You’ve probably got a few tubes of lip balm floating around your desk, car, purse, or jacket pocket. It’s a ubiquitous beauty product that most of us don’t think about. But you should. Your lips have as much need for a daily skincare routine as the rest of your face. And, lip tissue is thinner than the rest of your skin and more prone to suffer from environmental stress. You put a lot of thought into the lotions and creams you use to treat dry skin; your lips deserve the same consideration.

There are a lot of lip treatments in the drugstore: lip masks, plumpers, lip scrubs, and more. But if your kisser isn’t in the best condition, these lip products aren’t going to amount to much. Your lips can go from soft to chapped incredibly quickly, so your priority should be to protect them with the best lip balm you can find. The balm you choose should lock in moisture, rehydrate dried tissue, soften rough spots, and heal any painful chapping. And considering that this product goes on your lips, it helps if your lip balm also has a pleasing flavor. 

Get ready to pucker up, buttercup. We’ve made a list of the best lip balms for dry lips. We reach for these products during spring, summer, fall, or winter to keep our lips kissably soft and soothed. Lip care so good that you’ll finish the entire tube.

1. Chap-Lip Lip Balm

Get amazing fruit flavor and soft, touchable lips with Chap-Lip’s popular lip butter. It’ll provide relief from cold sores, fever blisters, and chapped lips — all cruelty and paraben-free. This balm contains premium natural ingredients proven to heal and keep lips buttery soft without feeling greasy.

$4.00

2. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm uses 100% naturally sourced ingredients. Beeswax and coconut oil condition your lips, while vitamin E and sunflower seed oil soften and moisturize them. It glides on smoothly with a kiss of peppermint oil to give your lips a pleasing tingle, so you know they’re protected.

$4.49

3. Chapstick Classic Strawberry Lip Balm 0.15oz

If you’re like most kids, Chapstick Strawberry was your first experience with lip balm. Your mother handed you her “lipstick” and told you it gave your lips the perfect tint of pink. Well, it’s not tinted lip balm, but it does keep your lips soft, protected, and healthy-looking.

$2.99

4. Blistex Medicated Lip Balm SPF 15 0.15oz

Kiss dry, sunburnt lips goodbye with Blistex Medicated Lip Balm. This soothing balm has three long-lasting protective ingredients to lock in moisture, fight dryness, and heal chapping. It glides on comfortably to provide complete coverage and protects your lips with SPF 15.

$2.79

5. Chapstick Total Hydration Soothing Vanilla .12oz

Chapstick’s newest moisturizing lip balm is formulated with 100% naturally sourced, clinically proven ingredients. It combines nourishing Argan oil, avocado butter, and omegas 6 and 9 to smooth, moisturize, and salve away the pain of chapping, all paraben-free. 

$4.19

6. Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Lip Balm 3pk (Coconut, Watermelon, Banana)

The best things in life come in threes and happen to be coconut, watermelon, and banana flavored. Not only do Sun Bum’s lip balms taste great, but they’re packed with aloe and vitamin E to keep your lips supremely soft. As well, an effective SPF 30 sunscreen shields them from getting sunburnt.

$10.99

7. Vaseline Original Petroleum Jelly 1.75oz

Vaseline isn’t only for dry cuticles. It’s the original and still one of the best ways to prevent sore, dry lips. A thin layer is all you need to form a protective barrier between your lips and harsh environmental conditions. You can also use it to add a sheen to your fave matte lip color.

$4.49

8. Medicated Chapstick

Medicated Chapstick glides on smooth to protect your lips’ delicate skin from the drying effects of the blistering cold and chafing wind. Its analgesic ingredients ride to the rescue to temporarily relieve pain associated with chapping but ease fever blisters and cold sores too.

$3.29

FAQ

What’s the most effective lip balm?

To be effective, a lip balm has to do three things. It needs to lock in moisture, rehydrate the lip tissue, and protect your lips from the elements. Here are the top ingredients recommended by dermatologists that deliver these three essential requirements.

Shea butter and cocoa butter: These naturally occurring fats allow your lips to retain moisture and smooth chapped tissue, speeding the healing process.

Jojoba oil: This is another natural moisturizer that helps soothe parched lips. It’s also loaded with vitamin B complex to help smooth away dry, chapped flakes.

Castor oil: Castor oil penetrates the skin better than other vegetable oils, helping to return moisture to dry tissues. It’s also an analgesic and helps soothe the pain of chapped lips.

Lanolin: Lanolin is a wax derived from animals like sheep that acts as an emollient, creating a barrier to prevent moisture loss. As effective as lanolin is, it’s also a known allergen, so discontinue use immediately if you develop a rash or irritation.

Honey and beeswax: Who knew busy bees could help ease dry lips? Honey and beeswax are humectants that draw in moisture to keep lips hydrated. Beeswax is also an effective exfoliant, helping to polish away chapped skin.

Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, mineral oil: Petroleum jelly and related products create a barrier between skin and the environment, trapping moisture and preventing the tissue from being dried out.

Vitamins C and E: Both vitamins are antioxidant agents that reduce the signs of aging by protecting tissue from damage caused by harsh chemicals and sunlight. 

Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide: These chemicals help block harmful UV rays and are added to lip balms as a sunblock.

What is the number one best lip balm?

If Amazon reviewers are to be believed, the best lip balm you can buy is Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Its natural ingredients are effective, non-greasy, and come at an affordable price point. These combine to make Burt’s Bees a go-to for soft, smooth lips. They make some of the best tinted lip balms, too.

What is the best lip balm for chapped lips?

When shopping for a product to soothe chapped lips, you don’t want to confuse lip gloss with lip balm. Lip balm is formulated to soothe and heal chapped lips, while lip gloss is used to give a sheen to lips for a plumping effect. While you can use a lip balm to give your lipstick a glossier look, gloss won’t heal dry lips.

So, without further ado, here are the brands of lip glosses that have a devoted following among the GoPuff team.

Best natural lip balm:It’s a toss-up, but the luscious mango flavor tipped the scales toward Chap-Lip Mango Lip Butter. This cruelty-free product uses naturally sourced ingredients to create lip butter with a non-greasy application that lasts for hours.

Best lip balm with SPF: No one knows sun protection like a surfer. And no one protects your lips like Sun Bum. Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Lip Balm combines effective sunblock protection with aloe and vitamin E to deliver a vegan lip balm you can depend on, no matter how big the swells.

Best drugstore lip balm:If you’re headed to the drugstore specifically to buy lip balm, we will assume that it’s because they’re seriously chapped and need some help, pronto! In that case, let us suggest Medicated Chapstick. Not only does it have everything you need to return moisture to your lips, but this chapstick also contains camphor and menthol to soothe and cool the pain of chapped lips.

Best chapstick for men: If you’re interested in shaking things up and you’re a dude, may we suggest such classic fruit flavors as Chapstick’s Strawberry or Chapstick’s Cherry. We’re sure your partner will be delightfully surprised by your sweet choice of lip balms. Otherwise, choose whatever’s most effective at soothing and protecting your lips from the elements.