Palmer's: Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Lip Balm Review



I can actually summarise my thoughts on this lip balm in just one word.

However, for the benefit of those who would like to know more about this lip balm, I will go about it my usual verbose way.

The Product
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Lip Balm with SPF 15, 4g / 0.15oz. I don't remember now how much exactly I paid for this, but it must have been in the region of €2 - €3.

According to Palmer's
A convenient balm with SPF 15 and Vitamin E. Medicated to help prevent and temporarily protect chapped, cracked or wind-burned lips. Smooth application and convenient size make this the perfect year-round lip balm.


What I Think, What I Really Really Think
The truth is, I didn't check the ingredients list before buying it. I had wanted to try it for a long time because of the cocoa butter formula. What I discovered later was that, oops, it's got paraffinum liquidum. Mineral oil! As one who used to be a hard-core Vaseline addict (for many years), I wasn't too keen on going back to it. Still, I made this an exception.

Ingredients:

The texture is all right, not too waxy. It glides on the lips nicely. It definitely smells of cocoa butter, much like the scent of Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Lotion. The SPF is, of course, a good thing.

I bought it half a year ago, tried it for two nights and had to stop. The lipbalm was banished to a dark corner in my cupboard. I figured it might have been a fluke then, so to be sure, I tried it again yesterday and also before going to sleep.

This is what happened both times: my lips swelled. It started out all right, but in the few hours after application, I gradually felt a mild burning sensation especially in the upper lip. It got bad overnight. I woke up in the morning with swollen lips and with the skin red above the cupid's bow.

I must be allergic to this lipbalm. I'm not sure which ingredient I'm allergic to though. It could be one of the first three (active) ingredients on the list. Anyway, I didn't find this lipbalm that moisturising. Even plain ol' Vaseline did a better job in the old days!

Final Words
I know everyone's different, so I will concede that this lipbalm may agree with you. But me, I'm sitting here typing this now with swollen lips. So, no prizes for guessing how I would conclude this. I doubt I have ever used this word on a product before in my writings, but okay, just this once. That one word that would suffice for this review: crap. I wouldn't even think of including this in my Lip Treatment series. I'm tossing this lipbalm in the waste of money bin.


My first non-petroleum-based lipbalm: Alima Pure Nourishing Lipbalm

22 comments:

The Student's Guide To Nail Polish said...

Woah! Weird how two people can be completely different on the issue of products. I really like this one O_o

Shame about your lips, I hope the swelling goes down soon.

Fifi said...

I tried this out but it just made my lips feel pastey =/ I am an official vasline fiend although atm I'm using THE LITTLE GREEN TIN from Superdrug, I think I prefer Vaseline xx

Witoxicity said...

@The Student's Guide To Nail Polish
The swelling has reduced this morning, thanks. Yes, we're all made different, so I'm not at all surprised that there are readers who like this lipbalm. I'm glad to hear that this one worked for you.

Well, I always think that it's best to read several different reviews of a product first, so that one can get a good all-round impression of it. One man's meat is another man's poison, they say. :)

@Ayari/Fifi
I totally understand your affinity to Vaseline.! I've been there before. :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this information, it's a good thing to know possible side effects of a product too. Maybe there are more people out there sharing the same experience. Sorry to hear about your swollen lips. :( Nicole x

Cynthia Z said...

Aww...so bad that it made yr lips swell! I personally hate the smell of Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion, so I wouldn't try this either. Now I WON'T. Haha one word- "crap"...lol

♥xx♥

PringlesPalo said...

thanks for sharing! i hope that the swelling will vanish completely the soonest! anyway, i agree with the review. there might have been some ingredients that may have caused the swelling / allergic reactions. it's great that you've found out that you are allergic to this particular product. your swelling reminded me of my classmate at my mba class. that classmate of mine had her lips swollen whenever she tries the lipbalm brand i was actually fond of using! she tried all flavors but same thing - swollen lips. so she's not using it now. i also tried to change my lipbalm brand (i can't be too sure perhaps there are some mild allergens right? where i can't directly detect the effects). i duno, i'm not an expert, but there are various brands in the market i can actually try on. so there. get well soonest :)

Anonymous said...

It might actually be the sunscreen. I have many more problems with lip balms with sunscreens, some are ok, other make my lips really irritated.

lavender said...

Oh sorry to hear abt the allergy reaction.
I have a friend who is a big fan of this lip balm. She is using the 2nd tube now. It worked for her.

Witoxicity said...

@Nicole
Thanks, Nicole. Two days on and my lips are much better now. :) I guess it is all trial and error. You can't be sure if a product would agree with your skin until you've tried it yourself. Anyway, a quick search on the internet tells me that I'm not the only one who's allergic to this lipbalm. Oh, well......

@Cynthia
Yeah, I wasn't terribly fond of the scent of Palmer's cocoa butter products either, but I won't say I hate it. I still wanted to try their products anyway. Well, after this, that's the end of a chapter for me! :P

@PringlesPalo
My lips are better now, thank you. Sorry to hear about your friend. She's certainly allergic to something in the lipbalm(s)! You're right. These days, there are soooo many brands of lipbalms to choose from, so if one doesn't work for you, you can always move on to the next one. All's not lost. :D

@Anonymous
Oh, sorry to read that you have had such problems too! It's just something that you have to learn through experience, isn't it? I too suspect it's the sunscreen. I think I've tried a lip product with Octinoxate before and I don't remember having any problems with it. Perhaps Oxybenzone's the cultprit here! Who knows! :)

@Lavender
Thanks, lavender. It's great that your friend loves this lipbalm. That just goes to show that everyone's made different! :)

Shop N' Chomp said...

I'm sorry to hear about the swelling. =( I think it may be the SPF? I can't use lip products with it either.

Witoxicity said...

@Shop N' Chomp
Thanks, my dear. I greatly suspect it's the sunscreen. In time, I will find out which one exactly as I try out more lipbalms with SPF. :)

Anonymous said...

Eek, so unfortunate to hear about your bad experience =S Luckily I haven't had that kind of problem with any lipbalms *fingers crossed*
I remember I used to be dependent on Vaseline.. never again.. haha.

Witoxicity said...

@Natalie
Haha, I'm glad we both realise that our lips can go without Vaseline. It's nice to be free from it! :D

DinaXYYan said...

Sorry to hear that you're allergic to this lip balm!

Witoxicity said...

@Dina
Thanks, Dina. Everything's back to normal now. :)

Anonymous said...

I have had the same experience as you when using this product, however, my lip turn black after the swelling went down and my entire face including my lip had burst out in small heats(pimples). I recently discovered that I am allergic to OXBENZONE which was one of the main ingredients in the product.

Ronx said...

I wish I read this review sooner!
I have had an allergic reaction not once but twice!
Now treating my lips with antibiotics :(

Strange I've used palmers products for years only now my body is rejecting it

Witoxicity said...

@Anonymous
I'm so sorry to hear that you had to go through such a horrible experience with this lipbalm! I hope it didn't take too long for everything to go back to normal. At least now, you know that it was the Oxybenzone that was the culprit. Take care. :)

@Ronx
Oh gosh, you too? I hope the antibiotics are helping. Yes, it's indeed strange how our bodies' reaction to different chemicals change over time. Patch tests usually help but granted, one wouldn't normally carry out patch tests on products that we've used and trusted for years. Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Ronx. Get well soon! :)

Unknown said...

This happened to me also! My lips got inflamed and dried up like a raisin and red! This product is horrible!

Witoxicity said...

@Thomas
Hi, Thomas! Ouch, that sounds nasty! I'm sorry that you had a similar experience too. Never again! :P Well, I hope your lips are fine now. Take care. :)

sayyidah nafisah said...

Hi!

I used it for quite long time until 3 weeks ago, i have started to have itch, pulsatile, burning, chapped lip. Horrible, i tought it is due to dehydration but each time I used this product, my lip feel so itchy, i think i m allergic to it :(

nafisah, malaysia

Witoxicity said...

@Sayyidah
Hello Sayyidah! That can happen sometimes - a product that you've been happily using all along suddenly causing skin irritation. Btw, I hope you checked the expiry date of the product, just to be sure that it's not past its date. If that's not the issue, then yeah, it must have been an allergic reaction. I hope your lips have fully recovered. :)