Winter brings a rise in colds and flu, and in dry and red skin, but cracked, dry lips are among the worst effects of the cooler weather.
No one wants to endure the look and feel of flaky lips all day, so it’s natural that people are going to stock up on their favourite lip treatments and products in the pharmacy.
However, some cases of cracked lips will need more than a coat of lip balm each day, so here we present a guide to advising on keeping lips in good shape and well-hydrated at this time of year.
Top tips for hydrated lips
Exfoliate. Dead skin is inevitable, but letting dead, dry skin remain on the lips without buffing them out is a crime.
Dry, dead skin should be removed by gently brushing the lips with a wet washcloth or an exfoliating lip product made specifically to remove dry skin.1
Lip scrubs can be bought just about anywhere and are available from brands such as NYX, Burt’s Bees, Barry M, Lanolips and more, in most pharmacies.
Lip scrubs should be used sparingly and, after removing all the dry skin, followed immediately with a treatment to layer over the lips.
Lather up. Exfoliating, or scrubbing the dead skin away, should be followed up with a lip balm or treatment.
Users should ensure they choose a product that’s easy to apply and doesn’t burn.
It’s important to continue to reapply the treatment throughout the day and at night before bed.1
Protect from the sun. It’s crucial to use a lip balm with an SPF of 30 or higher to protect lips while outside the home.1
At night, a lip treatment that doesn’t contain SPF or zinc oxide can be used.
Keep up the fluids. Just like keeping the body hydrated, drinking water will keep lips hydrated and protected from chapping.1
Don’t lick. When lips feel dry, a tendency is to lick them, which makes them worse, as the saliva evaporates and they become drier.1
Ingredient awareness
Pharmacy assistants should be aware of the ingredients, both beneficial and questionable, found in certain products.
For winter, you can expect lip treatments to be in high demand, so it’s important to be familiar with what products contain what ingredients, and even test them yourself, to understand what is likely to be effective.
Some of the ingredients experts suggest should be avoided in lip treatments include:2
- Camphor.
- Eucalyptus.
- Flavours, such as mint and peppermint, that can irritate the skin.
- Fragrance.
- Lanolin.
- Menthol.
- Octinoxate or oxybenzone.
- Phenol (or phenyl).
- Salicylic acid.
Those ingredients experts advise will help keep lips hydrated include:2<superscript>
- Castor seed oil.
- Ceramides.
- Dimethicone.
- Hemp seed oil.
- Mineral oil.
- Petrolatum.
- Shea butter.
- Sun-protective ingredients such as titanium oxide or zinc oxide.
- White petroleum jelly.
Do the bright thing
Bold and bright eyeshadow palettes have been in the spotlight lately, and beauty advisers such as those contributing to Vogue magazine’s predictions for makeup directions this year (vogue.com/article/makeup-trends-2023) say the bright lip is making a comeback.
As a PA, scope out the lip liners, lipsticks and glosses in your pharmacy and test the shade range to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Specific factors to consider include:
- Does the product smudge easily?
- Is it long-lasting?
- What lip liners match with which lipsticks?
- What brand has what type of shades?
If you familiarise yourself with these considerations, you’ll be well-positioned to help your customers choose the appropriate products when they’re diving into the next beauty trend.
References
- Skin Cancer Foundation, 2023. ‘5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Lips’. skincancer.org/blog/5-tips-for-your-lips/
- American Academy of Dermatology Association. ‘7 Dermatologists’ Tips for Healing Dry, Chapped Lips’. aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/dry/heal-dry-chapped-lips
This feature was originally published in the May issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants e-magazine.
