The AFU and Urban Legend Archive
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 carmex addiction 




     Paul Woebling, spokesman for Carma Labs, producer of Carmex, said 
     letters from users, worried about addiction, are common. "We tell 
     them we're in full compliance with the Food and Drug Administration," 
     he said.

(the rest of the article is quotes from women who think they're addicted)

From the Houston Chronicle, 12 June 1993:

I believe it is the comedian Paula Poundstone who has a routine about Carmex addicts. She jokes that there is a secret wing at the Betty Ford Clinic for such people, and that they roam the halls begging for "just one little dip" of their finger into a pot. [...]

Carmex is a cold-sore and chapped-lip salve that was invented in 1936. It is made mostly of menthol, camphor, alum and wax. As Carmex junkies know, this yellow moosh is not just another lip balm. Carmex packs a kind of rush for the kisser. Once you've felt this rush, it's impossible not to want it again. And again. And again. [...]

"The jars are kind of our trademark," said Paul Woelbing by phone from Carma Lab Inc. in Franklin, Wis.

Woelbing (pronounced WELL-bing) knows all about Carmex junkies. Every day, mail arrives at the lab from people wanting to know if there is an addictive ingredient in the stuff.

"One common suspicion is that we put a really terrible acid in it that roughs up your lips and makes you need more Carmex," he said. "But the acid we use is salicylic acid, which is aspirin. Another rumor is that we grind up fiber glass and put that in."

At 36, Woelbing is the treasurer of Carma Lab Inc. Paul's father is vice president. Paul's 92-year-old granddad - yes, the inventor of Carmex, Alfred Woelbing - is still the president, working 50 to 60 hours a week.

A practical man, Alfred Woelbing created Carmex because he had cold sores. He called the lab "Carma" because he liked the sound of the word, and "ex" was a very popular suffix then.

Never in Carmex's 57-year history have the Woelbings advertised or marketed their product - unless you count "the $ 10 a year we spend for my dad's vanity [license] plate," said Paul.

(Cites provided by Barbara Hamel)

From: rrd@fc.hp.com (Ray Depew)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Carmex Lip Balm Addiction...
Date: 16 Mar 1995 17:43:12 GMT

Bruce Tindall (tindall@mercury.interpath.net) tweaks Joel Fenton for disbelieving his roommate:

: >My roommate in college several years ago (a veritable fount of ULs)
: >claimed that Carmex
: >brand lip balm was about to be banned from the market due to
: >some kind of addictive properties, and that everyone should buy
: >it up before it was gone. I still see it for sale, so I know that
: >he was as usual misinformed,

: How does the fact that it's still on sale (now) contradict his
: assertion that it will be banned (in the future)?

Well, his roommate made the assertion several years ago, so your "in the future" should read "in the future anterior" or something like that. Where *is* Douglas Adams when we need him?

Anyway, yanking out my tube of Carmex and reading the ingredients, I find: 

     ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:  Menthol, Camphor, Alum, Salicylic Acid,
     Phenol, Fragrance, in Petrolatum, Lanolin, Cocoa Butter, Mineral
     Oil and Wax Base.

Here's how they break down. Note that these are all guesses, and I doubt that Carma Laboratories, Inc., Franklin WI 53132, will tell you exactly why they put substance X into their product.

Menthol - derived from peppermint oil. It gives a cooling sensation 

                when abosrbed through the skin.  It's the menthol that
                gives York Peppermint Patties (R) their cold rush.
                Menthol is used in over-the-counter cough and sore 
                throat medications, and in Vicks Vapo-Rub.
                In Carmex, it eases the pain associated with the 
                chapped lips.
Camphor - a terpene alcohol.  Used as "a carminative and a stimulant 
                in medicine."  (It makes you burp, then?  What for?)  
                I think camphor also has some anaesthetic properties.
Alum - it's used as an astringent, which doesn't really help us here,
                and as a styptic, which is useful if your lips are
                cracked and bleeding.
Salicylic acid - synthesized from phenol and a precursor to aspirin,
                it's also the "active ingredient" in willow tea.  
                It has medicinal properties similar to aspirin.  
                Probably included as a topical anaesthetic.
Phenol - a disinfectant, also somewhat of a topical anaesthetic.
                Used in gargles and over-the-counter cough and sore 
                throat medications.
Fragrance - to disguise the stink of all the above.  I don't know
                why they call it an "active ingredient."

Petrolatum - a.k.a. vaseline. A good lip moisturizer, but it tends 

                to wear away or get absorbed quickly.  This and the
                mineral oil make the Carmex "flow" in cold temperatures.

Lanolin - one of the best moisturizers of all time. Cocoa Butter - also one of the best moisturizers. Some women rub 

                lanolin and cocoa butter into their breasts to keep
                them ... well, I dunno, but they do.
Mineral oil - I guess it's a moisturizer.  Parents rub it all over 
                babies after the babies have been bathed.  It keeps
                the babies' bottoms as soft as ... sorry.
Wax Base - This is partly a "filler," and it's partly an extender:
                it keeps the Carmex from wearing away.  See
                the above entry on Petrolatum.  The "wax base" is
                a heavier hydrocarbon.  ChapStick lip balm is almost
                100% wax.

Theoretically, one COULD get addicted to the ingredients in Carmex. One could more easily get addicted to other over-the-counter medications such as:

I also noticed this on the label. "WARNING: Use only as directed. Apply freely to affected parts. Keep all medicine out of children's reach."

For what it's worth, Carmex is the best medicine for chapped lips in the cold, dry Colorado winters. It does tingle when you first apply it. And it sells well at ski resorts.

Regards
Ray "not afraid of chemicals" Depew


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