Lipstick versus Lip Balm-Ask Dr. Ginger!

One of our fine providers of flavors and fragrances has a great blog.  Below is a recent entry.  Sometimes this blog writes itself!
The Pied Piper

Dear Dr. Ginger-
As an avid lipstick-wearer, I’m really getting sick of the awful taste of it. Lately I’ve been switching to lip balm or lip gloss because of the nasty taste of lipstick and I’ve found the others to be a more desirable taste. Why does lipstick taste so bad and why can’t they taste like lip balm?
-Cosmetics Consume-r


Dear Cosmetics Consume-r,
You mean that your tube of “fruit punch” lipstick doesn’t taste wonderful? I feel your pain- I can’t say I enjoy the taste of lipstick either. That’s partly because you’re not supposed to eat lip stick.
There are many rumors of women consuming three to 10 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime, which has been dis-proven many times. That number may be outlandish, but it is still possible for women to consume more lipstick than they should.
The main reason for why lipstick doesn’t taste good is that is made of chemicals. There are some (not all) lipsticks out there that are not actually approved for human consumption. If you are afraid of this, you should research the product online first.
Of course, some of the non-natural lip balms that are flavored are actually full of chemicals, too, which isn’t always best for you, either. It is best to avoid these and look for natural ingredients in lip balms as these are actually beneficial to your health!
My advice to you is to look for more natural lip color products to replace your typical lipstick tube or switch to lip balm or lip gloss. Lip balm and lipstick both have their own benefits so it is really up to the wearer what product they want to use. For example, lipstick is used for coloring, and lip balm is to protect your lips from drying up.
To answer your overall question: a typical lipstick has chemicals that don’t taste so great. Look for lip balms or lipsticks that are full of natural ingredients. These are great for you and taste much better.
If you’ve got a flavor of lip balm you want, you should let your favorite flavor company know and recommend Northwestern Extract to get a specific flavor!
Hopefully this answers your question.
Write back soon!
-Dr. Ginger