I’ve witnessed this with face creams, coconut oil, and lip balm – anything solid at room temp. if you dig a finger into the product, or run your nail against it, what comes away is soft and spreadable, rather than a hard chunk. I imagine the cell structure is changing in some way, but – what way? why does this happen?
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> I imagine the cell structure is changing in some way
Oils are not typically made of cells. Cells are for living tissues, atoms and molecules are for chemical substances like oils. A face cream or lip balm is just going to be chemicals and not tissue, living or otherwise.
> why does this happen?
Probably because it is getting warm. I hazard to guess that you have noticed that your and others’ grubby mitts are warm to the touch, maintained at a temperature higher than ambient due to our metabolism turning chemical potential energy into active biological processes. Much of that energy leaves our bodies as heat and as blood continually circulates through the tissues of our fingers it keeps them warm.
Many such creams are formulated such that they will be soft and pliable at the temperatures of the surface of the human body. This is very intentional for the reason you just described.
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