Product Review: Sweet Leaf Bath Co. Lip Balm

Lip balms are a year-round essential for me, but they're especially important during the colder months when even the hint of a chill in the air can make my lips chap. I'm sure many other women feel the same about their lip balms too. But did we lip balm addicts ever stop to think about the millions of little plastic tubes we discard every year? Probably not.

The Sweet Leaf Bath Co. did though. Founded in 2007, this small Canadian bath and skincare product company specializes in organic, all natural, fair trade products. They recently sent me three of their lip balms to try; the lip balms are packaged in 100% post-consumer waste compostable tubes which hold 30% more lip balm than the average plastic tube. At a mere $4.75 per tube, it's a beauty indulgence that's friendly to the earth and your wallet.

The formula--a blend of beeswax, avocado oil, shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E--feels like what you would expect from a typical beeswax lip balm. It's moisturizing, but it also goes on very light and requires frequent reapplying. The flavours (peppermint, pomegranate and chocoberry) smell pleasant but not overpowering, probably thanks to the essential oils and natural ingredients.

The eco-friendly tube is a departure from any sort of beauty packaging I've ever seen, and for that reason Sweet Leaf Bath Co. should put some sort of explanatory text on the cap or body telling people how to use it. The cap comes off and can be put back on like any other cap. To get more lip balm out of the tube, you squeeze from the bottom like you would with a tube of toothpaste. I'm used to squeezing gel-like lip balm formulas from tubes, but not solid ones, and I imagine others might find themselves in the same boat. Better package labeling would help.

Forgetting what the publicist told me about squeezing the lip balm out, I resorted to peeling the top of the lip balm like you would with a Crayola crayon's paper wrapping. Talk about a frustrating experience. The tube was hard to peel evenly and I ended up smushing lip balm under my nails. Not fun. The prospect of having to peel my lip balm prevented me from taking it with me in my purse, but now that I know how I'm actually supposed to use it, I'd be more open to bringing it with me when I'm out and about.

Have you tried these lip balms? Would you consider trying them?