It’s hard being a beauty junkie when you have a chronic skin disease. Trying on a new foundation or lippie is like playing dermatological roulette: Is an ingredient that I didn’t even know existed going to give me an ungodly rash? Will this chemical compound break me out for a month? Who knows.
It’s heartening to know, then, that there’s a solution brewing locally. At Dr TWL Dermaceutical’s Custom Lip Lab, they’ll custom-make a lipstick that’s not only safe for eczema-prone skin, it’ll even help to repair it — and to sweeten the deal, you can make it in any colour you wish. It also happens to be entirely edible, a testament to the ingredients that go into it.
Plant-derived ceramides in the LipSerum Stick help to repair the mucosal skin of the lips, which is the part that causes one to suffer from dry and sensitive lips. As for what makes it entirely edible? Its base is made of purified salmon roe DNA extract, and while it obviously isn’t in its tastiest form here, the food-derived antioxidant helps stimulate collagen growth.
It also helps keep the lipstick together without the need for preservatives or other chemicals. (And given that women eat about 4kg of lipstick in their lifetime, it might be a good idea to pick one that actually can be eaten.)
According to dermatologist Dr Teo Wan Lin, the founder of Dr TWL, the United States FDA stipulates that up to 10 ppm of lead is permissible in most cosmetics, but that doesn’t exactly make it good for you. And while this doesn’t mean that your existing lipsticks are poisonous (as long as they are formulated properly), it is still good to know that this particular lipstick is formulated to make accidental ingestion safe.
Meanwhile, the pigments in the LipSerum Stick come in tiny, solid crystals that are released at body temperature, melting into a delectable, buttery serum that spreads over the lips. And instead of using traditional enhancers like bismuth oxychloride (which can cause dryness and irritation), it uses pure mineral micas for a gorgeous, natural pearlescent finish.
It all coalesces together at the Dr TWL Custom Lip Lab. In Dr Teo’s time as a dermatologist, she’s seen women with eczema so severe that they couldn’t use store-bought lipsticks — laden with chemical preservatives and hardeners — because they’d just worsen their skin condition.
“The lip is an often neglected part of one’s skincare routine, because it is difficult to treat and prevent ageing of that area,” says Dr Teo. According to her, issues like discolouration, wrinkles, and the loss of volume are the most common complaints for the lip area.
That’s why she decided to start manufacturing her own line of makeup products that her patients could use — because having a skin condition shouldn’t bar you from using makeup.
“Women are conscious about active ingredients in their skincare, and it’s time they look into what’s in their makeup as well,” she says.
The LipSerum Stick is available via bespoke appointment. Ready-to-wear and gloss options are available. Book your appointment here.