Olio E Osso Balm / A Review

I couldn’t seem to get away from Olio E Osso as much as I tried. This brand, with its minimal packaging and vibrant inner colors, shows up at my local Austin boutiques, Anthropologie and Goop. I love a multi-use product for multiple reasons (easy to travel with, supports a monochromatic look, likely means products are safe enough to be put anywhere on the face and body). Therefore, I knew this was a brand I wanted to explore further given their multi-use balms and skincare.

Unfiltered full look with my new shade of balm (cheeks and lips). I had nothing else on my lips and only my BareMinerals Complexion Rescue and Tarte Shape Tape as my facial makeup.

I first tried the Olio E Osso balm on at my local Kindred Spirits (Nina Gordon is my Austin spirit animal, by the way) and I actually didn’t like it— I think I was turned off by the price as well as the color offerings. I used a finger to apply the No. 5 Current shade (I think) to my cheeks and lips, but it wasn’t working for me. For $28.00 per container, you want to be in love. I put the tester back on the shelf and didn’t think twice.

Naturally, Olio E Osso kept popping up in my Instagram feed (I think I followed them for a giveaway, classic) so I decided to look at their website and figure out what the hype was all about. Paola LaMorticella and May Albano launched Olio E Osso in 2014 in an attempt to create a balm sweet and simple enough to calm an infant’s skin. It’s a woman-run business with all products hand-produced in Portland, Oregon.

I’m only focusing on the balm in this article, but the brand also produces skincare (pre-shave oil, finishing oil, oil cleanse, body oil, shave oil) and a hand cream. They range in price from $35 to $140. Olio E Osso has a section on their website for men, which includes their two non-colored balms, pre-shave oil and a pomade for hair. Realistically, I think all of their skincare could be used for men’s skin.

No. 8 balm in Persimmon

The Balms

Olio E Osso’s website, with their full collection of colored and non-colored balms, is a fun shopping experience. The brand has 2 non-colored balms, No. 0 Netto and No. 1 Clear. Netto is a menthol balm for use all over the body from temples to the chest to the lips. Clear is a simply pure balm to be used as a conditioner all over the body. I personally chose No. 8 Persimmon as my first trial. While I was tempted to spend $99 on a pack of 4, I didn’t want to get in over my head if I disliked it as I had on the first go.

Their standard balms come in a tube that’s 0.35oz of product. If you really love the Netto or Clear, 2.0oz jars are $55 each. Based on my first few uses of the balm, it will last a genuinely long time if cared for correctly. Balms should be stored under 76 degrees F and should be used within a year given products don’t include stabilizers or preservatives.

Persimmon on my cheeks and lips (unfiltered photo). I really loved the texture, incredibly easy to blend and apply. Also provided a natural glow, so I didn’t feel like I needed to add anything else on top.

The Experience

I am thoroughly pleased with the shade and product that arrived from Olio E Osso. The application was seamless on both my cheeks and lips by using my finger. Given the shape of the tube, I think I could have swiped it over my cheeks and maybe on my lips, but I prefer to use my own tools.

Minimal product is needed for the pigment to show up on the skin, which is very exciting. The product is very buildable and I love the idea of layering different balm shades to create more unique color combinations. For my skin tone, Persimmon is perfect to apply as a blush and a lip color, but I don’t think No. 4, 5, 12, or 13 will work for me (despite that I really want Poppy to—it would be very dark on my cheeks). The balm has a light, fruity scent with no hint of beeswax.

The Ingredients and Packaging

Olio E Osso was created to provide safe and cleaner products lacking any non-essential ingredients. The base of their balms are 100% natural (meaning lacking synthetic products) but some balms do contain synthetic colorants. However, these are FDA approved food and cosmetic grade.

I was excited that a list of ingredients was included with my product when it arrived (see below). These balms aren’t vegan as the third ingredient is beeswax and carmine is used as a colorant (carmine = crushed insects, if you’re late to the game). I’ll leave the purchasing of products with carmine up to the individual consumer. While some might be turned off by the fact these are dead bugs, carmine can sometimes cause allergic reactions. The only other ingredient that was foreign for me was Annatto, which is a red dye from the achiote tree. It’s even used in cheddar cheese to give it the orange color (odd).

Interesting enough, Olio E Osso is replacing the natural mica in their products because the brand couldn’t find a supplier of natural mica that didn’t involve child labor. Synthetic mica will allow the brand more control over the supply chain. All of this is discussed openly on the OEO website.

Packaging-wise, the brand doesn’t have too much commentary as to the nature of their plastic or choice to use plastic over another material. Upon writing this and posting to social media, I’m going to open up a conversation about the product’s component with Olio E Osso.

The Consensus

If this product-to-price ratio is within your budget, I highly recommend trying out Olio E Osso as a multi-use, non-vegan, “natural” beauty product. I foresee myself ordering the Netto or Clear next and seeing how Matt feels about those as well. The brand is accessible (and available through multiple channels) for those alright with the cost. I’m excited to see where this brand goes, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about the company as well.