What’s Behind Carmex’s Polarizing Medicinal Scent | The Slowdown

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Carmex lip balm — Courtesy Carmex

What’s Behind Carmex’s Polarizing Medicinal Scent

The popular lip balm gets its pungent, earthy odor from an oil derived from the camphor tree.

By Brittany Dennison

January 21, 2022

3 minute read

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I first heard the conspiracy that using Carmex lip balm actually made your lips more chapped in high school, the best time to set the foundation for my suspicions about the world. One would apply it, only to have crustier lips—an addictive negative-feedback loop that sent tens of dollars into the pockets of Big Chapstick. The balm’s pungent, herbal scent, paired with its curiously delightful stinging sensation, gave the impression that one was smearing on a potent salve, something cooked up in an apothecary—or was it simply the aromatic charm of snake oil?

#Health and Wellness

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