Pick up almost any drugstore lip balm and flip it over. Somewhere near the top of the ingredient list, you'll likely find petrolatum — or one of its relatives, like mineral oil or paraffin wax.
Most people don't think twice about it. It's been in lip balm for so long that it feels like it belongs there. But we've always felt differently about it, and we think it's worth explaining why.
What petroleum actually is
Petrolatum — the ingredient you'll find listed on most commercial lip balms — is a byproduct of petroleum refining. It's derived from crude oil, the same source as gasoline, diesel, and plastic.
It's not a natural ingredient. It's a synthetic one, created through an industrial refining process. And while highly refined versions are generally considered safe for cosmetic use, the fact that it comes from crude oil is something we've never been able to get comfortable with — especially in a product that goes directly on your mouth.
Lip balm isn't just applied to the skin. It's applied to the lips, which means it gets ingested. A little at a time, sure. But over the course of a day, a week, a year — it adds up. That's worth thinking about.
The problem with how it works
Beyond where petroleum comes from, there's a more fundamental issue with what it does — or rather, what it doesn't do.
Petrolatum works by creating a barrier on the surface of the skin. It seals moisture in by forming a physical layer that slows water loss. In the short term, lips feel softer and smoother. In the long term, something more complicated happens.
Because petrolatum sits on top of the skin rather than absorbing into it, it doesn't actually add moisture. It traps whatever moisture is already there. When that layer wears off — or gets licked away — lips can feel drier than they did before. So you reach for the balm again.
It's a cycle that a lot of people recognize. The lip balm that you can't seem to live without, the one you reapply constantly, the one that never quite gets your lips to a place where they feel fine on their own. That's often petrolatum doing its job — which is to keep you coming back.
We're not interested in making a product that creates dependency. We'd rather make one that actually works.
What we use instead
Every Farmer's Body lip balm is built around a short list of ingredients that nourish rather than coat.
Rice bran oil is light and absorbs quickly, delivering vitamins and antioxidants directly into the skin rather than sitting on top of it. Coconut oil has natural antimicrobial properties and absorbs easily, softening lips without heaviness. Cocoa butter and mango seed butter are rich in fatty acids that genuinely moisturize — the kind that penetrate the skin's surface and support its natural barrier from within.
Candelilla wax, which is plant-derived, gives the balm its structure without the need for petroleum-based waxes like paraffin. Vitamin E soothes, protects, and helps repair damage. And natural flavor makes it something people actually enjoy using.
That's the whole list. Nothing you can't pronounce. Nothing you'd rather not have near your mouth.
Why this matters more for lip balm than almost anything else
Skincare ingredients are absorbed through the skin in varying degrees, depending on the molecule size and the formula. But lip balm is different. Lips are thinner-skinned than most of the body, more permeable, and in direct contact with everything you eat, drink, and breathe.
There's also the simple fact that people lick their lips. Lip balm gets ingested — not in large quantities, but regularly and over a long period of time. That's a reason to care more about what's in it, not less.
When we started formulating, we asked ourselves what we'd feel comfortable with a patient using — or a child, or a family member. The answer led us away from petroleum pretty quickly. Not because it's dramatically harmful in the amounts found in lip balm, but because there's no reason for it to be there when better options exist.
The cost of doing it differently
There's a reason petroleum-based ingredients are so common in commercial lip balms. They're inexpensive, stable, and effective enough at what they do. Replacing them with plant-based oils and butters costs more — both in ingredients and in the care it takes to formulate a balm that performs well without them.
That's a trade-off we make deliberately. It's part of what it means to make something we actually stand behind.
We're a small operation, handcrafting in Vermont in small batches. We don't have the margins that mass-market brands do, and we don't cut corners to create them. What we do have is a formula we're genuinely proud of — one that we'd hand to anyone without hesitation.
What you'll notice
If you've used petroleum-based lip balms your whole life and you switch to something made with plant-based ingredients, the experience is a little different at first.
It's not heavier, but it feels more substantial. It absorbs rather than just sitting there. Your lips may take a few days to adjust — especially if they've been relying on petrolatum to trap moisture rather than building it from within.
But after that adjustment, most people notice something: they're reaching for lip balm less. Not because the product is wearing off faster, but because their lips are actually retaining moisture on their own.
That's what a good lip balm should do. Not keep you dependent on it. Just quietly do its job and let you forget it's there.
We make lip balm that's good for your lips. That starts with knowing what doesn't belong in it.