TikTok’s favorite lip balm just pulled a bait-and-switch, and the group chat is not okay. The new Summer Fridays formula is leaving a waxy film that feels like you licked a candle.
Complaints are racking up faster than the restocks, and the comments are full of people swearing they’ll never finish their tubes. The texture change is so obvious that even my cousin who “doesn’t do skincare” noticed it on the first swipe.
The Lip Butter Balm is a $24 glossy treatment that used to melt like warm butter on contact. Now it sits on your lips like a stubborn plastic wrap that refuses to sink in.
The Shea Swap
They cut the heavy shea butter, which killed that instant-melt slip that made the original famous.
The Wax Overload
Added more candelilla wax for stability, which is great for hot cars but terrible for your lips.
The Shine Shift
The gloss is glassier now, but it evaporates in 20 minutes leaving a dry patch behind.
Photo: Siora Photography / Unsplash
The old formula relied on shea butter and peptides to plump and condition. The new one leans heavier on jojoba esters and synthetic waxes to lock in moisture — but it locks out breathability instead.
- Shea Butter: Replaced, but the original was the MVP for deep absorption
- Jojoba Esters: Mimics skin oil but sits too heavy on the surface
- Candelilla Wax: The culprit behind that weird tacky drag
- Peptides: Still there, but can’t penetrate the wax barrier
Photo: Nick Noel / Unsplash
First swipe feels like dragging a crayon across your mouth. There’s a resistance that wasn’t there before, and the balm never fully melts — it just sits there looking pretty before fading into a dry film.
By week two, my lips were actually drier than when I started. The irony is painful because the old formula fixed my winter cracks in three days flat.
Photo: Karly Jones / Unsplash
My lips stayed hydrated for exactly 45 minutes before needing a reapply, versus the old formula that lasted through a full workday. The shine is prettier, but the function took a massive step backward.
Photo: Igor Rand / Unsplash
If you’re chasing the original magic, save your money — this is a different product wearing a familiar name. The reformulation turned a cult classic into a pretty-looking disappointment.