Is lip balm actually dehydrating?

YeS, some balms can make lips drier. Dr rita rakus, a cosmetic practitioner known as the London Lip Queen, says: ‘ Irritating ingredients such as fragrance, menthol or salicylic acid can cause inflammation and hydration loss.

‘This means you need to keep reapplying the balm, which in turn makes lips drier, and that becomes a vicious cycle. A good lip balm will be paraffin, petroleum or beeswaxbased, to ensure lips stay hydrated and moisture doesn’t evaporate.’

Try Burt’s Bees Natural Lip Balm (£3.99, boots.com) or nourishing L’occitane Delicious Tinted Balm (left, £20, loccitane.co.uk).