What's In My Jar
Ethique Lip balm
Ethique

Ethique Lip balm

Efficacy37/100IrritancyLow
See all ingredients
Edit

Works for

1 of 2 advertised claims delivered

Moisturizing
Ricinus communis seed oil, Caprylic/capric triglyceride + 4 more
Good evidence
What the product description says
“formulated to nourish and hydrate your lips with castor, jojoba and moringa oils and a good dollop of cocoa butter.”
Source: Sephora UK

This product can help soften the skin and reduce its moisture loss with emollients and occlusives: caprylic/capric triglyceride, ricinus communis seed oil.

Keep in mind that this product does not contain effective ingredients to attract water to the upper layer of the skin. This is why an additional product with humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid can be helpful (apply it before this product for the best results).

Ricinus communis seed oilKey active· Emollient, OcclusiveEffect: HighA plant oil that can help soften the skin. It might be helpful in calming down inflammation, but solid research is lacking. Is often used in lip products to create the needed product consistency~4–6.1%
Caprylic/capric triglycerideKey active· Emollient, OcclusiveEffect: HighA good mix of fatty acids that forms a protective layer on the skin. Improves the shelf life of products. Derived from coconut and glycerin~23–35%
Theobroma cacao seed butterKey active· EmollientEffect: HighHelps soften the upper layer of the skin and can be helpful in restoring the skin barrier function. Might have some anti-oxidant effect~4.9–7.4%
Simmondsia chinensis seed oilKey active· Emollient, OcclusiveEffect: HighSoftens the upper layer of skin and helps restore the healthy skin barrier. Has shown to help calm down inflammation in skin. It is a stable oil, meaning that it retains its properties even when exposed to air.~2.9–4.3%
Moringa oleifera seed oil· EmollientEffect: LowA plant oil that helps soften the upper layer of the skin. Is unlikely to be helpful in restoring skin barrier function due to the low content of linoleic acid~1.4–2.1%
Stearic acid· EmollientEffect: LowHelps oil and water mix together and works as an emollient~1.6–2.4%
Anti-aging
No ingredient credited for this claim
No evidence

Effective ingredients missing or their concentration is too low.

Can it cause trouble?

Irritancy
4 flagged ingredients
Low risk
We flag 4 ingredients with irritancy potential; the product's overall irritancy is low. The table lists each ingredient's own rating.
IngredientFunctionIrritationEst. amount
Caprylic/capric triglycerideA good mix of fatty acids that forms a protective layer on the skin. Improves the shelf life of products. Derived from coconut and glycerinMedium~23–35%est.
Ricinus communis seed oilA plant oil that can help soften the skin. It might be helpful in calming down inflammation, but solid research is lacking. Is often used in lip products to create the needed product consistencyMedium~4–6.1%est.
Simmondsia chinensis seed oilSoftens the upper layer of skin and helps restore the healthy skin barrier. Has shown to help calm down inflammation in skin. It is a stable oil, meaning that it retains its properties even when exposed to air.Medium~2.9–4.3%est.
Moringa oleifera seed oilA plant oil that helps soften the upper layer of the skin. Is unlikely to be helpful in restoring skin barrier function due to the low content of linoleic acidMedium~1.4–2.1%est.
Comedogenic
1 ingredient rated 2 or more on the 0–5 pore-clogging scale
1 flagged
These ingredients have a comedogenic rating of 2 or more on a 0–5 scale; the table shows each one's rating. In leave-on products they can clog pores in acne-prone skin.
IngredientFunctionRatingEst. amount
Theobroma cacao seed butterHelps soften the upper layer of the skin and can be helpful in restoring the skin barrier function. Might have some anti-oxidant effect3/5~4.9–7.4%est.
Edit

User reviews

Would you recommend?
No community reviews yet.

Be the first — your take helps the next person decide.

Write a review · ~30s

Ingredients

Filter by role to see what each ingredient is doing.

Caprylic/capric triglyceride~23–35%
Key activeIrritant · medium
Irritation risk
Medium
Works for
Moisturizing

A good mix of fatty acids that forms a protective layer on the skin. Improves the shelf life of products. Derived from coconut and glycerin

More about Caprylic/capric triglyceride
Euphorbia cerifera wax~13–19%
Formula
Irritation risk
Low
More about Euphorbia cerifera wax
Theobroma cacao seed butter~4.9–7.4%
Key activeComedogenic 3/5
Irritation risk
Low
Comedogenicity
3/5
Works for
MoisturizingAnti-oxidationAnti-dandruff

Helps soften the upper layer of the skin and can be helpful in restoring the skin barrier function. Might have some anti-oxidant effect

More about Theobroma cacao seed butter
Communis ricinus
Not recognized
Ricinus communis seed oil~4–6.1%
Key activeIrritant · medium
Irritation risk
Medium
Works for
MoisturizingAnti-inflammatory

A plant oil that can help soften the skin. It might be helpful in calming down inflammation, but solid research is lacking. Is often used in lip products to create the needed product consistency

More about Ricinus communis seed oil
Simmondsia chinensis seed oil~2.9–4.3%
Key activeIrritant · medium
Irritation risk
Medium
Works for
Moisturizing

Softens the upper layer of skin and helps restore the healthy skin barrier. Has shown to help calm down inflammation in skin. It is a stable oil, meaning that it retains its properties even when exposed to air.

More about Simmondsia chinensis seed oil
Stearic acid~1.6–2.4%
Formula
Irritation risk
Low
Works for
CleansingMoisturizing

Helps oil and water mix together and works as an emollient

More about Stearic acid
Moringa oleifera seed oil~1.4–2.1%
Irritant · medium
Irritation risk
Medium
Works for
Moisturizing

A plant oil that helps soften the upper layer of the skin. Is unlikely to be helpful in restoring skin barrier function due to the low content of linoleic acid

More about Moringa oleifera seed oil
Ingredient list view

Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Euphorbia cerifera wax, Theobroma cacao seed butter, Unknown, Ricinus communis seed oil, Simmondsia chinensis seed oil, Stearic acid, Moringa oleifera seed oil

Compare prices

Retailers ranked by price — lowest first.

Amazon USPrice as of 10/30/2026 06:36 GMT
$13.50
Buy

Affiliate links · prices updated regularly · As an Amazon Associate, WIMJ earns from qualifying purchases.

Cheaper alternatives? See how this stacks up against similar formulas.
We compare ingredient profiles across our catalog — pick the closest match for your budget.
Open dupe finder

Sources cited in this review

Every concentration estimate and effectiveness label is anchored to one of these 6 studies and safety reviews.

  1. 1
    Cocoa polyphenols and their influence on parameters involved in ex vivo skin restructuringncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. 2
    Final report on the safety assessment of Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Glyceryl Ricinoleate SE, Ricinoleic Acid, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Zinc Ricinoleate, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Ethyl Ricinoleate, Glycol Ricinoleate, Isopropyl Ricinoleate, Methyl Ricinoleate, and Octyldodecyl Ricinoleatencbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. 3
    Castor Oil: Properties, Uses, and Optimization of Processing Parameters in Commercial Productionncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. 4
    Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammationncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. 5
    Moringa oleifera seed oil: Composition, nutritional aspects and health attributesresearchgate.net
  6. 6
    Moringa oleifera Seeds and Oil: Characteristics and Uses for Human Healthncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Ethique Lip balm
EthiqueLip balm
Buy on Amazon$13.50 · as of 10/30 06:36 GMT

Affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate, WIMJ earns from qualifying purchases.

Buy on Amazon$13.50 · as of 10/30 06:36 GMT

As an Amazon Associate, WIMJ earns from qualifying purchases.