From Beeswax to Zarbi: The Surprisingly Juicy History of Lip Balm

From Beeswax to Zarbi: The Surprisingly Juicy History of Lip Balm

Let’s get one thing straight: dry lips have never been cute. Whether you’re swiping right, sipping iced oat lattes, or just trying to survive winter, lip balm is a non-negotiable. But have you ever wondered where this pocket essential actually came from? 

Grab your fave Zarbi vegan lip balm, and let’s take a scroll through history.

  • Ancient Times: When Lip Care Was Kinda a Thing

Long before your fave influencers were doing “Get Ready With Me” routines, ancient civilizations were all about natural beauty hacks. Egyptians reportedly used beeswax and oils to protect their lips from the scorching sun. Cleopatra may have been the OG clean beauty queen, using crushed insects (ew, but iconic?) to tint her lips.

Spoiler: Not vegan. Not cute.

Illustration of Cleopatra with vibrant Egyptian headdress, symbolizing the origins of lip balm in ancient beauty traditions.

  • 1800s: The First Official Lip Balm

Enter the 1880s. A guy named Dr. Charles Browne Fleet (yes, that’s a real name) decided people deserved better than cracked lips and sad smooches. He created the first commercial lip balm—and honestly? It looked like a candle wrapped in tin foil. Function over fashion, right?

But hey, he paved the way for what would become a lip care revolution.

Close-up of vintage chapstick tin labelled "Fleet's Chap Stick" with black and cream lid.

  • 1900s: Lip Balm Goes Mainstream

By the 1930s, brands started popping off. Think: ChapStick, Vaseline, Carmex. Suddenly, lip balm was a thing. But the ingredients? A lot of petrolatum, artificial fragrances, and sketchy stuff we can’t even pronounce.

This era was peak “slap some wax on it and hope for the best.”

Black-and-white chapstick Olympic ad featuring skier in goggles with tagline about US Olympic teams.

  • 2000s: The Rise of Natural & Vegan Lip Balm

Fast forward to the clean beauty movement. People finally started checking ingredient lists—and the truth wasn’t pretty. Animal byproducts, synthetic dyes, mystery “fragrance”… all of it got a well-deserved side-eye.

Enter: Zarbi vegan lip balm

Retro Bonne Bell lip smackers ad with colorful tubes labelled with soda and candy flavors like Dr Pepper and Bubble Gum.

  • Zarbi: The Modern Lip Balm Glow-Up

Zarbi is what happens when you take everything good about lip balm (moisture, softness, kissability) and leave behind everything you don’t (animal ingredients, harsh chemicals, overpowering scents).

  1. Clean ingredients you can pronounce
  2. 100% vegan and cruelty-free
  3. Subtle, natural scents (no synthetic perfume clouds)
  4. Deep hydration without the waxy film

It’s like your lips went to therapy, yoga, and a facial—and came back emotionally available.

Hand holding four Zarbi lip balm tubes with colorful patterned caps, against a blurred ocean background.

 

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*Disclaimer: This blog is for funsies and info only. Not medical advice, okay? Okay.

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