Why Waxelene?

When I heard about this petroleum jelly alternative, I was instantly curious.  Vaseline and Aquaphor are so commonly used that I don’t see all-natural substitutes all that often (or ever, come to think of it).  Personally, I have no problem with petroleum, although I do find that it dries my lips out if I use pure petroleum jelly for over a week.  So given the chance, I was eager to see if Waxelene would beat out Vaseline (notice the clever play on words there.  It makes me chuckle gleefully).

While it is slightly very shallow of me to even note this, I have to say that I was instantly sucked in by its outer appearance, from the rotund little bee to the weighty glass jar.  The one unfortunate downside to the tub is that it’s neither hygienic nor convenient for me to tote this around during the day.  I might let that one pass because the bee is so darn cute.

The ingredient list is short and sweet:

As for the product inside, it’s a creamy pale yellow salve that smells lightly of beeswax and rosemary.  The texture is thinner and more densely packed than that of Vaseline.  I’ve noticed that in certain weather conditions (when it’s too hot), it feels slightly grainy on my lips, but I haven’t noticed that recently, so I’m going to chalk it up to…weirdness (good research, I know.  I’ll get back to you on that one).

Waxelene touts itself as a do-it-all product, but I probably wouldn’t use it for some of the things on that list.  For one, I’m leery of putting this on my face, and probably wouldn’t use it to style my hair either.  That’s just personal preference though, and there are many ways I do like to use this.  I’ve found Waxelene to be great for soothing dry hands, nourishing cuticles, or dabbing onto my lips.  Unlike petroleum jelly, this doesn’t dry out my lips in the long run, although it doesn’t quite moisturize my (note: extremely dry) lips well enough to make it into my HG rotation.

It’s described as non-greasy, but I actually do find that it gets greasy if I swipe too much.  The thing to keep in mind with this product: a little bit goes a long way.  A 2 oz will last forever, definitely within the recommended usage period of a year.  While the $6.99 price tag is higher than that of Vaseline, keep in mind that while the products are meant to do many of the same things, they are actually quite different.

Thumbs up for

Adorable packaging, all-natural ingredients list, and a product that doesn’t sacrifice effectiveness merely to be ‘alternative’

Thumbs down for

No major thumbs down here, although I have to say it’s not the most convenient product in its current packaging.  It would be great to see them do a tube form, or something more portable.

Final decision

I’m not a big user of Vaseline, so Waxelene hasn’t exactly replaced anything in my life.  However, I am a fan of the wholesome ingredients, and think they did a good job at making an all-natural alternative that works well.  You can buy it online here, or in-store at these locations.

~Makeup Morsels

Full Disclosure: The product in this post was submitted for review, either by a PR firm or directly from the manufacturer.  For more information, please see my disclaimer.