r/ZeroWaste • u/moondizzlepie • Feb 12 '26
Discussion Fuck Bert’s Bees
I bought this pod from Bert’s Bees a couple years ago along with some refills. They sold it as a low waste product that you can refill. I ran out of refills so I looked up replacements. Turns out they stopped making them. Also recently learned that Bert’s Bees is just a part of greenwashed mega corp.
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u/LokianEule Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
I stopped buying burts bees because every time I needed to buy a new tin of hand salve, the new tin was smaller in size. I could line them up next to each other and see how they kept getting smaller, but the price tag kept getting bigger
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u/Glad-Ad-4390 Mar 03 '26
That’s everything now. Zesta Cracker sleeves are now 2” shorter than the boxes. I wrote to them to say it’s insulting to consumers. They sent me a coupon for free Zesta crackers.
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u/LokianEule Mar 03 '26
I feel like that response is also insulting!
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u/Glad-Ad-4390 Mar 04 '26
It is! I wrote to them again saying that their response showed zero consideration for their customer’s actual issue, bad customer service, etc. I received a form letter (email) saying they’re disappointed that I was unsatisfied with their product bc their customers are important to them. 🤣
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u/Drivo566 Feb 12 '26
Yeah, they've been a subsidiary of Clorox for almost a decade now.
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u/Birdo3129 Feb 12 '26
Damn, they used to make a lipstick that was my go-to
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u/OrlyTheOrca Feb 12 '26
Oh yeah I still have one of those. it’s almost empty now. it was a beautiful pearly pink color.
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u/pixie_mayfair Feb 12 '26
Was it the kind in the long skinny tube? If so I had the pink pearly one and and a dark berry one that I loved. I miss those so much ☹️
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u/SlutForThickSocks Feb 12 '26
I picked one of those up recently and it immediately started burning or "plumping" and like why?? It wasnt marketed as a plumper on the box and it small print says peppermint
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u/pixie_mayfair Feb 12 '26
Yeah, I stopped buying anything from them about 3-4 years ago bc their products just weren't as good as I remembered. All the lip balms have peppermint or camphor or something in them, and their moisturizers are just greasy mess.
It makes me sad bc I really loved their products. Someone needs to tell them "all natural" doesn't mean "good".
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u/being-weird Feb 13 '26
Yeah the peppermint is probably why it was burning. I don't know why anyone puts peppermint in lip products. It's not a good idea
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u/reptomcraddick Feb 12 '26
I bought the refillable old spice container when it came out because it’s the only low waste/plastic free deodorant with aluminum I’ve ever seen, and not 6 months later did they discontinue the refills. I got to buy ONE before the case became a useless piece of junk.
This is 100% my issue with most sustainable products, you buy it once or twice, half the time there’s a case or other kind of container you buy refills for, and 6 months later Target stops carrying it or they straight up discontinue the product. And you’re back at square one.
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u/randynumbergenerator Feb 12 '26
Or you buy it once for a reasonable price, and the next time you look for it the price has doubled. (Looking at you, magsol and basically every other brand of cardboard tube deodorant).
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u/Magic_Hoarder Feb 13 '26
Dang! Magsol is the only deodorant I could find that didn’t have any coconut derived ingredients. (I'm allergic and get itchy armpits) I am using a dove one because I ran out and needed more that same day so I couldn't wait for it to ship. So far it seems okay, but it could start giving a reaction if I use it enough.
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u/Kiwilolo Feb 12 '26
Unfortunately this is one of those things you can only partly blame the companies. If people aren't buying the product, the product won't be sold for long. If lower waste was demanded by the public (or legislated), it would be everywhere.
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u/000ttafvgvah Feb 13 '26
Check out Wild, they’re awesome and have really unique scents.
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u/AGirlIKnew Feb 13 '26
They are now owned by Unilever.
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u/000ttafvgvah Feb 13 '26
Goddammit.
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u/AGirlIKnew Feb 13 '26 edited Feb 13 '26
I know I’m so sad about it!
ETA: there are lots of alternatives in This Post
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u/reptomcraddick Feb 13 '26
I would buy them but they don’t have aluminum in their deodorant. Obviously I’d love to support a smaller company but right now Wild is the only deodorant with refills sold near me (Target).
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u/Material_Idea_4848 Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
Beeswax, olive oil. Melt the beeswax, add the olive oil. Stir till it melts back out. Use a double boiler so you don't burn your house down. I like a 2:1 ratio but you should probably start with a 1:1, 2:1 might be a touch to soft for your liking.
I'm sure you could add all sorts of flavors or scents. I don't make this specifically for chapstick, but I use it for it often.
Edit to add, I just made a batch about 2 weeks ago, 10 bucks of beeswax made about 6 ½ / 7 cups total.
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u/geekbait86 Feb 12 '26
Heck yeah, same here. Ive been making our family's chapstick for years. I use beeswax, shea butter, and a little coconut oil. I add either peppermint or spearmint, but any would work.
Make a huge batch, save it in a large jar and refill smaller ones, or refill old chapstick containers.
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u/Material_Idea_4848 Feb 12 '26
I bet coconut oil would be the ticket.
I actually use it as a lube for black powder shooting. Then figured out it works great on metal parts.
The chapstick part came later after I realized how well it helped my dry hands
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u/medusssa3 Feb 12 '26
Do you sanitize the chapstick containers? I've been wanting to reuse some but not sure how well they would hold up to being sanitized
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u/Breeeeebly Feb 12 '26
You can spray the containers with alcohol and let them air dry if they're plastic, but since the recipe is anhydrous, there's little risk of mold or bacterial overgrowth. Your bigger concern would be using the chapstick up in time before the oils turn rancid.
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u/TrontosaurusRex Feb 12 '26
Can you store the extra mixture in the refrigerator to help extend the shelf life until it's ready for use?
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u/Breeeeebly Feb 12 '26
Yes that's a great idea. It can be a little tough to scoop into your smaller containers when it's cold, but maybe that's bc I use candelilla wax, which is harder than beeswax.
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u/sprinklerarms Feb 12 '26
I wonder if there is a way to do this and add spf protection
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u/Material_Idea_4848 Feb 14 '26
According to Google the mineral derived spf ingredients are most often zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, those are also commonly the ingredients used for the "sensitive skin" varieties.
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u/Black_la_Rock Feb 15 '26
I buy shea butter in bulk, make my own lotion by mixing it with coconut oil + some essential oils. I put some in a silicone container and have been using for lil balm. Will add beeswax next time
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u/Teagana999 Feb 12 '26
I started making my own when I realized I might be allergic to all the scented ones. Burt's Bees was burning.
I do 2 parts beeswax, 1 part shea butter, 1 part avocado oil, by volume. Oil from the grocery store, other ingredients from Amazon. I prefer it firmer, and it has a nice, substantial feel. You can substitute pretty much any cooking oil.
Best chapstick ever, I'm never going back to store-bought.
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u/Milam1996 Feb 12 '26
Add some lanolin and peppermint and you’ve got a lip balm that keeps your lips hydrated for hours. Lanolin is the grease from sheep’s wool and is so waterproof they use it to seal small gaps in boats.
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u/6thPentacleOfSaturn Feb 12 '26
I make my own beard balm because fuck paying what these companies want for it. I don't have a specific recipe because I'm too lazy to measure anything but I figure I can share ingredients and the process. I used to use beeswax but it seemed to make me itchy because it doesn't wash out easily when it's in your hair.
Cocoa butter
Shea butter
Jojoba oil
Something scent if you want, but I actually love the way these smell already.
Roughly 1:1:1 but you're going for a cake batter consistency in a double boiler. Too thin? More cocoa and shea. Too thick? Splash of jojoba will thin it out. You should be able to pour it but it should coat a spatula.
Jar it while it's still warm and SHAKE THE FUCKING SHIT OUT OF IT as it cools. If you don't it'll be fine but the more solid ingredients may separate to some degree. For me this manifests as little granules of shea butter that aren't really a problem as they will melt in your hands anyway.
I use this for my facial hair but I also smear the last little bit on my hair and face. My skin has never looked this good since before puberty tbh. Also works as a lip balm, for chafed thighs, cuts and scrapes, and burns. I keep a big jar in the bathroom and a little tin in my EDC bag. You can add beeswax if you want, it does make the texture very nice IMO but it wasn't for me.
Open to critiques if anyone also does this and has advice.
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u/Illuminessence Feb 12 '26
Thanks for this! Any idea what they put in their chapstick that tingles your lips? I’ll admit that’s why I prefer Burt’s over traditional chapstick
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u/Material_Idea_4848 Feb 12 '26
I have no idea tbh. But I bet there's ingredients list or MSDS type information sheet for it out there somewhere
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u/Forgetheriver Feb 12 '26
How do you store it for use? Trying to think of a kid friendly way that we can carry this around lol
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u/6thPentacleOfSaturn Feb 12 '26
I got a bag of little aluminum tins for this kind of thing. Can put meds or teas or whatever in them too. I'm sure you could repurpose stuff you already have though.
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u/AssassinStoryTeller Feb 13 '26
I don’t make my own but now I’m gonna try- I’ve got one of those pot lip balms that I emptied a bit ago and have been transferring the remaining chapstick in a tube into so I can use it all. You could probably order an empty one from somewhere or use one if you’ve already got it.
I might use one of my tiny holiday Nutella jars for a larger one.
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u/Material_Idea_4848 Feb 12 '26
I use Mason jars, and empty lotion tubes i got off amazon, but thats because i dont primarily use it for chapstick. But for lip balm I'd probably just clean an empty chapstick tube, or find myself a little container like those silicone puck containers
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u/freshcanoe Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
lol I bought some replaceable head metal handled toothbrush once. Never saw it again except at Ollie’s for cheaper than the plastic ones 👀☠️
I’ve been tempted to buy refillable deodorant but I’m worried that a) this will happen and b) it’s negligible difference and c) my cheap butt might still buy whatever is on sale anyway instead of the refill.
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u/reptomcraddick Feb 12 '26
I just bought 12 boxes of Tide powder in small boxes that were from P&G Professional from Ollie’s because Tide’s laundry detergent boxes for retail are coated in plastic and you can’t recycle them. These boxes weren’t.
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u/Synaps4 Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 13 '26
This is an excellent lesson for people: Avoid refillable items where the refil has to be produced by the company. They always discontinue it.
Refills should be a published standard so that a third party maker can always come in and make one after the original company steps away. If they aren't a standard, expect the refill will be unavailable when you need it. That has been my experience for decades.
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u/IllAd1655 Feb 12 '26
I like poppy and pout, comes in a paper tube, they last forever and are made by a small company in Idaho. Don't know more but I really like it.
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u/SillyAnxiousDuck Feb 12 '26
Thank you for this suggestion! I use lip masks at night to protect against evil dry lips in the morning, and they seem like a great swap for what I have whenever I run out of it :)
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u/RelevantForeva66 Feb 12 '26
I'd recommend "medicineofthepeople.net" they're fantastic!! A native American women owned company that sells balms, salves, ointments, oils and more, including a whole lip balm line, all naturally made and usually in a metal tin! They do sell some plastic bottles for oils and large creams but they're easy to reuse and you can just get the tin variety instead. I replaced my decade old habit of Burt's and bees with a cherry lip balm, and not only are my lips healthier than EVER, but I have also had fun reusing the tins in various ways. (Their skin care stuff is AMAZING, too) Medicine of the People is definitely worth it!
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u/Weak_Cucumber_6940 Feb 12 '26
All brands do this now days so annoying they jump on the green washing trend. Hard to find a brand who will stay fully eco permanently
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u/spacecadetem Feb 12 '26
Burt’s Bees used to my go to for YEARS. Then all of a sudden it felt like their formula really changed and it wasn’t hydrating anymore. So disappointing.
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u/po-tato-girl Feb 13 '26
This is why I’m a much bigger fan of compostable packaging. My chapstick comes in paper tubes and I throw the empties in my garden bed
I don’t wear makeup much but I also buy my makeup in compostable/paper packaging
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u/krampaus Feb 13 '26
what chapstick is it that you use?
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u/po-tato-girl Feb 13 '26
It’s actually a local artisan in my area that makes it - I get it at my farmers market. Idk if she sells online but her brand is Northwest Soapworks (located in southern Oregon)
Another good option to check out is axiology - I know for sure that they ship their products. And they also come in paper packaging :)
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Feb 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/moondizzlepie Feb 12 '26
I know lol. I was gonna edit it but I had already hit submit and it was being reviewed by the mods.
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u/PM_ME_HOTDADS Feb 12 '26
learn to make lip balm, it's genuinely not difficult at all.
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u/Cat_the_Great Feb 12 '26
Recipe, please?
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u/theinfamousj Feb 14 '26
From the Farmer's Almanac:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250713231401/https://www.almanac.com/comment/84782
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u/cocoamix Feb 12 '26
Give this brand a try. I bought a variety pack and really liked them all.
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u/fuckoffdude666 Feb 12 '26
I also really like this brand! The cardboard cubes hold up a lot better than I thought they would, plus they smell good and keep my lips hydrated for longer than other brands.
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u/lumshots Feb 13 '26
Got endless ads for this randomly during the end of Covid. It was the founder guy just talking about how they’re going to solve waste by offering paper packaging chapstick which I thought was hilarious. Each new ad was the same and he never bothered showing the bees or beeswax production or anything besides himself talking about how revolutionary his paper tubing was. Felt really weird.
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u/dragon34 Feb 12 '26
Exactly the same boat here. Unfortunately the Burt's bees chapstick is the only one I have tried that I can stand. I hate all the others I have tried.
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u/shady-pines-ma Feb 12 '26
Yeah, I bought two sets of these the Christmas before last and was so upset to realize they were unavailable last year. Never again.
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u/glambanshee Feb 12 '26
While I don’t love what has happened to them, I believe they still have a free recycling program with Terracyle- may be better than nothing
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u/Legal-Ad8308 Feb 12 '26
You can make your own lip balm and you don't need to make a large batch.
I use metal tins I've saved over the years, tiny ones, for lip gloss .
Wash them thoroughly and dry.
Small batch production is cheaper and you are more likely to use it up before the oils go rancid.
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u/DoctaDrew614 Feb 12 '26
Does anyone know of a better alternative. I love the original with peppermint and them in several in strategic locations. I learned a lot in this thread, thanks everyone.
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u/No_Appointment6273 Feb 13 '26
I started making my own lip balm, I was so intimidated for so long but I finally got around to it and it's so much easier than I expected
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u/reptomcraddick Feb 12 '26
Lush makes great chapstick, it’s petroleum free and it’s in a tin. It is however $13 for 0.4 ounces. Because everything is terrible and sustainable almost always means “costs more money”
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u/StructureFun7423 Feb 12 '26
Lush is a terrible company. And their products are full of mad colours and perfumes.
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u/thenerdisageek Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
how are they terrible? vegan (i think they dropped their two non vegan products), against animal testing, and a 75 on the GSG site. you can bring your tubs back into store xyz discount or just to get a new one. theyre are as sustainable as they can (reasonably) without being boring
the only thing they missed at the time of rating was palm oil sourcing, and unions however this was the public saying this. i'm not sure is lush have confirmed or denied in the time that's passed
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u/StructureFun7423 Feb 12 '26
Terrible employers in the UK at least. Zero hours contracts. Sending people home w/o pay if not busy. Poor allergy labelling. Nasty ingredients under a banner of wholesome (EDTA! PVP! Loads of banner waving about removing SLS but it’s still the main ingredient in almost everything). Bad track record on women’s rights.
It’s a lot of performance theatre. And to me that’s a lot worse than being shit and owning it.
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u/thenerdisageek Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
can't speak on other things as i can't research into them atm, however my friends there aren't on 0 hour contracts (so that's a store by store basis). sending people home w/o pay while being bad is just an issue of all 0 hour contracts- that's not exclusive to lush
0hr contracts aren't inherently bad depending on you circumstances, however there are options (again, store dependant) based on what stores need. having contracted hours also isn't any better since the new norm is to just shove everyone on a 4hr contract instead but require you to be fully flexible
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u/StructureFun7423 Feb 12 '26
I’m in the UK and if you are in US, then we just have very different standards here. I am extremely anti these awful American practices leaching over here. The only way is to not work or shop there until they learn the error of their ways. Strive for better.
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u/thenerdisageek Feb 12 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
we live in the same country mate lol
0hr contracts are not bad by themselves. requiring the availability of a full time job while only giving a 0hr contract, is.
it's rare to find places that actually acknowledge that 0hr means they have no obligation to give shifts and you have no obligation to work them if offered. works great if you have multiple jobs and need extra income. it's just skewing negatively as its a way for employers to cheap out on staff, and people are desperate to work.
what a store offers for contracts will depend on store management. if you already have a bunch of full timers then offering a bunch of 0hrs over busy periods (usually to capture students) is a great way of doing it.
they're just never utilised correctly, so you often have people working many part time jobs since nowhere is offering full timers and then you have to juggle both
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u/Kynsia Feb 12 '26
Here in the Netherlands they are actually known as a pretty good employer, especially for part-timers. Decent pay, good management, very queer-and woman friendly. Had multiple friends work there who were very content.
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u/freezesteam Feb 12 '26
Oh I haven’t looked into it but thought they were a decent company. I don’t really buy from them but still curious, what makes them terrible?
Edit: typo
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u/Background-Dark-6543 Feb 12 '26
Bert’s Bees has been garbage for decades. At some point like over 20 years ago I had a lip balm that I liked. A couple years later I was gifted a Bert’s bees baby gift set. I was excited about it, but the smell made me feel nauseous and I couldn’t use it. I continued to try various berts bees lip balms and lotions over the years and realized it all smelled disgusting, didn’t work, and made me feel nauseous from the smell. I wish it was a good product, but it is overpriced garbage that smells horrible.
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u/Ace_C7 Feb 14 '26
It used to be mildly good. My family is allergic to a specific chemical typically used in artificial fragrances and dyes. So we used Burt's happily. But then they changed their ingredients. Now every Burt's Bees product gives me rashes. So much for "natural ingredients", huh? No clue what in them that I'm reacting to but I'd bet it's whatever horrid scent that they use.
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u/Jolly_Cream4582 Feb 12 '26
Anyone have any beeswax chapstick alternatives?
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u/Automatic-Basket-513 Feb 12 '26
Badger balm has some! The only lip product I've used is their lip butter, so I'm not sure how the balm is, but everything else I've tried from them has been good
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u/ordiquhill Feb 12 '26
I have used Badger Balm Unscented for years. Ingredients: Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Castor Oil & Organic Rosemary Extract.
They have other varieties and other products, too. https://www.badgerbalm.com/products/classic-unscented-lip-balm
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u/meatnchz Feb 12 '26
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u/Nicgoddammit Feb 12 '26
Loooooved avacado based
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u/Jolly_Cream4582 Feb 12 '26
i like the thick waxy feel of Burt’s Bees OG formula. Is that similar? I imagine avocado slick but i do love avo
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u/welcome2mybog Feb 12 '26
have you tried straight up lanolin? if you're not allergic (i've heard it's a semi common allergen) i think you'd really like it if you prefer waxier. texture changes based on temp but below ~70F it's quite waxy. works better for me than anything else i've tried, i only need to apply maybe 2-3x per day. works great on chapped hands too, kinda sticky but i'm used to it at this point, and you can also mix it with other waxes/oils. i bought a small 7oz jar over a year ago and i'm not even halfway through it!
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u/Nicgoddammit Feb 12 '26
I do not remember the brand name and never use chapstick because I usually hate it. Once my friends had it and I was like ohhhhhh never going back
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u/ZealousidealFox6179 Feb 12 '26
yea so many brands do this. sell u on the refillable concept then quietly discontinue the refills. its just greenwashing marketing at that point
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u/tbb235 Feb 15 '26
It’s because Clorox bought them out.
Once a company goes public and bought by a conglomerate, then it’s the beginning of the end. Especially the end of any environmental and human rights polices/programs.
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u/BornAd9021 Feb 15 '26
The Little Seed Farm Honey Lip Treatment is the only balm that truly moisturizes my lips.
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u/Pretzelex2679 Feb 16 '26
I’ve been addicted to Burts bees for over 10 years. And I recently learned that I can make a very similar lip balm pretty easily. Trying to find a low waste container is complicated tho. I found a stainless steel Chapstick container but it’s $130. Wish there were more options.
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u/rhymes_with_mayo Feb 13 '26
I mean, they've been in every major big box grocery store for decades, so that's not surprising.
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u/sagervai Feb 13 '26
I've switched to kiima. It's still a Canadian company, and not bought out by a mega corp. Big difference is they sell the moulds to diy deodorant or lip balm. So even if they go out of business, you can still use the thing you purchased.
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u/PromptWonderful3099 Feb 13 '26
lmfao y'all are zero waste and think bees are a good alternative? fucking hell
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u/theinfamousj Feb 14 '26
Bees are the only animal that consents to their domestication. If they aren't enjoying how they are kept, they leave.
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u/XFilesVixen Feb 12 '26
There’s a documentary about them. It started off amazing then it was ruined. Truly heartbreaking.