Updated June 26, 2026
I have a problem…I, am a Chap Stick/lip balm addict. Many, many years ago I switched to Carmex when I moved to Washington state, I had severely chapped lips and the cheapo lip balms and name brand Chap Stick were no longer cutting the mustard (yes, even the medicated versions). Carmex was a game changer and life saver. I was a faithful Carmex customer for the next 25 years. I don’t know if they changed their formula, however it just suddenly stopped working. I spent the next year trying to find a soothing replacement for my chapped lips. All brands, formulations and natural oils. They were either sub par or caused even more irritation! Then it proceeded to get even worse. My lips were the worst they had ever been, with even the surrounding skin becoming irritated and chapped.
As an aside, I’m on a health journey where I’m trying to eat little to no processed food and am also trying to remove toxins from my life. I have stopped painting my toenails which I have faithfully done for 30 years and also, most recently, decided to stop coloring my hair. So it was quite important to me to find a lip solution that not only was effective, but also was free of fragrance, petroleum, mineral oil and any other chemically derived ingredients. That’s my own personal choice. Also, some people are more sensitive and can develop allergies if they use petroleum containing ingredients, so keep that in mind when evaluating any new skin irritations or rashes as that could potentially be the cause. All of this added to the challenge of finding a product that not only met those requirements but also worked to soothe my raw, irritated, chapped lips.
Any whoosie…in my personal deep dive on the internet, I found recommendations for lanolin as a lip balm to soothe chapped lips. You can read about it here if you want to know the “science” behind it: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lanolin-chapped-lips_l_607cc777e4b051555026462d
I decided to give it a go! I first ordered a tiny tube of it on Amazon to try (of course the exact one is no longer available). It worked WONDERFULLY! But I was still skeptical since other products seemed to work initially, then failed to meet my standards within days. Well after a week it seemed to be the solution I was searching for!
Since I tend to be on the frugal side, truth be told I break down the cost of almost EVERYTHING to the per unit cost, always have and always will! I’m not embarrassed!!, I looked for a lower cost, but still effective option and decided on:
Medela Purelan Lanolin Cream #ad
I have been using it now for five months and haven’t looked back! The best part is it is only ONE ingredient, 100% ultra-pure medical grade lanolin. This product is listed as a cream. I would not consider it a cream. It has the consistency of petroleum jelly.
A friend of mine recently was experiencing similar, issues with her irritated, chapped lips. I of course recommended the lanolin cream since it worked so well for me. She decided to choose an even cheaper per unit option, a huge tub, but ended up not using it due to its strong odor. I sent her the link for the one above because I felt there was little to no odor. She ordered it, agreed, and has reported similar satisfactory results from its use.
***Please note – If you have a wool allergy, you may possibly have an allergy to lanolin since it is extracted from raw wool during the cleaning process after shearing.
I truly hope this is the solution to your irritated, raw, chapped lips, as it was for me, and gives you the relief you have been seeking.