By Thom Watson, founder of Phatstix who has spent nearly two decades in beauty, and the person who started making balm in his kitchen because nothing else did what it said.
A proper multi-use balm handles lips, cuticles, dry patches, rough hands and flaky skin with one 30g stick. The Phatstix Balm is 100% natural, fragrance-free and weighs roughly 7.06x more than a standard lip balm, which means you are not rummaging for five different products. One stick. Everywhere skin gets dry. Done.
What actually makes a balm "multi-use"?
Most lip balms are too small, too heavily fragranced, or too waxy to use anywhere but your lips. A genuinely multi-use balm needs a formula that works on thicker, rougher skin as well as the delicate lip area, so ingredients matter more than the marketing blurb on the front.
The Phatstix Balm is built on nine ingredients: beeswax, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, raspberry seed oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter. No water, no fragrance, no preservatives. That combination is occlusive (it forms a protective barrier), nourishing (the plant oils and butters condition the skin), skin-restoring (the oil blend, sunflower oil in particular, is rich in linoleic acid, which the skin uses to support its barrier and renew itself), and stable enough to sit in a pocket or bag without melting into a mess. That is the practical definition of a multi-use balm: a formula flexible enough to do real work wherever skin needs it.
Why does size matter for a multi-use balm?
Short answer: if a balm runs out in three weeks, you will not reach for it on your elbows.
The Phatstix Balm is 30g (roughly 7.06x the size of a standard 4.25–4.5g lip balm) and lasts up to a year from a single stick. At around £0.80 per gram, it is roughly 25% cheaper per gram than a typical high-street balm (and far cheaper per gram than premium balms like Rhode or Fresh). The arithmetic makes multi-use practical: because one stick lasts twelve months, you stop treating it like a precious lip-only product and start actually using it everywhere.
That is the whole idea, really. "For lips, faces and places" is not a marketing slogan. It is a description of what the product is sized and formulated to do.
Can you really use a balm on dry hands and cuticles?
Yes, and it works particularly well on cuticles, which are just very dry, exposed skin.
Cuticles respond well to occlusive, emollient products. Beeswax creates a barrier that reduces moisture loss; the butters (shea, cocoa, mango) soften the skin and the surrounding nail plate; jojoba oil, which has a molecular structure close to the skin's own sebum, absorbs readily rather than sitting on the surface. The result is conditioning rather than just coating.
For rough hands, The Balm works as a targeted spot treatment rather than a hand cream. It is better suited to problem areas (cracked knuckles, dry patches around the nails, wind-roughened skin) than general coverage. Because it is anhydrous (no water), it does not thin out on contact with damp skin the way a water-based hand cream does. Apply it, rub in briefly, and it stays put.
What dry patches does it work on?
The Balm was designed to follow skin wherever it gets dry, chapped or flaky. That is a long list.
On the face: dry patches around the nose (especially in hayfever season), wind-burnt cheeks, flaky skin around the mouth. The formula is non-comedogenic, with 94% of it scoring low-to-zero on the comedogenic scale, so for most skin types it's unlikely to block pores.
On the body: elbows, knees, heels, shins in winter, wind-burnt patches anywhere. Anywhere that would normally make you reach for a body lotion but you want something more concentrated.
On specific irritated spots: chapped corners of the mouth, the skin under your nose after a cold, dry patches on your knuckles. These all respond to the same basic formula: something occlusive to protect, something emollient to nourish.
If your skin is eczema-prone, a fragrance-free, occlusive balm like this is often the kind of product dermatologists suggest for barrier repair. The Balm is fragrance-free and free from known irritants. That said, I am not a medical professional, and if you have persistent or severe skin conditions you should see a GP or pharmacist rather than relying on a lip balm.
Is it the same formula everywhere you apply it?
It is. The Balm does not change depending on where you put it: it is the same 30g stick whether you are using it on your lips, your cuticles or a dry patch on your elbow.
That might sound obvious but it is actually the point. A lot of multi-use claims on beauty products involve a marketing stretch: a lip product being called "face-safe" with a wink. The Phatstix Balm was formulated to work on all of those areas from the start. It has been safety assessed under UK Cosmetic Regulations. The 30g size exists precisely because Thom wanted to make a balm big enough that you would actually use it liberally, wherever you needed it, without rationing.
How do you use it as part of a simpler routine?
The appeal of a multi-use balm is mostly about subtraction. Instead of a lip balm, a cuticle oil, a hand salve and a dry-patch spot treatment taking up space in your bag, you have one stick that covers all of them.
In practice: apply to lips before bed and first thing in the morning. Use it on cuticles whenever you notice them drying out, once or twice a day if they are rough. Swipe it over any dry patches on your face or body as needed. Because the balm is twist-up, you can apply it directly without getting product on your hands (unless you want to, in which case use the warmth of your palms to soften it slightly first).
The simplest possible routine: one product, used honestly, wherever skin asks for it. The oversized format means you are not three weeks in and scraping the bottom.
How does it compare to using five separate products?
This is where the maths get interesting. A standard lip balm, a cuticle oil, a hand cream, a face balm and a body spot-treatment might cost anywhere from £25 to well over £100. The Phatstix Balm is one 30g stick that lasts up to a year.
You are not getting five different premium formulas, you are getting one well-built formula that is competent across all five applications. For the majority of people, that is entirely sufficient. The only reason to buy five separate products is if you have very specific skin needs that require a targeted active ingredient (retinol, a specific acid, SPF, The Balm has none of those). For everyday dryness, one honest balm outperforms a drawer of half-finished specialists.
Worth noting: The Balm has no SPF. If you are using it on lips or skin that will be in direct sun, that is not a sun protection product. Use a dedicated SPF product for sun exposure.
What does "100% natural" mean for The Balm?
Every ingredient in The Balm is natural in origin, that is 9 ingredients, no petrochemicals, no synthetic preservatives, no fragrance, no colour, no water. "100% natural" is a verified claim based on the actual formula: beeswax, five plant oils, three plant butters.
For reference, the ISO 16128 standard defines natural-origin content based on ingredient sourcing. The Balm scores 100% by that measure. This claim applies to The Balm only, not to any tinted products in the range, which use cosmetic-grade pigments to achieve their colour.
Because the formula has no water, it also needs no preservative. That is unusual in skincare. The beeswax and the naturally present antioxidants in sunflower oil provide stability instead. The product has a 12-month PAO (period after opening) verified by lab testing.
Is it really one stick to replace everything?
Mostly, honestly, yes, with two honest caveats.
It is not a sun protection product. There is no SPF in The Balm. If lips or skin are going in the sun, you need a separate SPF product.
It is not a treatment. A natural balm will condition, protect and nourish. It will not treat a skin infection, a cold sore, angular cheilitis, or a clinically severe skin condition. For anything that persists, looks infected, or is causing real distress, see a GP.
Everything else, everyday dryness on lips, hands, cuticles, dry patches on your face, elbows, knees, the bit of skin that chaps every single winter, a 30g, 100% natural, fragrance-free balm handles it. One stick. A year's worth.
If you want the longer version of everything a balm can genuinely do, the full guide is here: what you can use lip balm for.
And if you want to try it: The Balm is here, 30g, made in England.
Frequently asked questions
Can you use The Phatstix Balm on your cuticles?
Yes. The formula (beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter and jojoba oil) is well suited to cuticles and the dry skin around the nail plate. Apply directly from the stick and work in gently. The occlusive beeswax locks in moisture; the plant butters soften.
Is The Balm safe to use on your face as well as your lips?
Yes. The formula is non-comedogenic, with 94% of it scoring low-to-zero on the comedogenic scale, and it's free from fragrance and synthetic ingredients. It is suitable for all skin types and works on dry patches on the face, around the nose, and on wind-burnt cheeks. For persistent or unusual skin conditions, speak to a GP.
Does The Balm have SPF?
No. The Balm contains no sun protection factor. For sun-exposed skin, use a dedicated SPF product in addition to The Balm. The balm is a nourishing and protective barrier product, not a UV filter.
How long does one 30g stick actually last?
Up to a year with normal daily use across lips and any other dry areas. The 30g size is around 7.06x a standard lip balm: it is designed to be used liberally, not sparingly, and still outlast the alternatives.
Is it really 100% natural?
The Balm is 100% natural. Every one of its 9 ingredients is natural in origin: beeswax, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, raspberry seed oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter. No synthetics, no fragrance, no petrochemicals. The 100% natural claim applies to The Balm only.
Can I use it on dry hands, not just dry patches?
As a spot treatment or targeted application, yes, particularly on rough knuckles, cracked cuticle areas and very dry patches. It is not a thin, spreadable hand cream for all-over coverage; it is a concentrated balm suited to the driest, most neglected bits.