Is it ok to use flavored (coconut milk and honey apple) lip balm with the following ingredients:
Sunflower seed oil, synthetic beeswax, beeswax, castor seed oil, petrolatum, flavor/aroma, fragrance, shea butter, cocoa seed butter, jojoba esters, avocado oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, sunflower seed wax, stevia leaf/stem extract, acacia decurrens flower wax, tocopherol, citric acid
Lip balm is a non-food item, and according to Halacha, non-food items do not require kosher certification, regardless of their ingredients. This applies equally to things like lip balm, dish soap, and paper plates. Yet, many Kashrut certification agencies still require certification for such products. This is not based on Halacha but on other considerations, which raises serious questions about whether these practices are being presented honestly to the public. Consumers should be cautious about placing full trust in agencies when their policies clearly go beyond the requirements of Halacha. My father always said, “If you really need a Hashgacha, can these people be trusted?!”