Production and Analysis of Lip Balm using Herbal Resources

Lip care products are an integral part of a day-to-day lifestyle. These impart the colour and protect the lips from the external environment. The major function of lip balm is to protect and moisturize the lips. A variety of lip care products are available in the market. The main concern with this product is that these contain synthetic colourant and flavouring agents that may have adverse effects such as darkening of lips. Besides, these may contain heavy metals that adversely affect various body organs. The current research work deals with preparation lip balm by using maximum possible natural ingredients and evaluation of the formulation. Various natural ingredients used were beetroot extract, Cocoa powder, Almond oil and Vitamin E. The physicochemical properties such as colour, odour, consistency, spreadability, melting point, pH and stability were studied. It was found that the formulation possesses red colour due to the addition of beetroot pigments, it had a typical flavour of cocoa powder, uniform in consistency and good spreadability. The melting point and pH of formulation were found to be 58-60°C ± 0.62 and 6.9 ± 0.25 respectively. The stability study indicated that formulation is stable at room temperature and refrigeration temperature. It can be concluded that lip balm formulation was successfully prepared by using these natural additives and better alternatives to synthetic excipients.