Trying to alter Lip Balm to be Allergy-Free

[photoshadows]

I have a lip balm recipe that I really like, but I'm trying to make an Allergy-Free version. My current recipe consists of Avocado Oil, Jojoba Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil (want to avoid this), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Wheat Germ Oil (want to avoid this too), Shea Butter and Candililla Wax (I'm trying to avoid Beeswax to keep it "Cruelty-Free").

I guess my first question, is Candililla Wax technically "Cruelty-Free?" I read somewhere that it's basically made from bug excrement on leaves. Has anyone else heard this? And does that exclude it from being "Cruelty-Free?" If so, what might be a good replacement that's "cruelty-Free" and not a common allergen? I'm not trying to start a discussion on what is and is not "cruelty-free," but if anyone feels it's necessary, go for it.

Now for the oils:
I was thinking of trying a recipe with Avocado, Jojoba, Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Shea Butter and Vitamin E with Rice Bran and Virgin Coconut Oils in place of the Macadamia Nut and Wheat Germ Oils. To the best of my knowledge, none of these new ingredients are common allergens, but am I correct in this? Secondly, does anyone have any thoughts about oils that might be better replacements than Rice Bran and Virgin Coconut Oils?

Any thoughts on either issue would be greatly appreciated!

-Christine

 

[carebear]

and does that exclude it from being "Cruelty-Free?"

I'm not trying to start a discussion on what is and is not "cruelty-free," but if anyone feels it's necessary, go for it.

OK - these two statements are contradictory. You ask if something might be considered cruelty free and then say you don't want to discuss it... I'm more than a little confused. But to save you the angst, I suggest you research the wax on your own and it might clear things up.

People can be allergic to anything. I know a person who is allergic to rice (rare), someone else who cannot eat avocados, some who are allergic to coconut and MANY who are allergic to shea. I don't think you can create something no one could be allergic to = but if you label clearly and use good manufacturing procedures then all will be well.

 

[soapbuddy]

Truly, there is no such thing as allergy free. I bet you would find at least one person that would be allergic to at lest one of the ingredients that you mention.

 

[photoshadows]

It would appear that I was not clear enough in my original post.

I'm not trying to make a lip balm that will avoid any and all known allergens on the planet. That would be impossible and I'm well aware of that. What I should have said was that I'm trying to avoid oils from some of the most common allergens like various Nut oils and Wheat-derived oils. I know there are plenty of people allergic to plenty of different ingredients and it would be impossible to avoid every individual allergy any given person could have. The product would be clearly labeled with the ingredients in both INCI and common name formats--not that I'm even intending this for sale.

Secondly, I HAVE researched candelilla wax and have found it hard to actually learn where it comes from because most sites that I can find are selling it, not explaining its origins. I had seen that is it is a vegetable wax as I had originally thought and that's about the extent of an explaination regarding its origins that I was able to find. Since I was trying to be thorough, I kept searching for more information about its origins and had found one site that appears to incorrectly state that the wax is derived from a "scrub" which I incorrectly took to mean a bug. I have re-examined the site and decided it must be a typo for "shrub." It was presicely from the research I HAD done that I was confused since this one site apparantly has a typo. I didn't take any of the sites at face value and posed the question here because of the seeming discrepency I'd found and I thought someone might be kind enough to clarify my confusion.

As far as the "cruelty-free" issue, I have no problem discussing the topic. I was simply wondering if anyone knew if this type of wax was from an animal by-product or not since some would consider that cruel and others would not. It was an extention of my prior question regarding the wax's origins that I was confused about as I stated above. It would not appear to be an issue assuming my assumption about the typo is correct. All I was trying to convey was that I wasn't interested in starting a fued over the term "cruelty-free" like I see so often with the word "organic," but if someone wanted to voice their opinion on the issue then I was open to their comments.

I apologize for not being as clear as I could have been in my original post and it's unfortunate that I seem to have been misunderstood. Hopefully this clears up my original questions, though I'd be surprised if anyone tries to respond to them at this point.

 

[carebear]

It would appear that I was not clear enough in my original post.

I'm not trying to make a lip balm that will avoid any and all known allergens on the planet.

Aaaa well - it was probably the the

I have a lip balm recipe that I really like, but I'm trying to make an Allergy-Free version.

that threw us off, I guess.

though I'd be surprised if anyone tries to respond to them at this point.

self fulfilling prophecy.

(oh, and scrub was likely not a typo: http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Ecosystems/Scrub/scrub.html )