What is a Balm?


A balm is a combination of butters, oils and waxes used in skincare as the base to which essential oils or other active ingredients are added. Creams have similar ingredients, however, they also contain water. This means that they need preservatives as an anti-microbial to avoid the cream from going off, unlike balms, which do not contain water.

The Fantastic Five

Our balm base is made from 5 ingredients, each one of them good for your skin:

The first is organic Shea Butter. Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). Raw Shea butter is yellow in color, which becomes white when refined. The large amount of natural vitamins and fatty acids in Shea butter make it incredibly nourishing for your skin.

The second is Beeswax. Beeswax forms a protective barrier that helps protect skin while holding in moisture and reducing dryness. Beeswax is also a natural humectant, which means that it “attracts” moisture.

The third ingredient is Calendula oil. Calendula oil helps dry or damaged skin and promotes regeneration of the skin thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. 

Fourth on the list is Sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is high in Vitamin E, A, C and D and is so gentle it is often used on babies. You can even apply it directly to your face as an antioxidant face oil before putting it on your salad!.

Last, but certainly not least, is Jojoba oilJojoba oil is full of vitamin E and has antibacterial properties and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, soothing the irritated skin and skin suffering from acne.

Creams vs Balms

You might find the texture of Balm Balm a little unusual to begin with. Face creams usually have water in them. Water is fine, but in order to preserve a product that contains water, chemical preservatives are needed. We haven't used any water which means that we don't have to use any chemicals! This means that all our products are natural and therefore really good for you. The absence of water results in a ‘balm' like texture, thus the name Balm Balm. We simply tweak the ratio of waxes to oils to make our products ‘harder' for our Lip Balms or ‘softer' for our Face Balms.

Keep Cool!

To prolong the life of your Balm Balms, simply keep them cool. They will melt at approximately 32 degrees but don't worry, just pop them in the fridge and they will soon harden up again.

Gritty is good!

Once you've hardened up your Balm Balm it may be a little gritty. This is because it has hardened up too quickly but it is not a problem at all. In fact, it is a nice texture which melts away quickly. It is simply due to the lack of nasty chemical emulsifiers so enjoy the grittiness, knowing that it is Balm Balm's little way of reminding you it is completely natural!

Shop for Balms here: Balms