Sustainable living is the dream goal, and it's up there as being of paramount importance to us — and hopefully to you too. There is a movement of change in the air to reduce the amount of plastic used in our everyday lives, from coffee cups to cotton buds, and we'd like to be part of it. That's why Valley Mist invested in biodegradable lip balm dispensers as an everyday option — and we believe we may well be the UK's first lip balm producer to do so.
Why Biodegradable Lip Balm Packaging?
We have put our money where our mouth is and invested in biodegradable packaging for our entire flagship Lip Balm Range. Every tube is designed to break down naturally over time, returning to the earth rather than sitting in landfill for centuries. It's a small change with a meaningful impact — and one we're genuinely proud of.
The biodegradable lip balm dispenser starts out looking and feeling just like a conventional push-up tube, but nestled in soil it begins to decompose within months. We've been documenting this process in our own chive plant pot — you can follow the journey on our Facebook page in the album titled "Valley Mist, let's watch it become plant food" @myvalleymistsmile.
Our Biodegradable Packaging Study
We started our ongoing observation with a sample lip balm tube placed in the Valley Mist chive plant pot. The photos below document the decomposition process over time — it might have been more ideal to begin when the weather was a little warmer to speed things up, but we're excited to watch the process unfold and share it with you.
Sourcing Biodegradable Packaging in the UK
We've made many attempts to source biodegradable packaging here in the UK. So far, we've been unable to find a manufacturer who could produce a durable and practical dispenser at a viable cost — it is a difficult and expensive product to make. The only option open to us was to import from overseas. It was important to us to make this a viable, affordable option for the British shopper, and so that's what we did.
With momentum behind this product, we hope to recontact the UK manufacturers who did show interest and work towards a British-made biodegradable lip balm dispenser in the future. And our efforts won't stop there — once there is sufficient purchasing power behind this product, we can push for other beauty products to be housed in non-plastic, biodegradable packaging too.
Shop the Biodegradable Lip Balm Range
All of the following lip balms are housed in our zero waste, biodegradable paperboard dispensers and priced at £9.99 each:
– Hydrating Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — deeply nourishing with a high cocoa butter content for long-lasting moisture.
– Restore Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — restorative and soothing, perfect for dry or chapped lips.
– Original Pure Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — unscented cocoa butter classic, ideal for sensitive lips.
– Original Citrus & Happy Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — a cheerful citrus twist on our original formula.
– Pure Vegan Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — 100% vegan, no animal derivatives, beautifully simple.
– Mint Vegan Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — refreshing peppermint, vegan, and plastic-free.
– Sweet Mandarin Vegan Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — uplifting mandarin scent, fully vegan.
– Restore Vegan Lip Balm in Zero Waste Packaging — vegan restorative formula for dry, tired lips.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Valley Mist lip balm tubes made from?
Our lip balm dispensers are made from biodegradable paperboard — not plastic. They are designed to break down naturally over time, making them a genuinely eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic lip balm tubes.
Are biodegradable lip balm tubes as practical as plastic ones?
Yes — our biodegradable dispensers work just like a standard push-up tube. They're durable enough for everyday use while still being able to decompose when composted or disposed of in soil.
Are Valley Mist lip balms vegan?
We offer both original and fully vegan lip balm options. Our vegan range contains no animal-derived ingredients and is clearly labelled. All are housed in the same biodegradable, plastic-free packaging.
Is Valley Mist really the UK's first biodegradable lip balm producer?
We believe so — when we launched our biodegradable packaging in 2019, we were unable to find another UK lip balm producer offering this as a standard option. We're proud to have led the way and hope others follow.
Where can I follow the biodegradable packaging decomposition experiment?
You can follow our ongoing observation on Facebook in the album titled "Valley Mist, let's watch it become plant food" at @myvalleymistsmile.
Shop All Valley Mist Lip Balms — Biodegradable & Plastic-Free
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