Multivitamin B supplements have helped others. I wonder if that was a big factor for you. I am not sure about the vitamin A in the cream.
There are people like me who are unable to breathe through mouth due to nasal turbinates getting swollen from allergies causing a blockage, as well as possibly having an actual blockage in nose. I have thought about the silicone scar strips I apply at night. They could be helping my lips not to get as dried out from mouth breathing. I do not know. However, I have been observing my mom falling asleep. Since she has sleep apnea, she sleeps with her mouth wide open. She does not have EC lips, though. A friend of mine also got his nose messed up from nose surgery so he is unable to breathe through his nose. In fact, he feels like he is suffocating all the time. His also does not have EC lips.