**THIS POST WAS UPDATED ON 5/16**
I’m giddy to announce the addition of health and beauty reviews to Celiac and the Beast. Not that long ago, I made a promise to myself that I would start being careful with my health and beauty regimen after I realized that all of my products in my shower had wheat in them…two years after going gluten-free. How did I not know?!? So, I went on an overhaul in my bathroom, which included cosmetics, and that’s what brought me here today.
I couldn’t be more stoked that we start this review section with EOS (evolution of smooth) and some new lip balms that bring a smile to my face! Blog discretion time – I purchased one EOS (the Summer Fruit flavor), but their awesome PR firm sent me 4 other flavors to review for this blog.
I first purchased EOS at CVS when I saw the giant “gluten free” copy on the packaging. Again, being in marketing, I’m a sucker for good marketing – and that phrase always wins me over. It was in this incredibly interesting bouncy ball slash Easter egg-like package. When I first bought it, Non-GFBF was very concerned that I took up a pacifier habit. He saw me holding the red sphere up to my mouth and wondered what the hell I bought. When I explained to him the concept, he was also intrigued by the packaging. It’s a “soft touch” packaging, which makes it easy and comfortable to hold. The packaging is also recyclable (so says the fact sheet, but I don’t see a recycle symbol on the package, maybe someone can help me out?). The point of the sphere all about hygiene – it’s more hygienic than sticking your dirty finger into a lip balm pot and spreading it all over your lips!So, although it may be weird, it’s for a cause. The packaging colors are so much fun – perfect for spring and summer. I wish these would have come in my Easter basket!The only beef I have with this packaging is that it makes it hard to fit in small purses!
EOS organic lip balm is also USDA-certified organic (with 95% organic ingredients) and 100% natural (for the Summer Fruit, Strawberry Sorbet, Honeysuckle Honeydew, and Sweet Mint). It’s free of paraben and petrolatum and (obviously) free of gluten. The major ingredients that make EOS so soft and so forgiving on your lips are jojoba oil, shea butter, and vitamin E. Unlike some cheaper lip balm products, these left my lips feeling soft and moisturized. My lips are always super dry living in the desert, and I am always on a search to find the next lip moisturizer – and I think I’ve found a great everyday non-tinted balm in EOS.
My favorite is Summer Fruit (the red packaging). It has blueberry, strawberry, and peach fruit extract in it. It is the most tart and flavorful of all of the EOS smooth spheres that I tried. Not that the other flavors aren’t good, this one just had the most intense flavor. It’s not fake and intense like the cheap lip balms we bought as a kid (there’s no Dr. Pepper flavor lip balm here). I use mine several times a day.
Honeysuckle Honeydew (the light green packaging) is a very close second. It tastes just like a fresh honeydew melon – and as we all know from The Simpsons “honeydew is the money melon.” It’s a fresh flavor that’s not too overpowering. It has honeydew seed extract and honeysuckle flower extract. In my “I wonder if my boyfriend can guess the flavor” test, he guessed this one correctly as melon.
Sweet Mint (the light blue packaging) is pretty fantastic – and it tingles! I think it’s the peppermint oil in this one that makes it different from the rest. It makes for a very fresh flavor – perfect for summer. Non-GFBF liked this one the best. It has an easily-identifiable minty smell/taste.
Like the honeydew flavor, Strawberry Sorbet (the light pink packaging) is a soft flavor, faint and not overpowering. It’s perfect to get a subtle smell of strawberries – reminds me so much of summer!It has strawberry fruit extract in it that gives it the taste and smell. However, the Non-GFBF couldn’t guess what flavor it was based on scent alone. He said it smelled like plastic – like a Strawberry Shortcake doll (why does he know that!?!). I like it, but I like the Summer Fruit flavor over this.
So Lemon Drop (the light yellow packaging) is interesting. It tastes like a lemon drop cookie – which is not my thing. I’m not sure I’m a big lemon in anything except my water. I also think it has a little bit of a funky lemon aftertaste. This is my least favorite of the flavors I listed, but it’s the only new flavor that is SPF 15 – a very very important trait of a lip balm in the desert! Non-GFBF really likes lemon and liked this scent a lot, he might be taking this with him on his mountain biking rides!
The only one I didn’t get to sample is their Medicated Tangerine (that comes in an orange package) that contains vitamins ans zinc. It sounds really interesting. I like that they’re changing it up with SPF and Zinc-enhanced flavors.
And if you need another reason to buy EOS, it’s also not tested on animals! You can find these for an MSRP of $3.29 at many major retailers – Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Duane Reade and on their website, along with drugstore.com. Happy lip balming and make sure those kisses are all gluten-free!
I love the EOS balms! My fave is the summer fruit, as well. I used to be a Chapstick junkie, but I fell for the gluten-free claim on the package and I haven’t looked back:)
I love falling for gluten-free claims! 🙂 After reading all about them, I’m sold on organic and natural products and gluten free! 🙂
Chris bought the Summer Fruit one months ago, and I always steal it! It just sits in his car… I think it should live in my purse instead! It’s so yummy! Had no idea it was gluten-free. “The more you know…” 🙂
Yahoo! I have twin girls with Celiac…and I’m a tbd Celiac. I felt horrible throwing out all their play makeup–but I had to do it! A 5 year old puts on makeup generously and everywhere–usually when I’m not looking. I went out and bought all new adult, GF makeup for them and spent a LOT of money so they wouldn’t feel like being GF was so horrible. Glad to read the start of your reviews here! And, please tell the manufacturers to do a line of GF kids makeup!!! 🙂
How much fun! Glad you bought them GF makeup – nice job! These are great products, and I think they’d be super fun for kids to carry around little balls of lipgloss that’s safe for them!
How do you get free samples???
I only had them because I was blogging about them! I just buy them at Target or CVS – so easy and pretty cheap too 🙂
I love EOS balms! I’m not GF but the design of these balms is what got me interested. I have the mint one and it works well, is uber fun to apply, and locks closed. I’ll keep purchasing for sure!
Oh what a relief it is!!!! 🙂
I question the comment that they do not test on animals. I did read a statement provided by the supplier that they are made in China and animal testing is mandatory. This is concerning.
You need to amend the part where you stay EOS is cruelty free. It is not. They sell their products in China, where it is required that products be ested on animals. If they were committed to making cruelty free products, they would not sell them in China.
This lip balm makes my lips peel. Until they disclose the tocopherol source (which is normally sourced from wheat) Im staying away.
Zoei, both my dauther and myself both use EOS because it’s the only balm that doesn’t make our lips peel. That’s why I am elated to find this blog and see it’s gluten free. I’m curious what doesn’t make your lips peel? I’d love a second option.
carol