When is a balm still a balm?

From the precious resins and oils of antiquity to modern water-based creams labelled ‘balm’.

Words can lose their meaning. ‘Balm’ is a good example. Look for skincare today and you will find balms everywhere: face balms, repair balms, beauty balms and moisture balms. Sometimes they really are concentrated, lipid-rich products. But look a little closer and you may find Aqua sitting right at the top of the ingredients list. In other words, a water-based emulsion. A cream. So how can a product containing a large amount of water still be called a ‘balm’?

Balms began very differently

Balm-like preparations have been used for thousands of years. Research into Egyptian balms from different periods has identified mixtures containing plant oils, animal fats, beeswax, resins and bitumen, among other substances. ^[1]

In 2023, Nature published research into residues from an approximately 2,500-year-old embalming workshop at Saqqara. Researchers analysed 31 pottery vessels and identified a range of oils, tars, resins and animal fats. Some ingredients had even travelled along extensive trade routes from tropical Asia. ^[2]

The famous Balm of Gilead also has a very long history. A precious balm-like substance known as zori, later often translated as balm, was documented as early as the 14th century BC. In later Biblical and classical sources, balm from Gilead appears as a fragrant commodity, perfume, ointment and medicinal preparation. ^[3]

There was never one fixed formula for a balm. Different cultures used different ingredients. Historically, however, the common thread was a concentrated preparation of oils, fats, waxes and resins — not a large quantity of water combined with a smaller proportion of lipids.

Even in 1950, the Dutch dictionary Van Dale still defined balsem primarily as a viscous solution of resins in volatile oils, used externally as a medicine or in perfumery. Water does not feature in that core definition. At the same time, Van Dale noted that the word was already being used in the language of quack remedies for almost any salve or ointment. ^[4] The meaning had already begun to stretch.

A cream is something different

Cream is not a modern invention either. As early as the second century AD, the Greco-Roman physician Galen described a preparation made from oily substances, wax and water. Centuries later, it became known as Ceratum Galeni and eventually as cold cream. ^[5]

An emulsion combines substances that would not normally mix, such as water and oil. An emulsifier is needed to bring them together. When water from such an emulsion evaporates from the skin, the evaporation draws heat away from the skin and produces a cooling sensation. That is where the characteristic ‘cold’ in cold cream comes from.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, it had become possible to manufacture these emulsions more reliably and on a much larger scale. Using the emulsifier Eucerit, Beiersdorf introduced NIVEA Creme in 1911 as a stable oil-in-water cream suitable for mass production. ^[6] Cream was not invented in 1911, but from then onwards it became far easier to manufacture industrially.

Water creates volume

This is where an important difference lies. In a cream, water can make up the majority of the product. A lipid phase, an emulsifier and a preservative system are also needed, and thickeners are often added. For a manufacturer, water is an inexpensive ingredient. Cold-pressed plant oils, butters, waxes and specialised active ingredients generally are not.

In a concentrated balm, virtually the entire product has to be made up of those lipid-based ingredients. 50 ml is still 50 ml on the label, but what actually fills those 50 ml can be very different. If a skincare product consists largely of water, it is reasonable to ask what, exactly, you are buying when you pay for 50 ml.

So why can a cream still be called a ‘balm’?

Because ‘balm’ is not a separate product category under European cosmetics legislation. There is no legal requirement specifying how much water, oil, butter or wax a product must contain before it can be described as a balm. ^[7] A concentrated, lipid-rich formulation can therefore be called a ‘balm’, but so can a water-based cream. The name tells you less about the formulation than you might expect.

Turn the jar over

Fortunately, it is fairly easy to check the formulation for yourself. The front of the packaging mainly tells you how a brand wants you to see the product. The ingredients list tells you what is actually in it. Under the European Cosmetics Regulation, ingredients present at concentrations above 1% must, in principle, be listed in descending order by weight. Ingredients below 1% may then appear in a different order. ^[7]

If Aqua appears right at the beginning, water is a major component. If it is followed by ingredients such as glycerine, oils or other lipid-based substances, fatty alcohols, emulsifiers and thickeners, you are looking at a water-based emulsion. Even if BALM is written in large letters on the front. My advice remains simple: turn the jar over and read the ingredients list first.

No Aqua? Still water.

Not seeing ‘Aqua’ on the ingredients list does not automatically mean that a product contains very little water. Take Rosa Damascena Flower Water. It sounds botanical and precious, but it is essentially rose water: water containing small amounts of aromatic and plant-derived compounds from the rose. Water is by far its main component. ^[8]

The same applies to hydrolats — the floral and botanical waters produced during distillation. They typically consist of around 99.95% water. ^[9] Plant juices can also be almost entirely water. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, for example, contains approximately 99–99.5% water. ^[10]

These botanical ingredients can certainly contain interesting plant compounds, but their names do not change what forms their basis: predominantly water. And because so much water is present, microorganisms can multiply more readily. A suitable preservative system is therefore still necessary. ^[11]

An ingredients list without the word ‘Aqua’ can therefore look impressively botanical while the product itself still consists largely of water.

So what do I consider a balm?

For me, a true cosmetic balm starts with the lipid phase: oils, butters, waxes and other lipid-based substances form the basis, rather than a large amount of added water. That is also the principle on which I developed Balmsense®.

The Full Care Face Balm contains no added water. That does not mean the finished product contains literally zero water, because some of its ingredients naturally introduce a small amount. According to the current product information, the Face Balm contains approximately 1.8% water. That water has not been added as the basis of an emulsion or simply to create volume.

That is why we deliberately say: NO ADDED WATER. Not: 100% WATER-FREE. The distinction may seem small, but to me, honesty begins with precisely these details.

A balm is not simply a word for a texture, either. A water-based emulsion does not suddenly become a balm because you make it thicker. The formulation is in the jar. The name is on the label.

Since I started paying attention to this, I have turned over almost every ‘balm’ I come across, from high-street brands to very expensive prestige products. I have looked at dozens of them by now, and a striking pattern emerges. I will be writing a separate article about that soon.

Until then, try it for yourself: read the first five ingredients of a ‘balm’, then ask yourself: did I buy a balm, or a cream with a different name?

References

1. Huber, B., Hammann, S., Loeben, C.E. et al. “Biomolecular characterization of 3500-year-old ancient Egyptian mummification balms from the Valley of the Kings.” Scientific Reports 13, 12477 (2023). Analysis of balm residues from the tomb of Senetnay, identifying beeswax, plant oil, fats, bitumen and resins, among other substances.
2. Rageot, M., Hussein, R.B., Beck, S. et al. “Biomolecular analyses enable new insights into ancient Egyptian embalming.” Nature 614, 287–293 (2023). Analysis of 31 ceramic vessels from a 26th Dynasty embalming workshop at Saqqara.
3. Amar, Z. “Balm of Gilead.” Biblical Archaeology Review 49(2), 58 (2023). Discusses zori, often translated as balm, as a precious medicinal and aromatic product, and refers to its mention in an Amarna letter from the 14th century BC.
4. Van Dale Uitgevers. Groot woordenboek der Nederlandse taal (1950), entry ‘Balsem’. Defines balm as a viscous solution of resins in volatile oils and also records its use in the language of quack remedies for a salve or ointment.
5. Lipsker, D., Nwabudike, L.C., Parish, L.C. & Hoenig, L.J. “Ceratum Galeni: An old eponym honoring Galen and his cold cream.” Clinics in Dermatology 41(6), 735–737 (2023). Historical discussion of Galen’s cold cream and its history spanning more than 1,800 years.
6. Beiersdorf. “Brand History NIVEA.” Beiersdorf describes the introduction of NIVEA in 1911 as the first stable oil-in-water cream suitable for mass production. The emulsifier Eucerit made this stability possible.
7. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Article 19. Includes the rules governing ingredients lists. The Regulation contains no separate legal definition of ‘balm’.
8. Cosmetic Ingredient Review. “Safety Assessment of Rosa damascena-Derived Ingredients.” Rosa Damascena Flower Water is described as an aqueous solution of the steam distillate obtained from the flowers of Rosa damascena.
9. Tisserand Institute. “Hydrosol & Essential Oil.” Hydrolats consist of approximately 99.95% water and contain around 0.05% aromatic constituents.
10. “Aloe vera: A review of toxicity and adverse clinical effects.” Review of the composition of Aloe vera. The gel consists of approximately 99–99.5% water.
11. Labadie, C., Cerutti, C. & Carlin, F. “Fate and control of pathogenic and spoilage micro-organisms in orange blossom (Citrus aurantium) and rose flower (Rosa centifolia) hydrosols.” Journal of Applied Microbiology 121(6), 1568–1579 (2016). Research into microbial growth and spoilage in rose and orange blossom hydrolats.