Dry and chapped lips in winter? No longer a topic with this guide

While in summer strong UV rays and long hours of sunshine put a strain on your skin, in winter cold, dryness and frosty winds can be hard on it. Your lips in particular will take offence if you don't take good care of them: after all, the skin on the lips is particularly thin and sensitive. As the lips have neither sweat glands nor sebum, they also lack the oily film of the rest of the skin, which can protect them from external influences and keep them supple and moisturised.

In addition, winter means hot air. However, with the cosy warmth inside, the air becomes dry and this low humidity also affects the skin all over the body. Incidentally, according to the Frauenhofer Institute, a relative humidity of 40 to 60 per cent and a room temperature of around 21 degrees would be ideal

Speaking of cosy warmth: As this no longer applies from autumn, we warm ourselves with thicker items of clothing. And sometimes forget the additional protection of skin that is not covered by clothing. Even in winter, the sun still has enough power to damage the skin.

In principle, you should therefore not go without sun cream on your face on sunny days in autumn and winter - especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors, such as skiing. And what about your lips? Do they also need extra sun protection? More on this in a moment.

Lip care: better avoid these ingredients

There are various products on the market to care for your delicate lips. However, it's better to take a close look at the ingredients when making your choice: According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD), certain ingredients also dry out the lips. Lip balms and lip balms with the following ingredients should therefore be avoided:

• Camphor
• Eucalyptus
• Flavours such as cinnamon, lemon, mint and peppermint
• Menthol
• as well as octinoxate (or oxybenzone), phenol (or phenyl), propyl gallate and salicylic acid

According to the experts at the AAD, people often have the feeling that a slightly burning sensation when using lip balms of this type (such as menthol) starts the healing process. However, the opposite is actually the case: you start a cycle of never-ending lubrication.

Sometimes lip balms contain mineral oils. However, these have also been criticised for some time and are considered potentially carcinogenic as well as mutagenic and hormone-damaging if they enter the human organism when ingested. According to current risk assessments, the saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH/POSH) and aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOAH) in creams remain on the skin. However, this is not certain with lip balm - some of the moisturiser is swallowed when wetting the mouth or when eating and drinking. The EU Commission's Scientific Advisory Committee (SCCS) has calculated this: People who moisturise their lips with lip balm "eat" a whole four sticks a year. Quite a reason to pay closer attention to questionable ingredients, isn't it? Stiftung Warentest last tested lip care in September 2023 - many products, but not all, were mineral oil-free.

Helpful for the lips: Nourishing ingredients such as shea butter, beeswax and hemp oil

Lip balms and lip balms with ingredients such as shea butter (also known as shea butter), hemp or castor seed oil, ceramides (natural lipids), beeswax, beeswax and castor seed oil have a more sustainable effect.l, ceramides (natural fat building blocks) or vaseline. Beeswax, rose wax and almond oil also support the healing process.

And what about the sunscreen in lip balm? If you spend a lot of time outdoors in the sun during the cold winter months with lots of snow - which increases the effect of the sun - a lip balm with sun protection is definitely advisable, as the lips can hardly protect themselves from UV rays. Unfortunately, this brings another ingredient problem to the table: while the mineral filter titanium oxide was previously often used to guarantee sun protection, the substance is now no longer considered safe in cosmetics. (And its alternative, the mineral filter zinc oxide, is also viewed critically)

Titanium oxide has been banned in the EU since summer 2022 - in food. Lip balms are not food, but, see above, you still ingest some of the substances orally. This is why the last test of lip balms specifically with UV protection by Ökotest at the beginning of 2022 showed that products containing the substance performed worse.

The cosmetics industry has now reacted: In the lip care test (without UV protection) by Stiftung Warentest in autumn 2023, none of the 30 products tested contained any more titanium oxide.

Three of the lip care products without mineral oils that were rated as "recommendable":

Lip balms

Bebe Lipstick Classic Stick

5

Lip balms

Blistex Agave Rescue

Care pencil, 30.40 ml

3

Lip balms

dm alverde Calendula

Care pencil

7

Sore, chapped and cracked lips - what now?

If your lips are sore, chapped and cracked, you should avoid one thing at all costs: Moisten your lips with your tongue. Oral mucus or saliva is used, among other things, to pre-digest food and protect the mouth from harmful substances. However, it is harmful to sore lips in that it draws additional moisture from the lips as it evaporates. The result: lips become even drier.

In addition, you should not bite off or remove dry, flaky patches by hand. Logical, but the desire for the usual soft lip feeling can sometimes be so great that you do stupid things like this. If the damage persists despite lip balm and care, it's time to see a dermatologist. This is because the symptoms can also indicate diseases and allergies, ranging from herpes in various forms to neurodermatitis and chronic conditions such as cheilitis simplex (e.g. caused by frequent lip irritation).(e.g. caused by frequent lip biting and licking).

Nutrition also plays a role in dry lips

The above measures can help prevent chapped lips. However, diet and hydration also have an influence. The body produces according to scientific research between half a litre and one litre of salivary fluid per day. A functioning salivary gland system is required to ensure this. Food stimulates the flow of saliva, but: spicy and savoury food irritates the mucous membranes - so it's better to steer clear of it when your lips are dry.

Sufficient fluids ensure well-moisturised skin. Smoking and alcohol, on the other hand, dehydrate the body. You may be able to avoid them if your lips are dry and chapped.

And: Nutrient and vitamin deficiencies can also lead to skin problems. So keep an eye on your supply of iron and zinc as well as vitamins B2 and B12 if dry lips are your constant companion in winter. Lean meat, fresh fish and fruit and vegetables can help to compensate for your nutrient deficiencies.