Balms and salves are dense, mostly water-free blends of waxes, butters and oils, often infused with herbs such as calendula or chamomile. They sit on the skin as a protective layer rather than absorbing quickly.
Many are sold as multipurpose. That flexibility is a product claim; certification looks only at what is in the tin.
Reading the label
- Infused oils
- An herbal salve often lists the oil and the herb together, for example "Olea europaea fruit oil (and) Calendula officinalis flower extract". That means the herb was steeped in the oil.
- Waxes
- Beeswax (cera alba) is the most common; candelilla or carnauba wax stand in for it in plant-based balms.
