Is Blistex Toxic? (And What to Buy Instead)
Written by:
Maia James


Every time the weather changes, my and my kids’ lips become miserably chapped.
Related: Shop safest lip balms.
Blistex lip products definitely soothe super chapped, sore lips. Perhaps this explains why Blistex sells more than $100 million worth of their “medicated” lip balm every year! But is Blistex non-toxic?
While Blistex offers short-term relief from the pain of chapped lips, it contains ingredients that may carry other health risks.
Blistex lip products definitely soothe super chapped, sore lips. Perhaps this explains why Blistex sells more than $100 million worth of their “medicated” lip balm every year! But is Blistex non-toxic?
While Blistex offers short-term relief from the pain of chapped lips, it contains ingredients that may carry other health risks.
My Favorite Natural Lip Balm
I love the creamy texture and subtle scents of Soapwalla’s line of lip balms. It is super healthy

Soapwalla Lip Locked Lip Balm
This organic lip balm is amazing. Highest quality ingredients truly make for an amazing product and Soapwalla’s products are quite simply a step above the rest.
Soapwalla’s Lip Locked Lip Balm provides serious protection with Fair Trade and USDA Certified Organic ingredients.
Is Blistex Non-Toxic?
A tube of Blistex contains some 25 ingredients, including a variety of preservatives and dyes. Among the most concerning ingredients are the following, which you will find in various Blistex products:
Phenol. One of Blistex’s several active ingredients, phenol is considered toxic to the central nervous system and to the heart.
- Saccharin. I won’t eat food with this artificial sweetener in it, and anything you smear on your mouth has sort of got to be considered food, right?
- Parabens. Unsurprisingly, these notorious, carcinogenic preservatives make an appearance in some Blistex formulas.
- Fragrance. We know that when we see “fragrance” on a label, that usually means the presence of phthalates.
- Oxybenzone. That really bad sunscreen ingredient that’s linked to cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, as well as endocrine disruption.
- Mineral oil. A petroleum product.
- Parraffin. Another petroleum product.
- Petrolatum. Yet another petroleum product.
(See our glossary for more on many of these ingredients, including links to studies that back up all these scary claims.)
This chemical cocktail is especially concerning in a product that you smear all over your mouth. (I’ve likely eaten several ounces of Blistex in my life, since in high school it was all I used.)
he good news is that there are many natural lip balms that really do work. I’ve heard from a lot of you about how thrilled (and yes, surprised!) you are that these natural products are actually effective.
Here are some of my favorite natural lip balms:
- Soapwalla’s coconut-lime lip balm is probably my favorite flavor of any lip balm I’ve tried. It’s also made by a wonderful women-owned business in Brooklyn.
- Green Goo makes healing balms in several flavors (my favorite is the honey), which come in a standard chapstick-style dispenser.
- Tandi’s Naturals lip balms are rich in avocado oil and beeswax, and are available in either Mint & Grapefruit or Herb Garden and come in a cool little tin (extra points for no plastic!).
- Weleda’s Skin Food for the lips has a cult following for a reason. It leaves lips noticeably hydrated and soft, especially in cold weather conditions.
- Badger makes some nice extra-large cocoa butter lip balms, which are great for little hands and make a perfect stocking stuffer. My kids love these most.
- If you like a lip balm that doubles as a lip tint, my absolute favorites are these from Olio E Osso. They also make a beautiful clear version, and all of them work for cheeks as well as lips.
- If you like a little luxury in your lip balm, I recommend Beautycounter’s lip conditioner, which also works really well over any of their lip sheers (I wear Terra).
Thankfully, lip balm is one category of products where choosing the Good Stuff doesn’t mean a sacrifice in performance (as opposed to, say, deodorant!). When my lips are chapped and painful, these natural balms really do bring complete relief.
Stay sane, and I hope you’re enjoying the winter season, chapped lips and all!


Maia, Founder & CEO
P.S. Please share your favorite lip balm brands below, or ask away if you have any you’d like us to investigate.
Note: This article contains affiliate links or sponsored content, which means that if you make a purchase, we may earn a commission. We only recommend products that meet our strict standards for non-toxicity and that we use (or want to use!) ourselves. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that make Good Stuff!
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Another woman owned blog complaining about complex things her simple mind can’t comprehend. It’s un fucking believable to me that so many of you women out there will flock to the internet to spread your misinformation on things you don’t even know anything about. “CHEMICALS OH MY GOD I’M SO SCARED IT MUST BE BAD FOR YOU!”
No wonder men have ruled the world since the dawn of time. Blogs should be outlawed.Sally not sure where you get your … good information from but the ingredients she lists are for the most part banned in all other countries as either outright toxic or highly suspect … so given the option choose cleaner products …. she is not spreading misinformation just information the rest of the world is quite aware of.
Thank you so much for providing good information without turning your articles in research studies worth of information. As someone who values natural living I don’t have time to look at the science of each ingredient or read someone else doing it for me. I need short and sweet with good alternatives and you are doing that here and all over your site. It makes transitioning to natural products easier when you have a go to list that works.
And do all nay sayers this article is written to those of us with a cursory knowledge of natural toxin-free living. If you don’t already think that’s important that’s totally fine. But the poster doesn’t need to re-make that point over and over on everything blog post. If you choose to use something unsafe by weighing the pros and cons of your experience that is fine too but that’s not what this post is here for. This site is not about how to use every day conventional products that are probably mostly safe. It’s how to make the best choices. So if you have decided to compromise somewhere for reasons that are important to you that’s totally ok, but it’s not the posters job to change her agenda and goals because you like some chapstick.
Cursory knowledge of natural toxin-free living? I don’t think you even know what a toxin is.
My cousin gave me a lip balm she found in Oregon that’s made there locally. It cured my dry lips so quick, I love it! Then I found a peppermint version and I love that one even more! It’s called Portland bee balm and it only has 3-4 ingredients: coconut oil, olive oil, bees wax and peppermint oil.
Wow! Some people need to step away from the keyboard and have a nice, calming cup of herbal tea! I recommend peppermint or lemon ginger. 😉
Hasn’t anyone heard the ol’, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”? (I always hear Thumper saying it when I think of that saying!)
I find this site informative and it allows me to conduct further research and decide for myself which products I choose to use. It has given me some good insight and a good base for different products and what to look for. I actually came across this site when researching mattresses!To the topic at hand: I love Zum lip balm. I love most of their products. A bit pricey, but well worth it for deliciously smelling, non-toxic, all natural, small company products. I would use them more if they offered more unscented or mildly scented products because I have family members who are sensitive to scented things (even naturally scented things!) and eczema.
Next on my list to try is Dr. Bronners, as they offer an unscented and an intriguing ginger chapstick!It seems like people are getting defensive because this int in inconvenient for them. No one wants to make changes or thing that they’ve made the “wrong” decisions in the past regarding personal care products. Thanks for all you do!
I love Blistex and will not be giving it up fully anytime soon. . . Sorry. But – I also love Osmia Organics products. If you have not tried them or heard of them I encourage you to check them out. Their Lip Doctor is especially amazing!
Hello,
You should try Surya Brasil’s 100% Natural, Vegan & Kosher Tinted Lip Balms. Very clean, green and tinted!
Bobby
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