Propoline Lip Aid/ Lip Care by Apivita

One of the staples in my routine is Apivita's Propoline Lip Aid/Care. I've been using them since the early 90s when I was living in Greece and I don't think I've ever been without them. They are great lip balms, they keep my prone-to-dryness lips soft and hydrated and even though I occasionally stray away to try others, I always come back to them appreciating them more than before. In fact it must be one of the few things I buy plenty of so that I can have them scattered around in my bags, thus ensuring I am never without one!

What I appreciate the most with all of them is the their texture. My lips look natural and healthy, not glossy and sticky like I'm wearing a light gloss. I really don't like lip gloss and glossy textures because I find them sticky, a quality that is particularly annoying when it's windy where you live and your long hair end up sticking to your lips (yuck!). I have no such problem with these.

In addition to keeping my lips hydrated, I find them hard to replace because they are  so well made and they keep improving the formula; the current version of lip balms is free of parabens, synthetics, silicones, propylene glycol and mineral oils. Now if only I could find out whether they test the finished products on animals I would be even happier. In their disclaimer they mention not using raw materials that have been tested on animals, but I couldn't find anything about animal testing in general.I've posted a question on their facebook page and I hope I'll soon hear back from them. 

I know that they have reformulated them and changed the packaging since I last bought mine, but I still have three left of the previous packaging and I've almost finished them,too. Unfortunately, I don't have any of my favourite rose lip balm to show you because they are always the ones I finish first. I will make a separate post about it, but I can't not say anything about it when I have finished more or less 20 bullets of it over the years! It has the most gorgeous rose fragnance that calms and sooths you and it gives your lips a soft sweet pink colour. It was my first 'lipstick' (i.e. anything that gives colour to my lips) as a teenager and I am emotionally attached to it! When I am stressed I wear it  before I go to bed and the soft smell soothes me.

Of the ones I have here, only the middle one (walnut & olive oil) has any colour, the other two are  chamomile & olive oil (left) and propolis & beeswax (right). 

The Chamomile one has a very light sweetish smell and of all the lipbalms it smells the most 'green'; it's not too greenish/fresh on its own, but I find the smell gently refreshing for use in the summer months. It also has SPF 15 which in the current version (not the one pictured) is due to 2 active ingredients, Avobenzone and Octinoxate. 

The Propolis & Beeswax one is probably the oldest in the line. It has a smell I would recognise anywhere; a lovely soft honey smell. It makes you want to eat it! It was the first one I ever bought and still love it. 

This is a swatch of the Walnut&Olive Oil lip aid; heavily applied on the left and applied once on the right. I just noticed it's been discontinued in the new line. What a pity! It's soft and I find it looks particularly good when I am wearing blue eyeshadow. It gives my lips a soft earthy colour without making them look muddy. I am not a fan of brown lipstick, it clashes with my pinkish skintone, but this one doesn't bother me.

If you want to give them a try, you can always order online from their site. I hear they offer an excellent service and from personal experience, their hair care is also very good. I can't wait to visit Greece again to stock up from my local pharmacy. Going through all the beauty products I can find in Greek pharmacies is like a ritual when I visit!

UPDATE: 5/4 

They replied to me about the animal testing issue and I have to say they were very fast and very cordial in their communication. Here is what they had to say: "APIVITA, loyal to its philosophy and values, does not perform any animal testing in any stage of product creation. Our products are created within the European Union and are by law not tested on animals.Our raw materials are of natural origin (not from animal origin, except bee products like honey, propolis and royal jelly) and natural or organic certified, therefore not tested on animals. If we need to perform tests in order to prove safety or efficacy of our products, then we do clinical tests on humans conducted by dermatologists according to scientific protocols.
Thank you very much for your interest in APIVITA products."