The word “addiction” refers to the experience of physiologically craving a substance or behavior and being physically dependent on it.
“The answer is ‘depends,’ which is unfortunately not as satisfying as using lip balm,” Vanessa Kennedy, director of psychology at Driftwood Recovery, tells
But on a basic level, the answer is no. This is because addiction usually deals with a physical dependency, and lip balm doesn’t lead to that.
Further, whether or not something is an addiction comes down to if it significantly interferes with and impairs a person’s daily life. More specifically, this might look like having problems in relationships, at work, at school, healthwise or with taking care of children because of that substance or behavior.
The people may need to use lip balm more frequently if they’ve used products that can be irritating, like ones that contain fragrances, preservatives or flavorings.
What are the signs that frequent lip balm use might be a problem?
While it’s not quite an addiction, that applying lip balm nonstop can cause stressors in a person’s life that they may want to address.
As far as physical indicators, lips that are macerated (the skin is breaking down), extra-dry, peeling, burning or have acne around them are a sign a person might be using lip balm too often
Is too much lip balm bad for the skin?
To be clear, a person can use lots of lip balm and be fine. Gordon says that usually, people can use lip balm as much as they need (or want), and it’s safe. The warning is about the kind of lip balm.
Other lip balm ingredients that can dry out the lips include phenol, menthol and salicylic acid, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
