Story by Leslie Schelat | Photo illustrations by Clarissa Westmeyer

For some people, it causes addiction, cravings and withdrawal symptoms that are felt within minutes of its last use.

It’s legal and available at drugstores, grocery stores, Wal-Mart and even day spas for less than $5, and no identification is required to purchase it.

But this supposedly addictive substance isn’t a drug — it’s lip balm.

“When I see someone else use some, I’m like, ‘Oh, I have to put some on,’ ” says Eytan Hoenig, freshman fashion merchandising major with a passion for Burt’s Bees lip balm.

Others share similar feelings of adoration for his preferred brand of balm.
“Every time I pull it out, my friends want some,” Hoenig says.

Just talking about his favorite lip balm makes Hoenig’s cravings begin. Such sentiments have gathered attention from various people and companies concerned about lip-balm obsessions and addictions.

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, the company that makes ChapStick brand lip balm, shows concern for potentially addicted ChapStick users by referring them to the company’s “Global Safety Team” for a deeper look at their problem.

Even the most frequent lip-balm users should note that ChapStick is not an addiction but rather a habit, says Fran Sullivan, spokesman for Wyeth Consumer Healthcare. “There’s nothing in ChapStick that can cause addition. Addiction is a physical reliance on something. People have habits, and one of the habits is to apply ChapStick,” he says.

Lip Balm Anonymous, a satirical Web site for self-proclaimed lip balm addicts at www.kevdo.com/lipbalm, includes product information, support programs and testimonials from users. It even provides self-evaluation to help lip balm users realize they have a problem and offers a 12-step program to deal with addictions.

Hoenig says he thinks his Burt’s Bees obsession may be genetic. “My mom orders her lip balm off the Internet,” he says. Her favorite brand of balm, MoistStic, which she used to purchase at GNC, is no longer available in the area, so she has to purchase it online. She orders 10 tubes at a time for $10 plus shipping.

Hoenig travels home to Lyndhurst to purchase his Burt’s Bees lip balm at DSW Shoe Warehouse, where it costs $2.49, as opposed to $2.69 at most places he’s found in the Kent area. “It’s the cents that matter,” Hoenig says.

Richelle Tanner, a sophomore exploratory major, may be a more casual lip-balm user, but her love for the product is still the same. “I always have to have it,” she says. “As far back as I can remember, it’s been a habit.”
Tanner’s favorite lip balm is mint-flavored ChapStick, but she also mixes it up once in a while with cherry-flavored Softlips.

She took her love for lip balm to the next level when she created a Facebook group, “Chapstick Whores,” in its honor. The group, which had 33 members in October, is “for people that are constantly putting on lip gloss or Chapstick, can’t live without a bottle of Chapstick with them at all times and even find themselves layering it on before bedtime!”

The need to reapply can be caused by the natural occurrence of licking one’s lips, Sullivan says. Or the answer to the lip-balm habit may be even simpler.
“People perhaps could like the feel of having ChapStick on their lips,” he says.

Avid lip-balm user Hoenig has tried other brands but chooses to remain loyal to Burt’s Bees because he likes that it is all-natural and lasts longer than some other brands. “I’m going to say it’s the best,” Hoenig says. “That’s what everyone says who uses it.”

Leslie Schelat is a senior magazine journalism major. This is her first time writing for The Burr.