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Looking for a lip balm? HK$39 product likely to be as effective as one costing HK$160, consumer watchdog says

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Professor Michael Hui King-man, a spokesman for the city’s Consumer Council, talking about a study on lip balms. Photo: Nora Tam

Lip balms sold in Hong Kong were likely to be equally effective even in cases where the price difference between products was as much as four times, the city’s consumer watchdog said on Monday.

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The Consumer Council made these comments at its monthly press conference, where it also cited findings from its own and other consumer product studies.

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The study on lip balms was conducted by the United Kingdom-based International Consumer Research and Testing, an independent consortium of consumer organisations.

It asked users to test 26 lip balms, 10 of which are sold in Hong Kong and cost between HK$39 and HK$160. Five of the 10 products scored 3 out of 5 points, while the rest scored 3.5 out of 5 points. The Consumer Council said it ranked the products “medium” for effectiveness.

“All of the 10 balms have similar effectiveness, even though they are priced from HK$39 to HK$160,” said council spokesman Professor Michael Hui King-man.

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Users who carried out the lip balm test applied the product on their arms and then assessed how moist the area felt after two hours. They repeated the test after another four hours.

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