Wondering about that tingle, what gives Carmex its characteristic smell, our not-so-secret ingredients, and what they each do? Read on about Carmex lip balm and skin care ingredients, carefully blended to help moisturization and healing. Not all of these ingredients are found in every Carmex product.
ALLANTOIN — Helps with moisturization as it softens, plus helps heal chapping.
Acting as both a protective ingredient and a softener, allantoin soothes irritations plus helps reduce dryness and flaking. Allantoin also decreases itching by helping dead skin cells slough off, leaving new skin feeling soft and smooth.
ALOE BUTTER — Plant-derived extract that helps heal and soothe.
Aloe has been used for centuries to treat skin conditions as well as wounds. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, aloe relieves the pain of dry and chapped lips. Another benefit of aloe is its hydrating effect that helps lips gain a more youthful appearance.
CAMPHOR — Alleviates burning, itching and pain of chapped lips and cold sores.
Camphor is a natural compound that shares many properties with menthol, such as a cooling effect that relieves burning, itching and pain. An antimicrobial germ-fighter, camphor also acts as a mild local anesthetic—a great help if you get cold sores.
CANDELILLA WAX — Gives our stick formula its staying power.
Candelilla wax is a plant-derived wax that slightly raises the melting temperature of our stick formulas allowing product to better maintain its stick form. Candelilla wax also helps lips retain moisture for a remarkably long time.
CAPRYLIC TRIGLYCERIDE — A natural skin softener that helps prevent drying.
A natural fat that comes from coconuts, caprylic triglyceride helps prevent drying absorbs quickly and is so gentle it’s often used in formulations for sensitive skin.
CETYL ESTERS — Hydrate skin and give a silky feel to our lip balms.
Providing a silky, non-sticky glide, cetyl esters are waxes that thicken our lip balms to give them staying power, plus help with moisturization and preserve softness.
COCOA BUTTER — An excellent natural emollient, helps with moisturization.
Cocoa butter is natural fat extracted from the cocoa bean during the chocolate-making process. Used to treat skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis, cocoa butter helps lips with moisturization, protects from environmental factors, and helps prevent dryness and cracking.
DIMETHICONE — Relieves irritation and protects the tender skin on your lips.
We use a very low concentration of dimethicone in our Lip Conditioner, Hydrating Lotion and Healing Cream to help with spreadability and to protect lips and skin with a waterproof layer and preserving natural moisture while relieving itching and the discomfort of dryness. It combines evenly with our Lip Conditioner’s other ingredients, helping them glide smoothly across your lips.
LANOLIN — Helps protect skin and locks in moisturization.
This exceptional, natural ingredient locks in hydration, softens, and helps with moisturization as it restores elasticity. Your skin’s lipid bilayer is made up of two layers of fatty acids; its job is to help keep moisture in the skin. Similar to the lipid bilayer, lanolin functions as a skin protectant that provides the proper environment for healing, soothing lips and skin as it restores softness and elasticity.
MEADOWFOAM SEED OIL — Adds moisturization and rejuvenates lips.
Derived from a flowering herb plant native to the Western United States, meadowfoam seed oil is easily and quickly absorbed by dry skin, plus it soothes irritations and adds a luxurious feel to lip balms and lotions.
MENTHOL — Cool and refreshing, menthol offers relief from discomfort.
The source of our refreshing tingle, menthol is derived from natural peppermint oil. Its anesthetic properties helps soothe dry, chapped lips and cold sores.
PETROLATUM — The most effective moisture barrier available.
Petrolatum is recognized by the FDA for its effectiveness as a skin protectant. For generations, doctors have used it to form an occlusive barrier that preserves moisture, while moms even use it on delicate babies’ skin to treat diaper rashes. Petrolatum creates a “bandage” between skin and its environment, penetrating the outermost lip and skin layers to aid in healing and to help prevent irritants and germs from penetrating cracks and cuts.
PHENOL — Fights germs and eases discomfort as it gently removes dry skin.
Our Carmex Original Jar and Original Tube formulas include phenol for its mild local anesthetic effect, reducing the itching and burning of chapped lips and cold sores. Its antiseptic qualities also kill germs, plus phenol gently sloughs away dead, peeling skin.
SALICYLIC ACID — A mild exfoliant allows moisturizers to be better absorbed.
We use salicylic acid in very small, yet effective amounts to gently help remove dead, cracked, peeling skin from your lips while in no way negatively effecting the new layer of skin that is constantly renewing itself so that our soothing and healing ingredients (such as menthol and camphor) can soak in thoroughly and get to work more quickly.
SHEA BUTTER — Helps to moisturize quickly, relieving dryness and cracking.
Natural shea butter is rich with fatty acids that help to maintain the elasticity and softness of healthy lips. It protects against excessive dryness from free-radical and sun damage, plus soothes chapped lips almost immediately.
VITAMIN E — Helps prevent drying, chapping, and the formation of free radicals.
Vitamin E offers a wide range of benefits for lips and skin. It acts as an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, helping to prevent premature aging as well as dryness and chapping. Vitamin E also has anti-inflammatory properties, soothing lips that have been damaged by sun, wind or excessively dry environments.
*Our product formulas vary slightly around the world in order to comply with local regulations. Rest assured that no matter where you are, the quality and performance of Carmex remains consistent.
