Burt’s Bees’ ranch-flavored lip balm started out as a joke — then it sold out immediately
It may have started as a joke, but now they’re laughing all the way to the buttermilk bank.
On Jan. 17, Burt’s Bees and Hidden Valley Ranch partnered for a wild lip balm collaboration inspired by the flavors of chicken wings. The limited-edition collection featured lip balm sticks in four flavors: Hidden Valley Ranch, Buffalo Sauce, Crunchy Celery and Fresh Carrot. Burt’s Bees emphasizes on its website that the lip balms, though food-flavored, are “NOT FOR CONSUMPTION.”
They were available “while limited supplies last” for $11.99 — but the supplies did not last long, selling out in “just a few hours,” according to a post on Instagram.
The pair of unlikely partners first came up with the idea as an April Fools joke on social media almost two years ago.
“How much Ranch flavor is too much? The limit does not exist 🤯 #BalmLife #RanchLife,” reads the caption on an April 1, 2022 Instagram post from Burt’s Bees and Hidden Valley showing ranch-flavored lip balm.
Fans responded in a surprising way: They may have realized the product was a joke, but they still wanted the brands to make it.
“I neededdd this to b real,” commented one Instagram user at the time.
“Ranch and lip balm together? I think so,” wrote another.
Two years later, on the Instagram post announcing that the collection had sold out, fans have been cheering on the unconventional partnership.
“Can’t wait for bae to kiss my ranchy little lips,” commented one Instagra user.
“PLEASE RESTOCK,” begged another.
Hidden Valley Ranch is known for its headline-making marketing gimmicks, releasing a home decor collection, ranch dressing kegs, a ranch dressing fountain, a $35,000 bottle of ranch dressing bejeweled in diamonds, sapphires and white gold, Ranchnog (ranch eggnog), a Ranch on a Branch plushie, and a ranch-flavored ice cream in partnership with Van Leeuwen.
I tried it that last one and wrote at the time that the “garlicky-chiveness of the treat really lingers on the tongue,” so you can probably guess whether or not I went in for seconds.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
