Not all lip balms are created equal. Many lip balms use inexpensive petroleum products like petroleum jelly and mineral oil which actually dry out the skin over time and do not contain any of the beneficial nutrients of their plant-based counterparts. Most lip balms contain artificial and chemical ingredients, usually in the form of artificial flavors and colors. At Ganache for Lips, we work very hard sourcing the highest quality all-natural and unrefined ingredients from botanical sources. It may be harder to accomplish and cost a little more, but we think our customers are worth it. Because our products contain natural ingredients and are made in small lots, there may be slight variations in color and aroma from batch to batch.
About Sunscreen
Many of our customers have asked why we do not have a lip balm with SPF. The answer is that the most commonly used sunscreens today are chemicals. They include oxybenzone, dioxybenzone, octyl methoxycinnamate, and padimate-O. Since our product is labeled as all-natural, we can't, in good conscience, use those chemicals. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are naturally occurring minerals that provide a physical barrier to UV rays, but they also contain a white pigment which most people would find unattractive. The scientists at the USDA have developed an all-natural sunscreen consisting of soybean oil and ferulic acid (derived from oat bran) that studies show to be a very effective sunscreen, but testing on this material continues. We are continuing to research this issue, but in the meantime, please wear a sunscreen when out in the sun, and remember that our product does not have an SPF.

Our Ingredients:

Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Chocolate (Theobroma cacao) This award-winning gourmet chocolate is felt by many of America's top chefs to be the best chocolate anywhere.

Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) Shea butter comes from the natural fat obtained from the karite tree grown in West and Central Africa. Our Shea butter is expeller pressed without the use of solvents. Ours is whole and unrefined, which means it retains the maximum amount of nutrients.

Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus amygdalus) A light nearly odorless oil, it consists mainly of oleic acid (69%), essential unsaturated fatty acids (25%), sterolins (.5 to 1%) and vitamin E (about 10 IU per ounce). Cold pressed to retain maximum nutrients.

Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus armeniaca) Apricot kernel oil comes from the large pits of apricots that yield up to 45% oil. Apricot kernel oil has 30% unsaturated essential fatty acid content. Cold pressed to retain maximum nutrients.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol) Vitamin E oil is an emollient, anti-oxidant, and natural preservative.

Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus officinalis) Contains antioxidants which are oil soluble. It is also a natural preservative.

Cocoa Absolute (Theobroma cacao) This is pure cocoa extracted from roasted cocoa beans.

Peppermint Oil (Mentha piperita) Ours is distilled from organic peppermint grown in the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Sweet Orange Oil (Citrus sinensis) Cold pressed from the rind of the sweet orange grown in North America.

Lemon Oil (Citrus limon) Cold pressed from the rind of the North American lemon.

Raspberry Extract (Rubus idaeus) It was difficult to find a completely natural extract of raspberry that actually came from a raspberry, but we finally found ours in France, and it smells exactly like a ripe red raspberry!

Almond Extract (Prunus dulcis) A natural extract of the bitter almond, also imported from France.

Coffee Extract (Coffea arabica) Extracted from the highest quality coffee beans (arabica) using a pure CO2 extraction process.

Hazelnut Extract (Corylus avellana) A natural hazelnut extract that we sourced from a company in Ireland.

Vanilla Extract (Vanilla planifolia) in Fractionated Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera) Pure vanilla beans are lovingly infused in coconut oil by Roseanne of SunRose Aromatics. Fractionated Coconut Oil comes from the removal of the ester to achieve a lower melting point. It is liquid at room temperature, odorless, and has a very long shelf life.

Beeswax We use the natural golden form of beeswax, rather then the white bleached variety, for its beautiful sweet smell of honey.

Ganache for Lips is an all-natural product and does not contain any petroleum products.

Ganache for Lips does not conduct animal testing and we do not conduct business with anyone who does. We proudly support the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society and the ASPCA.