Company History

Ganache for Lips started in May 2003 in the kitchen of the creator and owner, Patricia West. Just recovering from treatment for breast cancer, she wanted to create a lip balm for herself and her friends which was all-natural, healing and protective of the lip tissue, and not waxy. Having studied aromatherapy to help with the effects of cancer treatment, she included peppermint oil to combat the afternoon fatigue brought on by the radiation treatment. While studying natural perfumery with Mandy Aftel (creator of Cacao, a natural chocolate perfume) she was inspired to add natural cocoa extract to the lip balm. Then, on a whim, Ms. West decided to add real Scharffen Berger chocolate (her favorite) to the lip balm, which greatly enhanced the aroma and color of the balm. After testing the product on friends and neighbors to rave reviews, she decided to seriously market the product and began the process of developing labels and display boxes. In April 2004, she officially declared Ganache for Lips open for business. Her first customer was, of course, the Scharffen Berger factory store in Berkeley. Soon, the demand for the product resulted in expanding the line to nine delicious flavors. Our lip balm, although still a small niche brand, is sold in stores across the United States and has foreign distributors for overseas markets. The brand continues to grow with the addition of new product categories, most recently our fabulous new Whisper Light Body Oil Veil.