Welcome to Ask a Derm, a series from SELF in which board-certified dermatologists answer your pressing questions about skin, hair, and nail health. For this installment, we tapped Susan Massick, MD, FAAD, an associate professor of dermatology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine focused on patient care, resident education, and community engagement. Her specialties include acne, moles, skin cancer, and eczema.
As the weather gets colder and the air gets drier, my lips start turning into a cracked, flaky mess. The only thing that seems to bring any sort of relief (even if it’s temporary) is piling on layers of lip balm.
But shortly after swiping or slathering, I notice that my lips feel even more dehydrated than before. And so the cycle begins: I reapply again…and again…and again, never achieving the long-lasting moisture I was expecting. And after seeing a bunch of TikToks on the “addicting” quality of lip balms, butters, and glosses, I started to wonder: Is this all in my head, or could my trusty tubes be making my chapped lips…worse? That’s the question I brought to Susan Massick, MD, board-certified dermatologist and associate professor of dermatology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
The answer is kind of complicated, but to sum it up: No, your tube, pot, stick, or whatever likely isn’t some marketing ploy to keep you constantly reapplying (and repurchasing). “Using lip balm isn’t a true addiction or chemical dependency,” Dr. Massick says. “It’s also a myth that using it often will make it harder for your lips to retain moisture on its own.”
But while some products can work wonders to treat and prevent peeling and cracking, a lot of them also “contain ingredients that feel hydrating at first but are actually irritating in the long run,” she explains.
Two common culprits? Added fragrances (including “natural” ones, like essential oils) and flavors. “These [ingredients] aren’t inherently drying, but they’re common triggers for anyone with sensitive skin or who’s prone to allergic reactions,” she says. As a result, you may experience irritation, making your lips more chapped and inflamed—which may prompt you to keep reapplying for instant relief. However, it becomes a vicious cycle when you’re unknowingly loading up on the very thing that’s causing your dryness and flaking in the first place.
Plus, when your lips taste like cinnamon or peppermint, it’s tempting to lick them. But as Dr. Massick points out, “saliva isn’t a moisturizer.” Actually, it has the opposite effect: Not only can the digestive enzymes in your spit cause irritation, but when your lips constantly get wet—and then dry out—this can also damage your skin barrier and lead to cracking, as SELF previously reported.
Other common offenders that can dry out your skin include camphor, eucalyptus, and menthol, which are often found in “medicated” balms. “[These] usually provide a temporary cooling or tingling sensation, which may feel good at first,” Dr. Massick says. However, they’re also known to cause irritation, per the American Academy of Dermatology.