5 Interesting Facts About Lips and the Best Way to Care for Them
Most of us give little thought to our lips throughout the course of a day. But neglect them too much and you’re at their mercy: dry, painful, chapped and sore. Our lips, it seems, might be a little misunderstood. So let’s get to know them.
5 fun facts about our puckers.
Loose lips | They are the only body part where the inside extends to the outside. The same membrane that makes up the inner lips also makes up the outer lips.
Thin skinned | While the eyelid gets to claim thinnest skin, lips are close behind. Because of this, they dry out 10 times faster than the skin on our face.
Sealed with a kiss | Lip prints, like fingerprints, are unique to each individual.
Pucker up | The millions of nerve endings in lips means they're more sensitive than our finger tips.
No sweat | Lips don't have sweat or sebaceous glands and they don’t secrete oils which is why they tend to dry out more quickly than the rest of your face. Additionally, they have a lower concentration of melanin which makes them especially vulnerable to the environment.
Keeping your kisser hydrated, protected and healthy is important, but not all lip products are created equal. In general, a good lip balm should deliver a film of moisturizers onto this delicate skin, plus emollients to replenish moisture loss, and occlusives to prevent further moisture loss.
You should avoid lip balms that contain menthol, camphor, phenol or any sort of alcohol which can irritate the skin. And petroleum, although a popular ingredient in lower-priced lip products, doesn’t moisturize as well as it might seem. It coats the lips but doesn’t nourish or hydrate them.
Deprived lips, meet Ultra Rich Lip Balm, the latest in a legacy of our indulgently saturating lip treatment and a three-time (soon to be four-time) beauty award winner. It combines hydrating, plumping and anti-aging ingredients that collaborate to instantly restore suppleness, deliver long-wearing moisturization, and protect lips from the aging effects of exposure to the elements.
Four lip-loving butters take center stage in our lip treatment: Mango butter is rich in nourishing fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Shea butter protects against weather, sun and photoaging. Avocado butter contains vitamins A, B, G and E, which makes it a great treatment for dry and damaged skin. And Moringa butter brings omega fatty acids to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin E acts as both a humectant and an emollient, and plumps parched lips with moisture. We added one of our favorite radical botanicals, Arnica Montana, to heal dry, cracked lips. And amino acids and peptides stimulate collagen production to plump and define lips.
PS. The dimple above our lips is called a philtrum. The etymology of the word goes way back. In the 17th century, the word meant love potion, and in Ancient Greece, it meant love charm. We now have a little more love for that little divot. It's charming.