I tried it ~ {Cult Beauty Fave} Smith’s Rosebud Salve

Cult Beauty Favorites have always intrigued me.

These products have been around forever and remain a staple for women everywhere, all over the globe, decade after decade. An élite group of desirables that never lose their appeal or effectiveness.

I can’t say I’ve tried many cult faves, only if they strike a chord with my curiosity. This particular item was purchased only because 1) it’s now available in a tube and 2) it just happened to be near the check-out at Bath & Body about a year ago. I used to be a huge Bath & Body fan but eventually lost interest. Now, I just stop in for gifts since friends & family still enjoy their products.

A History Lesson

In case you’re not familiar with the legacy of Rosebud Salve, it’s the creation of Dr. Smith of Woodsboro, Maryland. Originally a teacher {taught for five years}, he became a pharmacist in 1902. A father of eight children, Dr. Smith was also a bank president from 1925 to 1930, and served as the mayor of his town for 19 years. An avid lover of music, he was also an agent for Columbia Records and often played old cylinder recordings on his Edison phonograph!

Th Rosebud Perfume Company was established in 1895, located inside a small drugstore, across the street from (what is now known as) the Rosebud Building in Woodsboro, MD.

Dr. Smith prepared his famous salve at the urging of friends and family who suggested he develop a salve that could be used for various minor skin concerns. His original product was known as “Balsam of Rosebuds” and later renamed “Smith’s Rosebud Salve”. Its local popularity grew quickly, prompting the doctor to advertise in country tabloids; an action that resulted in one of the most unique mail order businesses in the country. His success led to purchasing the Smith Hotel several years later, which has served as the home of Rosebud products for over 100 years.

Initially, the mail order business offered four major brands for agents to sell door to door, including the Vivian Perfume named for Dr. Smith’s granddaughter and current company president, Vivian Smith Pruitt Clipp. Dr. Smith also developed an award system for his team of more than 70,0000 agents; top sellers could receive curtains, BB guns, silverware, phonographs and old cylinder records.

Dr. Smith & his wife Minnie had eight children, all of whom are now deceased, but the family business continues to grow, advance and Rosebud Salve remains a top-selling product!

My Thoughts

I wasn’t as focused on greening my beauty regimen when I purchased this, however, I wouldn’t exactly classify the following ingredients as natural or green:

• Petrolatum 
• Cotton Seed Oil
• Trade Secret Perfume

At first, I was quite pleased to see only three ingredients listed on the package, until I did the research. Yowzers!! Trade Secret Perfume is worrisome because we don’t know the secret behind the trade; not a fan of mystery ingredients. Second, there’s nothing natural about petrolatum or cotton seed oil. After researching, the thought of applying cotton seed oil anywhere near my lips frightens me. Click on the hyperlinks above to find out why. I found two great resources on cotton seed, so I attached one to “cotton seed” and the other to “oil”. Trust me, totally worth the read! 😯

I will not be purchasing anything else with cotton seed in it, that’s for sure!

Now, ingredients aside, let’s move on to the application….

It feels moisturizing, but I’m not a fan of rose scented anything! The first time I applied it, the scent was overwhelming so it took some time to grow on me. It’s heavily scented. I found myself reaching for it as I was running out of lip balm and eventually ran out completely so I relied on it as a substitute. Some days, the scent seemed more noticeable than others. If you like the smell of roses, you’ll love this stuff.

It’s rose colored as well but doesn’t show up on my lips as they are fairly pigmented already. I paid $6 for this 30m tube, I was fine with that considering it’s a cult favorite. Normally, I don’t pay more than $3 for lip balm. I can’t say it was the best lip balm I’ve ever used, it’s fairly hydrating but due to the ingredients and price, I won’t be buying this again.

Have you tried any Rosebud products?