From Burt's Backyard To Pockets Everywhere

How Burt's Bees Beeswax Balm became the #1 Lip Balm in America

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Sep 18, 2012, 09:00 ET

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm has been in millions of pockets, purses, bedside tables, cars, desks, kitchens and more for over 25 years. But before it gained international stardom, the humble balm led a quiet existence in Maine.

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Burt's Bees was started in the 1980s in a backyard by a beekeeper named Burt Shavitz and an artist named Roxanne Quimby. By 1991, these unlikely entrepreneurs were selling over half a million beeswax candles a year. That same year, the Beeswax Lip Balm was born in a bowling alley from a farmers' almanac recipe, and has been Burt's Bees' bestselling product ever since.

People might say that a lip balm can't change the world, but we think it has. The fact that a natural lip balm is now the #1 selling lip balm in the U.S. means that a whole lot of people care about what they put on their bodies and what happens to the earth, just like Burt and Roxanne did.

The classic Beeswax Lip Balm formula originally came from a recipe in a farmers' almanac. It contains Beeswax (originally from Burt's hives), which helps nourish and protect lips along with several botanical oils, and Peppermint Oil, which provides that one-of-a-kind refreshing tingle.
Since its inception, Beeswax Lip Balm has helped protect and nourish billions of lips using 100% natural ingredients.
Around 20 people purchase a Beeswax Lip Balm every minute, adding up to over 30,000 lip balms per day and over 11 million per year.
That's enough lip balms to stretch the length of over 6,000 football fields or to travel from Boston to New York and back again.

From the peppermint tingle to the natural ingredients that care for lips, Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is an experience that inspires passion in fans. Burt's Bees is on a quest to find the #1 Beeswax Lip Balm fan—the "Natural Champion" who cares deeply about living a natural life—through the "Raise Your Burt's" contest. Until October 2nd, lip balm fans will be able to upload photos of them and their beloved tube of balm to the Burt's Bees Facebook page in eight different categories, including Cutest Animal, Best Kiss Face, Globe-Trotter and more.

The most creative entries will be selected for the following prizes*:

40 semifinalists will win 100 personalized lip balms
The two most passionate of these contestants will be featured in the 2013 Burt's Bees Lip Balm Campaign
But only the #1 Beeswax Lip Balm fan will become the Natural Champion, winning a weekend extravaganza of pampering, products and a private concert at an eco-friendly, 5-star hotel and spa for himself or herself and three friends!

Visit the Burt's Bees Facebook page for more information: www.facebook.com/burtsbees

(*see contest page for a complete listing of prizes and contest rules)

Burt's Bees has been offering distinctive earth-friendly, natural personal care products for 25 years. From a beekeeper's backyard in Maine to the leading edge of natural, Burt's Bees knows natural body care solutions from head-to-toe. The company creates products for total skin health that keep The Greater Good™ top of mind.

No petrochemicals, phthalates, parabens or sodium lauryl sulfate. Not tested on animals.

Burt's Bees® Beeswax Lip Balm is available at select natural, grocery, drug, and mass retailers, and via www.burtsbees.com.

SOURCE Burt's Bees