Is it time to go from cocoa to lip oil?
By Paloma Abad
“Oils are much lighter and have a much greater penetrating capacity than balms or cocoa. In addition, they provide shine. As long as they are formulated based on vegetable oils (not petroleum derivatives), they are very rich in oleic and linoleic acids and antioxidants. They contain a large number of soothing, moisturizing, antioxidant and regenerative properties, and their effect lasts longer than balms”, lists Dr. Paula Rosso, from the Lajo Plaza medical center in Madrid. The difference in texture compared to moisturizing balms is, according to Pedro Catalá, doctor of pharmacy and creator of the Twelve Beauty brand, the great asset of these products: "In recent years, the scientific community has realized that many of the traditional ingredients in lip balms, such as beeswax, which acts as an emulsifier to bind all the ingredients, together with high doses of vegetable butters, provide comfort to the lips and of course also nutrients, but their penetrating capacity is much less regarding the oil.
Dermatologist Lorea Bagazgoitia, author of What science says about skin care, practically no patients have come to the consultation (online and in person at her Madrid clinic) complaining of drier lips this fall, “ unlike the huge increase in acne, rosacea or perioral dermatitis that we are seeing. I think that those who feel this greater sensitivity/dryness on the lips is probably due to the irritating effect of the constant friction of the mask, which, if repeated and annoying in susceptible people, could even cause cheilitis (eczema on the lips). In this sense, a good lip emollient that keeps the skin barrier intact can help prevent said cheilitis ”, he advises. In that case, your proposal can pass for both a balm and a lip oil. "From a practical perspective, I think the difference is not that relevant," he says.
Pedro Catalá differs from this opinion: "The balms remain only on the surface. As a consequence, these ingredients 'disappear' quickly from the lips (hence the fact that we have to reapply them continuously) and drag with them part of the hydration Finally, lips do not secrete oils like skin cells, so providing them with oils is key to maintaining their hydration and functionality." The pharmacist has formulated Hyaluroil Lip lip oil, especially for chapped lips, under this premise. “I incorporate hyaluronic acid, in its encapsulated version (since it is an oil-insoluble ingredient), to these formulas. Thus, we provide continuous hydration to the lips. It is also advisable to seal the lip oils with an overnight lip mask”, he recommends. A decision supported by Dr. Rosso: “Lip oils have longer lasting effects, with many more active ingredients and with a much longer moisturizing capacity over time. Lip masks are also good allies. If the lips are very bad, the ideal is to apply a lip scrub, a mask and then treat them with an oil. Going beyond the purely cosmetic, in aesthetic medicine we work with infiltrations of hyaluronic acids specially designed for lips, which project very little, add very little volume to the lips, but provide great hydration".
15 products just for your lips
By Ana Morales