First Look: Anti Chafe Balm by Territory Run Co.

Anti Chafe Balm by Territory Run Co.

Weight: 2 ounces
Price: $13
Best Features: All natural, moisturizing, good price
Room for Improvement: Would be better in stick-form

Territory Run Co. is slowly but surely expanding their on-the-run gear, and their Anti Chafe Balm is a surprising but nice addition to their lineup of mostly running-inspired casual clothes. The balm is 100 percent natural, made of sunflower oil, cocoa butter, beeswax and castor oil—great news for those of us who take careful note of skincare ingredients. Thanks to castor oil’s makeup of ricinoleic acid, the balm has anti-bacterial properties. Be sure to test the product out on a small patch of skin first, though, as castor oil can cause skin irritations on some.

The texture of the balm feels more like an expensive, smooth moisturizer than an anti-chafe balm. It’s grainy at first, but immediately melts upon contact. You may wind up slathering the balm over your face and lips during a cold, windy run to protect your skin, ignoring the fact that it’s for anti chafing.

The balm is unscented and shouldn’t attract any unwanted bugs. Applied approximately thirty minutes before a three-hour long trail run, there were no problems with chafing in areas that would have otherwise had issues. Since the balm is not in stick form, expect to use your hands or another utensil to apply, which may prove either difficult or somewhat gross mid-way through a long run.

A concern is its potential ability to melt on a hot run or in a hot car. Though castor oil and beeswax have a high melting point, sunflower oil has a melting point within the realm of possibility on a mid-July day.

This is a great, all-natural product, and at a really nice price of $13 per 2 oz tin. Worst case, it’s at least a very portable moisturizer and skin protectant!

—Katie Stookesberry, a road runner in winter and trail runner by summer, loves trashing her quads on downhills, and will never pass up a good Negroni.