WORDS HATTIE PARISH
Whether it’s to combat chilly weather, provide a base before lip colour or prevent a classic pinot noir stain, we all have a few (dozen) lip balms lying around our house, office, car, handbags – the list could go on. Lip balms line the clothes shop tills, and are granted a disproportionate amount of shelf space in high-street pharmacies. The global market for lip products is set to reach £1bn and, for some companies, they are their largest money-spinners. In other words, lip balms are big business. But why do we love them so much?