Every page in this section answers one question: which of these two, and when. Each comparison uses the same structure, a table of the values that actually differ, a plain verdict, and the cases where the answer flips.
These pages summarise and cross-reference the detail held elsewhere on the site. Where a comparison depends on a number, the number is quoted with its method and linked back to the ingredient or formula page it comes from.
Wax against wax
The structurant decides the product, so this is where most substitutions start.
- Beeswax or carnauba wax: the softest structurant against the hardest solid
Drop point, needle penetration, gelling efficiency and why carnauba is a blender, not a base.
- Candelilla or carnauba: choosing between the two main vegan balm waxes
Two vegan waxes with different jobs: melt range, gelling power, usage ceilings and grit risk.
Butters and fats
Hardness, crystal behaviour and skin feel, compared on measured values.
- Tallow or shea butter: which is better for skin and balms?
USDA vitamin data, sebum composition, fatty acids, melt, hardness and shelf life for both fats in one table.
- Refined or unrefined shea butter: what does refining take out?
Free fatty acids, unsaponifiables, tocopherols, colour and Rancimat time for crude, refined and fractionated shea.
- Beeswax or shea butter: the two levers that decide how a balm behaves
Melt points, firmness per point, payoff and the arithmetic for trading wax against butter.
Oils and occlusives
What each one does to spread, cling, gloss and shelf life.
- Jojoba oil or sweet almond oil: which is better for skin and balms?
Wax ester makeup, measured penetration depth, Rancimat stability and vitamin E for both oils, side by side.
- Squalane or jojoba oil: which is better for skin and balms?
Stability, viscosity, cold behaviour, sebum match and the squalene mix-up, for squalane and jojoba side by side.
- Argan oil or jojoba oil: which is better for the face?
Rancimat times, linoleic acid, vitamin E and the roasted against cosmetic argan result, with a verdict for face balm.
- Fractionated coconut oil or jojoba: which carrier oil should you use?
Viscosity, spreading, cloud point, iodine value and stability for both carriers, with a verdict per product.
- Mineral oil or petroleum jelly: which is better for dry skin?
The direct swap test, the film thickness data, the plant oil comparisons and the US monograph bands for both, side by side.
- Lanolin or petroleum jelly: which is better for skin and balms?
Patch test rates, measured water uptake, occlusion figures and the US monograph levels for both, in one place.
Additives
Two ways of doing the same job, and which one earns its place.
- Vitamin E or rosemary extract: which antioxidant is better for oils?
Measured optimum doses, the pro-oxidant ceiling, the head to head studies and the EU limits, with a choice per oil.
Finished products
Which format actually suits the job, judged on physics rather than category.
- Balm or lotion: which format actually suits the skin problem you have
Water content, occlusivity, spreadability, preservative need and the real cost per application.
- Beard balm or beard oil: which one your beard length actually calls for
Wax level, hold, skin coverage, white cast risk, dose per use and cost per month compared.
- Lip balm tube or tin: which should your balm go in?
Real capacities from six suppliers' spec sheets, the wax each needs, fill, heat, labelling and cost per gram.