Lip Care During Chemotherapy

Dry, tight, splitting lips are one of the more common side effects of cancer treatment and one of the least talked about. Chemotherapy, radiation to the head or neck, and a long list of supportive medications can all cut down saliva and dry out the thin skin on the lips. Some people get through treatment with mild chapping. Others deal with cracks at the corners of the mouth and lips that stay raw for weeks.

This page covers what to look for in a lip balm during treatment and what to steer clear of. It is general information, not medical advice, and lip balm is not a treatment for anything. Your oncology team knows your situation. Ask them first.

Talk to your care team before you use anything

If your lips are already cracked or bleeding, or you have sores inside your mouth, stop and speak to your nurse or oncologist before putting any product on them. Broken skin during treatment is not a cosmetic problem. Your team may want you on a specific ointment, and some products need to be timed around radiation sessions or wiped off beforehand.

This matters most if you are having radiotherapy to the head or neck, or using oxygen therapy.

Why petroleum-free matters more during treatment

Most drugstore lip balms are built on petrolatum, mineral oil, or paraffin. On healthy lips that is mostly down to preference. During cancer treatment it can matter more.

Macmillan Cancer Support advises against petroleum-based products such as Vaseline for anyone having radiotherapy or using oxygen therapy. Petroleum sits on the surface instead of soaking in. It seals the skin, which holds moisture in but also keeps it out, and a sealed layer over damaged skin can trap bacteria at a point when your immune system is already under strain.

If you are not sure whether this applies to you, your radiotherapy team will know. Many hand out written guidance on skin and mouth care at the start of treatment.

What tends to help

Guidance from cancer support organizations and oncology nursing sources tends to point toward simple, unscented balms built on plant oils and waxes. The ingredients that come up repeatedly are beeswax, which forms a breathable barrier rather than a seal, shea and cocoa butter, plant oils such as sweet almond, sunflower, coconut, and jojoba, and vitamin E.

Apply more often than feels necessary. Put a thicker layer on before bed, since overnight is when lips have the best chance to recover and also when people tend to wake up with the worst cracking.

What to avoid

Petroleum, as above, particularly during radiotherapy or oxygen therapy.

Strong mint, peppermint, menthol, and camphor. These give a cooling tingle that feels like it is doing something. On sore or broken lips it usually just stings. Guidance for people in treatment tends to steer away from them and toward milder options like vanilla, or gentle citrus if you want any flavor at all.

Artificial fragrance and flavoring, which are a common source of irritation on skin that is already sensitive.

Products containing alcohol, along with strongly flavored mouthwashes, which dry the mouth further.

Which of our balms are gentlest

We make seven flavors and we would not recommend all of them during treatment.

Two contain no essential oils at all. Chocolate Ganache gets its flavor from unrefined cocoa butter, and French Vanilla from vanilla extract. Both are built on sweet almond oil, beeswax, vitamin E, and apricot kernel oil, with no petroleum, artificial flavor, or synthetic fragrance. If you want the mildest thing we make, start with one of those.

Our Fresh Mint and Lemon Mint balms use peppermint and lemon essential oils. They are two of our most popular, but based on the guidance above we would not suggest them for lips that are already sore or broken.

Every balm we make is handmade in small batches and free of petroleum. Full ingredient lists are on each product page.

Where this came from

Lip Ganache started because family members going through medical treatment could not find a lip balm that was gentle and still worked. That is why the recipe has never included petroleum or synthetic flavoring.

We are not a medical company and our balms are cosmetics, not treatments. If something hurts, or your lips are not getting better, tell your care team.