19 articles in the test

Only one lip care product is completely convincing

Not a single lip balm can be used up at least almost completely. This means that none of the test products met the guidelines of the Austrian Ecolabel.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/puhhha - stock.adobe.com)

Lip care products are now in high season because the cold and heating air dry out the lips. Unfortunately, most products are average, only one was completely convincing.

The Association for Consumer Information (VKI) tested 19 lip care products without mineral oil in terms of moisturizing, application, skin feel and environmental properties.

The products tested were "classic" products without flavor, which generally do not have UV protection. Only one product was really convincing in terms of moisturizing. However, as there were compromises in the environmental properties and the declaration, this lip care product also only achieved a "good" overall result. A further four products also received a "good" and 14 an "average". Another important criterion was applicability. Here, four products received a "very good" partial rating.

(Bild: konsument.at/test)

"Legally, it is okay not to list such additives if they have a function other than pure perfuming - for example, a skin-caring character," says VKI project manager Birgit Schiller. However, it is more difficult for allergy sufferers to avoid fragrances.

Too much packaging material
As with many other cosmetics, the consumption of packaging materials is high. The primary packaging of all the pencils is made of plastic, and none of them had any indication of recycled material. Almost all manufacturers put them in additional cardboard or plastic packaging, only five products manage without it.

And not a single lip balm could be used up at least almost completely. This means that none of the test products met the guidelines of the Austrian Ecolabel, which stipulate that at least 90 percent of the product must be used up.