The Good: Easy to apply, Does not leave color residue, Offers basic protection!
The Bad: Offers very limited protection, Potential to melt, Relatively pricey, Waxy feel from residue, Tastes disgusting.
The Basics: While there might be an instant where this lip balm tastes like actual Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum, the Lotta Luv lip balm that bears its name is just gross!
My wife is very cool in many ways. One of them is that she tries to keep things fresh and fun between us by trying quite a few different flavored lip balms. Okay, truth be told, she takes amazingly good care of her lips whether I am around or not, so I only flatter myself to think she does it for me! Sometimes, she gets some of the trendy, fun, flavored lip balms based off of popular candies, like the Extreme Pink Lemonade Blowpop lip balm (reviewed here!). While many of them have been hits or average by my standards, every once in a while, she pulls out one that is worthy of a rightful, swift, panning. The Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit flavor lip balm falls firmly into that category.
Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit flavor lip balm comes in the standard .15 oz. tube. It is a discreet plastic tube measuring two and a half inches long by 3/8" in diameter. The lip balm it dispensed by simply removing the bright yellow cap (it pulls off easily enough) and twisting a dial on the bottom to push the remaining product up. The lip balm itself is a waxy muted yellow colored tube that is rubbed onto the lips and it offers a physical barrier to water and other damaging elements that could crack lips in winter and sunlight which could damage lips in the summer (or winter, whatwith the brightness of sunglare on snow). The product does not leave any coloring on one's lips, which is a plus. However, it does leave the sensation of the barrier that it is and the waxy feel is a definite downside.
The sunscreen properties of this Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit lip balm are more alleged than actual; I found no SPF rating on the container. Still, the lip balm actually adhered well to my lips, which cannot be said for all lip balms. And it is adequate protection when I take Myah out to the beach first thing in the morning. I have not risked having only this lip balm when it gets very sunny out; I can feel my lips drying out when that happens. Perhaps even more important, Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit lip balm only seems to combat limited amounts of cold and chapping in the winter. Tested in the rough Upstate New York winters, this lip balm does not adequately protect against chapped lips, as the physical barrier that helps to retain moisture within the lips quickly wears off.
On the flip side, this product is remarkably easy to apply. It glides on easy and creates a barrier needed to resist some of the elements. Unfortunately, in this regard comes one of the other biggest drawbacks to the product. This lip balm has a very waxy feel to it. When it is on my lips, I am very aware of its presence. Of all of the lip balms for lips that I have tried since I started kissing anyone again, this is the most waxy feeling, even more so than basic or medicated Chapstick products. It goes on feeling waxy and it feels waxy when it is on. As a result, it is easy to feel when this product has been wiped or worn thoroughly off one's lips as well.
Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit leaves no significant color on the lips when it is applied. It may feel omnipresent and thick when it is on, but it does not look yellow on one's lips (fortunately!).
On the taste front, this is just plain gross. The Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit lip balm has a strong scent of rotting peaches and bananas to it and it tastes absolutely vile. Starting with a surprisingly sour and generically fruity flavor, the lip balm rapidly transitions to a saccharin flavor. It is important to note: that’s nto saccharin-sweet, it’s just saccharin. It becomes overbearingly sweet and then dry, with a distinctly chemical taste to it. This is gross and it made me wish it were off my lips and not touching my tongue pretty much the entire time I used this!
The Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit lip balm has ingredients on the tube, so be sure to check the package before purchasing for any allergies you might have. But the primary ingredients are: oleyl alcohol, petrolatum and microcrystaline wax. This is not at all more tasty than it sounds! It is noted that it is not intended for human consumption, so don't look to this for nutrition!
It is also worth noting that this semi-expensive little lip balm is not designed for moisturizing, only protecting. As a result, while it might prevent lips from drying out or cracking a little bit in winter and summer, it will not repair damaged, cracked skin on the lips. This is a stopgap product; it prevents some damage, but will not moisturize already dried lips or heal damaged, cracked lips.
For me, the vile taste was too much and, despite the limited protection this product offers, I could not recommend the Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit lip balm!
For other lip care products, please check out my reviews of:
Strawberry Chapstick
Tootsie Roll Lip Balm
Burt's Bees Medicated Lip Balm
3.5/10
For other health and beauty products, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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