The Concept
Photo courtesy of bitebeauty.com
Edible beauty products are a fairly new concept in the cosmetics world, but one that should’ve been there from the beginning. Don’t let the name mislead you: they aren’t meant to be eaten like food. Instead, they’re made with food-grade ingredients, meaning that they could hypothetically be eaten without a detrimental effect to your health.
Although numbers vary, it’s believed that women consume at least a few pounds of lipstick in their lifetime. Since makeup-wearing people of all genders consume at least some of the lipstick they wear, it’s pretty important that the ingredients are safe to be ingested. The idea that most aren’t is scary, so we decided to give these edible lipsticks a try.
The Product
Photo by Rose Ferrao
Bite Beauty‘s lipstick line, cleverly named Amuse Bouche, is developed and produced by hand at their factory in Toronto. There are 34 different shades, ranging from light pink to deep brown to hunter green.
The formula contains twelve edible oils for intense creaminess and hydration as well as citrus extracts made from freshly-pressed fruit for a “mouth-watering” flavour.
The Trial
Photo by Rose Ferrao
As a makeup product, this lipstick was surprisingly great. Since it’s often chemicals that give lipstick its colour and staying power, natural products tend to sacrifice utility for health. The pigment of this lipstick was amazing – one coat, even without lip liner, was vivid and opaque. Though it did fade with time, the colour lasted on my lips for a few hours before disappearing.
The “edible” part of Bite’s lipstick was equally wonderful. The promised citrus scent was natural, not overpowering and artificial. The taste also had faint hints of citrus, but I found it instead to be slightly sweet and cake-y.
Knowing that the ingredients were food-grade also made me feel a lot better about finding lipstick on my teeth later that day.
The Verdict
Photo by Rose Ferrao
Edible cosmetics are going to continue to grow as the beauty industry focuses on healthy, natural ingredients, as it should. Bite Beauty has the unique status of being both one of the first companies to capitalize on this market and one of the best.
Their lipsticks are more than worth a try, and you can bet that I (and many others) will be picking up more of their products in the future.