Think you suffer from a lip gloss, lipstick or lip balm addiction? Do you keep tubes in your pockets, purse, car and desk drawers? Suspicious that your lip product contains addictive agents as part of a top-secret cosmetics conspiracy? You aren't the only who believes lip products are addictive. Discover the various theories behind these potentially habit-forming products and what the truth truly is.
Addiction claims
A rumor circulating on the Web for years has questioned the ingredients found in different lip products. According to one theory, by including certain ingredients, companies are intentionally trying to create an addiction to their products rather than a cure for those stubborn, scaly lips. In fact, some people are convinced that these companies are drying out our lips for steady sales.
Another notion claims lip balm ingredients may act on brain chemicals, similar to certain foods. Some foods can increase the brain's serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter that many refer to as the "feel-good" chemical. Too little serotonin can cause depression, troubled sleep or heightened sensitivity to pain. Sugars and starches are known for creating small surges in serotonin; hence, our bliss while eating chocolate and other so-called "comfort foods." Could lip balm cause those same serotonin surges in our brain that we experience with these foods? It's a theory.
The truth
So what ingredients are in your favorite tube of lip balm or lipstick? And can they really cause an addiction? Experts are still debating this tough topic, but evidence suggests that addiction is possible.
A vicious cycle. Certain companies include the drying agent salicylic acid in their lip balm recipes. Salicylic acid typically targets cold sores, which are often found around the lip area. This ingredient is generally used in the treatment of skin conditions like acne or warts. Unfortunately, if it's used on lips, salicylic acid can harm sub-surface skin layers and cause irritation, Professor W. Steven Pray, Ph.D. of the College of Pharmacy, Southwestern Oklahoma State University writes in an article for the U.S. Pharmacist. And when your lips are irritated, you'll likely reach for more balm, which can irritate them further.
Dr. Pray also explains that lip products often include analgesic ingredients to reduce the pain associated with chapped lips. When the product wears off, our lips start to hurt again. Consequently, we re-apply the product, which will in turn cause more irritation. Dr. Pray calls this "a vicious cycle," and he notes that some people engage in "extended use of the product for sustained periods, possibly decades." It's possible this kind of long-term use is a form of lip product addiction.
Hoarding a heap of products. Because of this perceived lip balm need, some people hoard the products and form a lip balm stash, reports the Billings (Montana) Gazette. Some even feel physical discomfort and emotional fear if lip balm isn't available to them or is out of reach, much like a drug addict's reaction to drug unavailability or separation from the stash.
We want to feel "good." Users can develop psychologically-based habits due to physical feelings associated with lip balm application. Some ingredients like phenol or menthol cause an enjoyable tingling sensation upon application, prompting future use to get that same tingly feeling again, says a Newsday article.
According to basic psychological principles, we like what feels good and develop desires for more of that "feel-good" stimulant — in this case, lip products. Dermatologist Lisa Garner believes that habitual/addictive lip balm use is due to people growing accustomed to increased moisture levels in their lips and wanting to maintain that feeling.
It becomes a habit. Psychology may play another role in lip product addiction. Remember Freud's oral fixation concept from your Psych 101 class? His theory states that due to a fixation at the early oral stage of development, oral fixation in adults involves seeking pleasure centered around the mouth; one way is by applying lip balm. Dermatologist Kevin Cooper of the University Hospitals in Cleveland claims that using lip products develops into " 'repetitive behavior....like habit, in [the] same sense that some people become fixated orally with smoking, or chewing on pens.'"
Lipstick wearers might suffer, too. Alleged addiction might go beyond basic balm to include lipstick, too. According to Psychology Today, three quarters of women use lipstick on a daily basis. Most women simply apply it twice a day, but 13 percent of women "re-apply their lipstick more than eight times in an average day," says the article.
A condition to blame. Another possibility is that frequent lipstick re-appliers may have an obsessive-compulsive disorder or psychological condition that compels them to re-apply so often. Perhaps they're unhappy with their appearance and frequently re-apply lipstick to look prettier or boost their self-esteem.
Truly a myth? Other experts say that lip products don't actually cause addictions. Indeed, dermatologist Dr. Heidi Waldorf tells CBS 3 that ingredients in lip treatments aren't addictive; it's simply an "urban myth."
As the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter notes, it's unreasonable to consider lip balm use — or even overuse — to be addictive. In fact, the source explains that lip balms can offer beneficial advantages, like protection from UV rays if they contain sunscreen. Balms can also smooth away rough dry skin from chapped lips.
Product picks
In the end, we simply want our lips to feel smooth and hydrated, and we want them to look good, too. Like the décolleté and hands, lips are sometimes places we forget to protect. Skin in these areas is very thin and therefore especially vulnerable to the dangers of sun and wind damage. Luckily, lip balms, lipsticks and lip glosses can give you the protection you need.