Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The main problem with this product is that it is overpriced and completely unnecessary. Lip exfoliation is one of the simplest, most inexpensive beauty routines one can engage in at home because it only requires two basic ingredients that virtually every household has on hand: sugar and oil. Specifically, all that is required to exfoliate the lips is a tiny amount of granular sugar, either white table sugar (sucrose as in this product), brown sugar, raw sugar, or sugar alcohol such as xylitol. Add to that an equal amount of any food-grade oil you have on hand in the house, for example: olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, or coconut oil. One-fourth teaspoon each of granular sugar and oil is enough to do both lips. The instructions for do-it-yourself exfoliation are as follows: In a small bowl or saucer, measure out one-fourth teaspoon of granular sugar. On top of it put an equal amount of oil. Wash your hands and dry them thoroughly. Blend the sugar and oil together with the tip of your finger. Rub the sugar-oil mixture onto your lips in a circular motion for two-five minutes. Gently scrub off the mixture with a clean, damp washcloth to remove not only the sugar and oil, but any loosened, dead skin. If flaking, dead skin still remains on your lips, rub more of the sugar-oil mixture onto your lips and repeat the above process. After you are finished, immediately moisturize your lips, ideally with a natural, food-grade oil or a lip balm made with an oil-beeswax mixture, since anything that goes on the lips ultimately ends up in the mouth and stomach. The second problem with this product is that even though the container looks small, there is enough of this product to last a very long time. And while it is sitting on your bathroom shelf, it is slowly drying out. Within six months to a year, long before you've used more than a fraction of it, this product will deteriorate into a hard, unusable lump (not to mention that most cosmetics companies recommend throwing out their products anyway within six to nine months because of inevitable bacteria buildup). If you make your own sugar-oil mixture each time you need it, nothing is wasted, and it is always fresh, with a smooth, viscous consistency that glides onto your lips. The third problem with this product is that, though some of the ingredients are natural and food-grade, others are not. The ingredients for this product include: "Sucrose, Petrolatum, Flavor, Caramel, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, VitiVinifera (Grape) Seed Oil." Below is a description of each ingredient. The most problematic one is petrolatum. It is too bad that the makers of this product didn't just stick to grapeseed oil, which is a natural, healthy oil. Sucrose is simple white/table sugar. Petrolatum: This lab-derived substance has been around since 1859 when chemist Robert Chesebrough developed a method of purifying a black gel that clogged oil rigs called "rod wax." This is a very thick substance which is anything but ideal for exfoliating the skin. Flavor: It is not specified whether this is "artificial" or "natural" flavor. Artificial flavor is derived from non-food substances, that is, chemicals created in a lab. Natural flavor is derived from a real food, but the process by which it is derived is unexplained. In both cases, there is no way to know how safe or healthy the flavoring is. Caramel: This is sugar or syrup heated until it turns brown. It can either be used as a coloring agent or to impart flavor. Jojoba oil is a natural plant oil. It is created from the liquid wax of the seed of the jojoba plant, a shrub which is native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico. It's much healthier than petrolatum, but it contains 14% erucic acid, which is not recommended to be taken internally. Grapeseed oil is a natural oil derived from the seeds of grape. It contains vitamin E and antioxidants.