EOS Balm in Medicated Tangerine

The Medicated Tangerine flavoured EOS balm has turned out to be a surprise hit with the MB family. Usually I keep my cosmetics to myself (we've already seen what can happen when my children use my makeup unsupervised) but this balm is extremely child friendly. My two boys have been suffering with chapped lips in the cold weather and it can be tricky to get them to apply anything to help. My eldest was instantly fascinated with the egg shape and even more thrilled with the shaping of the balm inside. It's really easy to roll this across the mouth which means he's happy to do this for himself. It doesn't tingle and the tangerine flavour makes it pleasantly fruity without being over-powering.

Of course, it's enjoyable to use as a grown up too! The spherical shape and bright colour are pleasing on the eye. The balm texture is just how I like it too. It feels nourishing but it isn't 'heavy', it also lasts a reasonable time.

The EOS balms (EOS stands for evolution of smooth as I discovered) contain Vitamin E and Shea Butter. On their website it explains that their products are free from gluten, parabens, phthalates and petrolatum, they also say that they are 95% organic and 95 to 100% natural depending on the specific balm.

This is one of those moments that I can't resist standing on my Soap Box. I think that 'natural' has become synonymous with with the phrase 'free from nasties' but not everything that is natural is good for you. As you can see from the sticker this balm contains phenol as an active ingredient. Phenol is a natural ingredient (it can also be chemically derived) but it isn't something I would necessarily describe as a being good for you. I know from working in a lab that phenol is considered to be toxic. However, it isn't a problem in the very small concentrations used here (0.5% of the product). It is even used in small quantities in some Scottish whisky. From my research of it's properties, I imagine it is included in this balm for it's antiseptic properties. Of course, I wouldn't allow my children to use it if I was at all concerned but the use of the word natural does remain a pet peeve for me.

INGREDIENTS
active ingredient Phenol 0.5%. inactive ingredients Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Beeswax (Cire D'abeille), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Flavor, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Honey, Benzyl Benzoate¹, Citral¹, Geraniol¹, Limonene¹, Linalool¹. ¹Component Of Flavor.


Despite the sermon above, I do like this balm very much. The EOS balms are reasonably priced at £5 each and are available from www.cutecosmetics.co.uk.


Disclosure: Product was received without cost for review purposes.