimicrobial preservatives, it can safely be used as a lubricant. It can be used to lubricate the vulva labia, thus making sexual intercourse less traumatic for both male and female sex organs. This helps to maximize pleasure, while reducing discomfort, pain and irritation.
