Hygr Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus

Bright Colour that lasts

Looking at the tube, I did notice how deep and bright the colour in tube was. It was a true red, and looked very much like a colour I’d wear.

My previous experience with tinted lip balm however, had me feeling cautious, for very often, the colour is more like a tint than it is a lip colour.

I was very surprised however, when I swatched the Hygr Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus on my lips and saw my lips transformed to bright red puckers! Now, that’s what I’m talking about! 😀

I like that the colour is bright, yet transparent. To me, it performs like a balmy lipstick, as opposed to a tinted lip balm, for it was by no means a tint, it was full on colour! I liked how it brightened my complexion, and I found Hibiscus to be a fairly neutral bright red, with a just ever so slightly warm tone. I think it’s great for Asian complexions, for which it was most likely formulated for.

If you find Hibiscus too intense a colour when applied to your lips, just apply it on your lower lip, and press them together. What you will get is a lovely reddish tint of colour that can be less intimidating, for those who aren’t used to wearing a bright red lip.

I have not tried the other colours, so I can’t say if they are as intense as Hibiscus is. If they are, that would be lovely!

Leaves a stain of colour on skin

I did notice that if you leave it on your skin, it will mark and stain your skin. So, once the lip colour wears off, you will still have a hint of colour left on your lips.

This is useful if you don’t like your lip colour disappearing all together after a few hours, or after eating. After a few hours, I do still notice a slight tint of colour on my lips, and it’s easy to touch up after that.

I’m not sure if this tint of colour is exclusive to Hibiscus, because of its red tint. Red lipsticks do tend to stay behind a little longer than other shades.

It is also worth noting that you will mark cups when you drink from them.

Balm texture is comfortable on lips

I do feel like the texture of the balm is quite comfortable. It isn’t too heavy nor too oily, and does not have a waxy feel, unlike many natural type lip balms. It applies smoothly and sits on lips lightly so it does not feel like it’s there.

It does feel however, like the formula could be slightly smoother. It feels a little stiff when going on, and does not have that lovely slip that you may get from other commercial brands. I do think there is great potential in this – but it does have its rough edges that need a little polishing.

I also feel a slight grittiness to the formula when you press your lips together. I thought I didn’t clean my mouth properly after eating, so I swatched it on my hand and rubbed it, and noticed it too. It is infinitesimal but to me, noticeable.

I do give them a little pass on this, because it isn’t a very expensive product, and they are fairly new in the market, and to cosmetics formulation. While I’m no cosmetics chemist, I expect there are ways to make it a smoother formula.

On a personal basis, I don’t use lip balm throughout the day here in Malaysia, though I will use it in a drier climate. I don’t have a need for it, and I believe that it might make you somewhat dependant on it to keep your lips moist. I usually just drink more water if my lips start feeling dry. That said, I have met people who have chronically dry lips who do rely on a lip balm, so we are all different.

For this reason, I personally do not find the Hygr Tinted Lip Balm to be terribly moisturising. I don’t notice it making my lips any more plumped, nor my lips any smoother. It doesn’t cause my lips to dry out, but I wouldn’t reach for it if my lips needed nourishing.

I wore it for a full day from 10am to 7pm, and touched up once halfway through. I did not feel like my lips were any more moisturised than if I had worn any other moisturising lipstick. It was a little dry, but it might be because I did not have enough water, and it was warm.

Packaging can be improved

While I don’t have a lot to gripe about the formula of the lip balm (I love the colour and how pigmented it is) the packaging leaves a lot to be desired to me.

The tube is a cardboard tube, as Hygr places emphasis on their brand being eco-conscious, so they minimise the use of plastic. I have nothing against this as a philosophy, but the practicality point should also be weighed against.

I have used lip products that come in cardboard packaging in the past, and my biggest peeve is that they get manky after a while, as cardboard isn’t very hardy. Unlike most other makeup, most of us will carry our lip products around, and they end up getting bashed about quite badly in our bags. Few of us will take that extra care to pack them separately. I usually just slip my lip colour of the day into a pocket of my bag, so I have it within easy reach. I forsee this happening to the Hygr Tinted Lip Balm as well. As it stands, the little label sticker at the bottom that specifies the colour has already gone missing.

That isn’t my biggest peeve with the packing of the Hygr Tinted Lip Balm however – the biggest peeve is that the twisting mechanism isn’t where it usually is in most lipsticks – the inner tube. The plastic bit that allows you to twist the lip balm up and down is located at the base of the lip balm, and it is a very narrow bit of plastic.

What this means is that I can’t manipulate the lip balm with one hand, as I can a normal tube of lipstick. I’ve found myself twisting the black inner section more than once, and feeling frustrated that I need 2 hands to twist up the lip balm. This is a classic example of a good product that fails to impress because of poor user experience.

I realise that many lip balms in the market utilise a similar location of the twisting mechanism, at the bottom of the tube. You can’t manipulate those one-handed either, which does bug me as well. But theirs are thicker, so there’s better grip. But it might also explain why I prefer a lip balm in a tub (I don’t mind using my fingers) or in a squeeze tube 😛

I was informed that this is a newer packaging, which is a vast improvement on their earlier one. If so, then I hope that someone tells them to look into improving their mechanism and usability, as it isn’t intuitive. I might be alone in feeling this, for I don’t see many people complaining about it. Maybe it’s a young person thing to not be bothered, but this aunty is 😛

All in all, I’d say that as a product, it is very promising. I love the colour, and its vibrancy. The texture is pleasant, but the packaging leaves a little more to be desired. That said, it is very affordable so I think most people will forgive the packaging flaw.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Hygr Tinted Lip Balm is made by a young Malaysian brand. The colour is lovely and intense (for a lip balm), and the tint is fairly pigmented and lasts long enough. I got the colour Hibiscus, which is a lovely bright red that looks fairly neutral leaning a little warm. It is flattering and brightens the complexion. I don’t find it particularly moisturising, as far as lip balms go, but it isn’t drying. The formula does feel a little gritty when you rub your lips together, so there is room for improvement in the smoothness of the texture. The packaging too can be improved, in that the location of the twisting mechanism isn’t intuitive at this point, located as it is at the bottom of the tube, and as a thin little piece of plastic. It’s a promising product and I’d be watching them to see where they go from here.

PROS:
Very affordable
Locally own and formulated brand
Tint in lip balm is vibrant and intense
Moisturising on lips
Natural formulation

CONS:
Paper packaging can deteriorate quickly
The twisting mechanism is too narrow and small and not intuitive

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who likes to use natural lip colours that are moisturising

PRICE: RM27.90

WHERE TO BUY: Hygr website, Hygr on Shopee, Hygr on Lazada

If you’re interested, this is the ingredients list for the Hygr Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus

Avocado Oil | CAPRYLIC / CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE | Shea butter | Candelilla wax | Cocoa Butter | Pure Jojoba Oil | CI 77491 (+/-) | CI 15850 (+/-) | Vitamin C | Vitamin E | CI 19140 (+/-) | CI 45410 (+/-) | CI 77492 (+/-) | Essential Oil (Green Mandarin)

Have you tried the products from Hygr before?

The other popular product from Hygr I’m seeing is their deodorant, which appears to be their bestselling product. The cosmetics market is quite saturated, so I’d be interested to see how far this young couple goes with their brand, as they’re very transparent and open with their journey on social media.

Paris B