Green Your Routine: The Power of Petroleum-Free Lip Balm

By Jordan Robertson 

It’s not a secret that petroleum and fossil fuel-derived ingredients are super common in beauty products. But, at Blunt, we’re all about giving you the facts – even when they aren’t pretty. While petroleum ingredients feel fantastic on the skin (it’s okay if you’ve used them; we don’t judge here), the source isn’t renewable.

To celebrate our latest launch of the Puffer Lip Hydrating Butter, let’s discuss why petrolatum-free lip balm is the only way to go, along with some info about petroleum’s use:

The History of Petroleum: The Gold Standard of Occlusive Ingredients

To understand petroleum and why it’s used in beauty products, we begin our journey in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, where they believed it had healing properties. Later on, during the Renaissance, it was used in skincare, with crude oil being applied directly to the skin.

During the Industrial Revolution, petroleum in beauty products became the norm. Advances in refining led to the commercial production of petroleum jelly and mineral oil. They were prized for their emollient and occlusive properties, helping to moisturize and protect skin. 

In the 19th century, Vaseline began marketing petroleum jelly as an ingredient for everything from chapped lips to dry skin. Still being celebrated, petroleum-based ingredients were adored worldwide for their affordability, stability, and effectiveness in the 20th century.

However, concerns about the environmental impact of petroleum extraction and refining began to emerge, leading us into the 21st century. Today, there has been a growing awareness of the environmental implications of petroleum-based ingredients.

This has led to the rise of petroleum-free and eco-friendly beauty products, like our innovative, first-of-its-kind Puffer Lip Hydrating Butter. 

Beyond Petroleum: Exploring Petroleum-Derived Ingredients in Cosmetics

Did you know that petroleum-based products can create 1,4-dioxane, a substance known to potentially contribute to some types of cancer? Not only that, but it’s a neurotoxin, kidney toxin, and respiratory toxin (side note: it’s also a leading groundwater contaminant). 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) researched 1.4-dioxane, finding that 22% of beauty products have unsafe levels: “These trace contaminants in petroleum-based ingredients readily penetrate skin, and their presence is not restricted by safety standards.”

Here are some petroleum-derived ingredients commonly used in cosmetics to know about:

• Mineral Oil: Mineral oil is used in skincare for its emollient properties, helping to lock in moisture and prevent water loss from the skin.
• Paraffin Wax: Paraffin wax is often used in cosmetic products for its smooth texture and ability to create a protective barrier on the skin.
• Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly): Petroleum jelly is a semi-solid mixture and is used as a moisturizer and protectant, helping to soothe.
• Isoparaffin: Isoparaffin is a group of hydrocarbon solvents that can dissolve oils and dirt without drying out the skin.
• Polyethylene (PEG): Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a petroleum-derived polymer used to help improve the texture and stability of beauty products.
• Propylene Glycol: As a humectant, solvent, and preservative, Science Direct says it keeps products moist, preventing them from drying out. 
• Polybutene: Polybutene is a thickening agent, emollient, and film-forming agent. It gives lip glosses and lipsticks their smooth, glossy texture.

Seeking Sustainable Alternatives: The Rise of Petroleum-Free Lip Balm

When it comes to sustainability, petroleum products aren’t it; they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems, and much more. It’s also worth noting that a lot of petroleum extraction occurs on indigenous lands, resulting in health and environmental justice issues due to pollution exposure and displacement. 

When our founder and Cosmetic Chemist, Stas Chirkov, created our Puffer Lip Hydrating Butter, he knew that petroleum ingredients had no place in the formulation. Stas wanted to make a petroleum-free lip balm unlike anything else on the market. He subbed petroleum ingredients for lush, natural butters like murumuru, Cupuaçu, and two others.

Check out these sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based ingredients in beauty products (for fun, can you spot the others used in our petroleum-free lip balm?):

• Plant-Based Oils: Plant-based oils like jojoba oil and argan oil are rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, providing moisturizing and nourishing benefits.
• Shea Butter: Shea butter is used as a moisturizer and emollient due to its rich texture and high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids. 
• Beeswax: Beeswax is a thickening agent and emollient that can replace petroleum-derived waxes while providing a similar protective barrier.
• Candelilla Wax: Candelilla wax is a vegan alternative to beeswax and petroleum-derived waxes with very similar healing properties to beeswax.
• Plant-Based Emollients: Ingredients such as cocoa butter and mango butter are plant-based emollients that provide hydration to soften.
• Silicone Alternatives: Cosmetics can use plant-derived silicone alternatives for texture-enhancing and smoothing effects.
• Natural Preservatives: Natural alternatives like tocopherol can extend the shelf life of cosmetics, while preventing microbial growth and oxidation.

The Bottom Line: Make Informed Choices for Your Lips and the Planet with Blunt’s Petroleum-Free Lip Balm

Have you tried our ultra-plush, long-lasting Puffer Lip Hydrating Butter yet? It’s a hemp seed oil-infused kiss quencher that’s inspired by Mother Earth’s finest natural oils and butters (like the petroleum alternatives we mentioned in the list above), along with cozy puffer coats.

Made in-house by our founder, Blunt’s petroleum-free lip balm is like nothing else out there. The Puffer Lip Hydrating Butter doesn’t have to be continuously re-applied like normal chapstick, making it a lip care revolution. All it takes is one buttery swipe.

Here is what makes Blunt’s new Puffer Butter so nourishingly ground-breaking: 

• Four deeply moisturizing butters: Murumuru, cocoa, shea, and Cupuaçu
• Cutting-edge aquaporin-activating technology (known as Hydra Synol® DOI and Saliporine-8), which is a science-forward way to describe clinically-smart ingredients that activate your skin’s own hydration channels
• Long-lasting, plant-powered occlusive (no petrochemicals here!) that hangs around, keeping moisture locked in and leaving your lips happily hydrated, smooth, and healthy
• Natural Shiso-flavoring (a prized Japanese herb you might’ve tasted before) that gives the butter citrusy, herbal notes with a hint of mint, licorice, and cinnamon 
• Hemp seed oil that’s not only a hydrating queen, but is anti-inflammatory, full of omega fatty acids, heals damaged lips, and oh-so gentle and lightweight
• Comes in our patented Eco-Smart Packaging for sustainability, which you can learn more about below:

@stasschi Replying to @Bodacious✨ no absolute sustainability possible (yet!) but lots of innvoation in this space #sustainability #plasticrecycling #cosmeticchemist #fyp #lipbalm #greenbeauty ♬ original sound - Stasschi

Will you be greening your routine by grabbing one of our next-level petroleum-free lip balms?

 

 

References:

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