During last month's online shopping spree, I purchased a tube of Carmex Strawberry Click Stick Moisturizing Lip Balm with Sunscreen. There are quite a lot of raving reviews about Carmex's lip products on the Internet and I decided to try it out. The fact that Carmex claims that their lip balms are the number 1 pharmacist recommended lip balm intrigued me and made me want to try it even more.
Carmex Strawberry Stick is said to be a moisturizing lip balm with
SPF15. The tag-line for the lip balm is: "It soothes. It heals. It
protects." It is also said to be a long-lasting relief for dry, chapped
lips and helps keep lips soft by alleviating the roughness of dry lips.
It contains germ-killing menthol and phenol that helps speed healing
process.
The Carmex Strawberry Stick came in a cardboard box with the directions, ingredients and history of Carmex printed at the back. There's a "Money Back Guarantee" promise printed at the back of the box.
The directions for using the lip balm is to apply liberally and evenly as often as necessary, and before exposure to sun, wind or cold, and to reapply after swimming. For use on children under six months of age, consultation from a physician is advised.
The active ingredients for this balm are: Octinoxate 6.4%, Oxybenzone 5.4% (both are for sunscreen purposes)
Inactive ingredients for this balm are: Beeswax, Camphor, Cetyl Esters, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelula) Wax, Flavour, Lanolin, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Menthol, Ozokerite, Paraffin, Petrolatum, Phenol, Salicylic Acid and Theobroma Cacao (Cacao) Seed Butter.
The ingredients printed on the back of the box.
The Carmex Strawberry Stick came in a click stick with movement control technology (as printed on the box) which basically is a standard .15 oz (4.25 g) clear plastic tube with a twister at the bottom. The company's trademark of bright yellow colour was used both on the box and the tube. I did find the choice of colours very energizing and nice to look at. The logo and and a strawberry picture was printed on the label vertically and the ingredients were also printed on the back of the tube.
There is a safety seal at the cap of the balm to ensure that the balm is not tampered with prior to purchasing. Twisting the cap either to the left or right will break the saftey seal off.
Sealed tube of Carmex Strawberry Stick.
Opened tube of Carmex Strawberry Stick.
Upon opening the cap and twisting the balm out of the tube, I could
smell the scent of strawberry mixed with menthol/camphor. There was a
sweetness to the smell but there was also a medicine-like smell fused
with the scent of sweet strawberry. I found it quite disturbing. The balm was yellowish and looked kind of soft compared to other stick type balms.
Twisting the twister at the bottom of the tube will give out clicking sounds hence the "Click Stick". Very cute.
Click-clicking the balm out of the tube.
The balm had a very soft texture (sort of like vaseline in a stick form) and it glided quite smoothly. Upon application, there was no taste and it goes on clear. I actually smooshed the stick when I first tried it on (that's how soft the balm was!). There was a stinging minty feeling and I felt tiny pricks on my lips a few seconds after application. The balm felt quite waxy on my lips and after it had melted into the lips I could taste a bit of a bitter waxy menthol/camphor taste in my mouth. Ugh! Not very pleasant! The prickly minty feeling did last quite sometime and may not sit very well with some people.
When I first used it, my lips felt like all the moisture was sucked up and left my lips very dry. I was quite shocked and wiped it off immediately. I actually left my Carmex tube alone for a long time before I could worked up the curiosity to try it again. After trying out the balm for the second time, the effect was not so dramatic. The balm did felt better this time on my lips but the tiny pricks were still the same. My lips didn't end up too dry like the first time. I did wipe off the balm because of the same funny aftertaste was left in my mouth like the first time. After wiping the balm off, my lips did feel soft even though there was a bit of dryness to it.
When I first used it, my lips felt like all the moisture was sucked up and left my lips very dry. I was quite shocked and wiped it off immediately. I actually left my Carmex tube alone for a long time before I could worked up the curiosity to try it again. After trying out the balm for the second time, the effect was not so dramatic. The balm did felt better this time on my lips but the tiny pricks were still the same. My lips didn't end up too dry like the first time. I did wipe off the balm because of the same funny aftertaste was left in my mouth like the first time. After wiping the balm off, my lips did feel soft even though there was a bit of dryness to it.
When I swatched the balm on my hands, it got quite messy and some blob got transferred to my skin because of the soft texture. Here's what the balm looked like on my skin:
The yellowish soft balm on my skin.
My verdict: Due to the fact that this is a medicated lip balm, I am going to give it the benefit of the doubt. The smell is somewhat weird and not to my liking plus it left a waxy and weird taste in my mouth after wearing it. Some may find it drying instead of moisturizing. The only plus point is that the balm did made my lips a bit soft even through the bit of dryness I felt. Maybe it would wear better in a colder climate. But as for repurchasing it again I will not do.
You could find more information about the product at Carmex's official website here.
