Gluten Free Lip Smacker
I don’t know about you but my kids’ lips are chapped this winter and they frequently have to don the lip balm to smooth out those rough edges. But what’s safe to use for someone who’s gluten free? We know many lipsticks have gluten in them and lipstick/cosmetics companies don’t share information about their ingredients.* So what about lip balm?
Just the other day I read a post on The Savvy Celiac Facebook page from a reader questioning whether ChapStick was gluten free. ChapStick had been my go-to for lip balm for my gluten-free daughter, Emma, until I found a Lip Smacker labeled gluten-free at Target– which now I can’t find. Ugh.
So I went searching….to get answers to my gluten-free lip balm question….
Lip Balm Gluten Free Status
My list starts with the two products I believe have been the most progressive about their gluten-free status. They are putting the words “gluten free” right on the packaging!
EOS Lip Balm is Gluten Free
EOS : Maybe funky shaped…but you won’t forget it.. The company has other products, like lotions that don’t say gluten free. But lip balms say gluten free loud and proud on the package (see photo below)! It is Emma’s new favorite.
Lip Smacker 100% Natural: Website isn’t as proactive as their packaging was last fall when I purchased one for $1.87 at Target. The package said Gluten Free right on it! Now we cannot find it at our local SuperTarget.
Carmex: They list their gluten free status right on their website. On the FAQ it asks, “Does Carmex Contain Gluten?” The answer – ”Nope, not even a speck. There is no gluten in any of our ingredients…”
ChapStick: A ChapStick rep on Facebook told me there is no gluten in Chapstick. Great! However when you see the FAQ it says Chapstick lip balm doesn’t contain barley, rye and oats. Anyone see the missing ingredient here?? Which I can see might make some gluten free folks uncomfortable.
Blistex: ”All of our Blistex products are gluten free,” a company spokesperson replied to my inquiry. That’s good news!
Burts Bees: Asks you to contact them directly about what’s gluten free in their product line.
Gluten Free Label on Back of EOS Package
Badger Company: Lip Care information from the company FAQ: “…the facility that fills our lip balms also uses wheat amnio acids and wheat protein, so there is the possibility of cross-contamination. Our facility is not certified as ‘gluten free’, but uses no wheat or gluten containing ingredients.”
I contacted CO Bigelow– which can be purchased at Bath & Body Works, and Nivea for a comment on the gluten free status of their lip balms, and I have not received a response. If I get one I will update this.
*Source: Cosmetics Research from 2011
Tags: celiac, cosmetics, gluten-free, lip balm
February 29th, 2012 at 10:47 am
My favorite is just to use Vaseline. Perhaps it’s not as cool as lip balm, but it works. And it’s GF.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:49 am
We discovered the Gluten-Free Savonnerie soaps and (finally!) lip balm! It’s great stuff, even though you can’t get it in a store locally–I think it’s worth having to order it. Just thought I’d share because I know how “fun” it is trying to find gf lip balm.
February 29th, 2012 at 11:18 am
Thanks Erin for the added info! Glad you found something and shared it with everyone else!
March 1st, 2012 at 12:20 pm
BUDDHA BALM is gluten free and its crazy good. Try it and you will never switch.
March 6th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
O man, you totally missed the worlds BEST gluten free lip balm (and lipsticks for that matter) Rallye Balm from Red Apple Lipstick and of course of the sticks and glosses. RAL super specializes in GFREE lip products only.
March 9th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
And Blistex is gluten free too! Thanks for the info about EOS – I’ve been meaning to look that up
March 10th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Check out Sol et Vita lip balm too. Not available in retail, but can purchase online at http://www.soletvita.com. Great stuff!
April 4th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Another lip balm that says gluten free on the package (yay!) is Pangea Organics’ lip balm. I found it at Wild Oats.
April 5th, 2012 at 10:19 am
I always worry about companies that claim the product is GF but there are other products made with wheat in their facility and they do not make any statement about avoiding cross contamination or that they test for gluten to make sure the amount is below 20 ppm.
My daughter is REALLY sensitive and with just a tiny amount will be throwing up for hours, so we are SUPER careful.