End Chapped Lips Forever

In the summer of 2018 we launched our cult-favorite Paris Water Balm. Now that this amazing balm turned three, we thought it would be fun to share a behind the scenes look at the making of what really is the best lip balm  and remedy for chapped dry lips ever. 

Why we decided to make the world’s best lip balm

The idea for the Water Balm came from an honest frustration with the status quo. We were super hydrated people but still experienced chapped lips and wanted to find the best treatment for dry lips.  Tal tried every balm and treatment on the market. The cute new brands, the tried and trues, natural brands, French pharmacy finds, legacy brands, drugstore scores and the most expensive luxury lip products in the world. All of it. 

What we wanted and couldn’t find was a lip product that was extremely hydrating, moisturizing, protecting, nourishing and that actually improved the quality and condition of our lips all at once. We wanted luxury. And we wanted it to make us look very “off duty model.” We didn’t want it to have ingredients known to harm the earth or our bodies.  It also had to work–in the short term and in the long term. After a while it became clear that if we wanted all of that in one product we had to make it ourselves. And if we made it ourselves it had to be life-changing.

We also thought it would be so cool if we could engineer a way to connect this lip balm to your bkr. We knew that this would be an amazing surprise for the ultimate bkr girl––to have her two most essential items - water and lip balm - together.  We wanted the balm to be separate from the cap component so the cap would be dishwasher safe and the balm would be slender and easy to slip in a bag or a pocket without bulk.

How we made the balm

Once we decided to make this magic lip balm ourselves we started talking to formulators all over the world. Many wanted to copy what was already out there or hand us a developed product and just add the bkr name.  But anyone who knows us knows that is not how we do things. We wanted to create something that did not exist and was based only on our own wants and imagination. After a lot of searching we found a partner in Paris - it didn’t hurt that this meant trips to Paris would be involved- wink. 

Our partner understood that our balm had to work to the highest standard and be a pleasure to use. It also had to be made with customer wellbeing in mind and not comprised of anything harmful to humans, the earth or animals. We wanted to know and understand the purpose of each ingredient.  We wanted powerful plant actives and also the advantages of modern science. Let’s just say, we kept the chemists busy.

We worked tirelessly on every element of the formula – trading fed ex packages filled with samples of goop and traveling to Paris where we donned hair nets and booties and examined shades of the palest pinks and smelled and tried countless iterations of the balm until it was perfect.

Once we had the balm of our dreams we knew we had to make the cap to attach the balm to the bkr.  Tal was told (by top industrial engineers) that having the balm click in and out of a cap as two separate pieces was “impossible.” But we knew that it had to be two separate pieces so that the cap could be dishwasher safe and the balm could slip out and into your pocket or bag.  And anyone who knows Tal knows that “impossible” only makes her push harder.  Eventually it was a reality and our insanely functional life-altering patent-protected compact cap was bornWhy this balm is Magic

Much like the bkr itself, it is probably necessary to try the bkr Paris Water Balm to fully understand what all the fuss is about. But we can break down some of the best parts of just what makes it so mind-blowingly good.

We chose the best ingredients possible. it’s a blend of 16 thoughtfully-chosen, natural plant actives that nourish and hydrate, while four innovative, clean ingredients deliver the benefits. The balm contains Mediterranean algae which increases your own hyaluronic acid and stimulates the expression of collagen, French rose which hydrates and balances (and also smells amazing), and the bkr essential biolipid complex which softens, plumps, and prevents moisture loss. What does all this actually mean? It means it works. This magical formula can transform the most rough, chapped dry lips into the softest and most kissable lips with the prettiest sheer glow.

And being lawyers we of course have the data to back this up. We actually did clinical trials and the results blew even the formulators away: 

- 86% of users reported lips were softer, nourished, and comforted
- 90% of users reported lips were moisturized
- 100% of users reported lips were protected

We also spent a long time on the scent. Scents can be polarizing but also the most comforting thing.  We all have favorite smells that can transport us immediately to a time and place and we wanted the balm to have a scent but it had to be just right. The scent is a natural peppery French rose – the fragrance is proprietary – that’s legalese for we’re keeping it a secret butcontains fresh rose petals and ancient rose and is subtle but lovely and perfect. 

And as noted above, all of the ingredients including the fragrance have passed rigorous testing and meet the very strict European “REACH” requirements. REACH is a regulation of the European Union which works to improve the protection of human health and the environment from risks posed by chemicals. The balm is also vegan, gluten-free and cruelty-free - no other option for us.

Once we launched we knew people were going to love it but the reviews were insane:

“The ‘best’ lip balm” - the Coveteur
“Obsessed. It would be hard for me to go without it from this point on.” -Pickens_c78
“This is the greatest lip balm in existence. The work they put into it is very apparent. I cannot rave enough.” -Kaytina22
“I’m honestly shocked at how much I love this lip balm.” -Anonymous

And then the stories started to come in.  We heard from people on Accutane who explained that they had tried everything to help their dry peeling chapped lips and the only thing that helped was our balm.  We also heard from those on other meds and with other conditions that had been seeking a chapped lips remedy  that the balm was healing.  We heard that people were using the balm as an overnight mask and waking up to the softest lips.  We knew that it made our lips feel and look amazing but finding out that it was actually helping people made us so happy.And of course no information on the balm is complete without explaining just how genius it is to be able to connect the lip balm to your bkr. You know when you can’t find your lip balm and it’s at the bottom of your bag or somewhere in your glove compartment or in a bathroom drawer – well we don’t suffer this anymore because we don’t have this problem. Our balm is attached to our water bottle, in what we call a “Kiss Kit” always. It’s the best thing ever. A total game-changer. We love it for on our nightstand, when we’re schlepping all over town and of course it’s amazing for travel.

So, if you have not yet tried this insanely good ultra-hydrating glossy lip treatment and do not know what it’s like to have a lip balm water bottle….what are you waiting for? You won’t regret it and your new hydrated lips will thank you.