Lip balm is one of those products that’s never not necessary. During the summer, our lips are subject to heat, wind, sand, salt and harmful UV rays. Come wintertime, our lips (like our souls) take a battering from the cold, not to mention the ever-so-necessary but incredibly dehydrating indoor heat.
Needless to say, there’s no need to live life in a state of perpetual chapping, burning, flaking or dryness. Parched lips are annoying, but they are one of the easiest skin ailments to solve. All you need is a truly great lip balm. Of which we’ve rounded up 11.
While there are literally hundreds of softening, hydrating and protective lip balms on the market, many of them quality, these lip balms hold deeply personal significance to many a reviewer thanks to their long-lasting, crack-filling, windchill-blocking, lip-snuggling abilities. (And their taste, duh.)
Click through the gallery above to find out why these are the best lip balms for winter and beyond — and find your new go-to. (Note: Reviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.)
[ Next: 7 New Lip Treatments That Go Way Beyond Your Basic Balm ]
Best Lip Balms
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Best Lip Balms #1
Cold weather and overzealous heaters equal constantly chapped lips. Ahead, the best lip balms that will save you this winter.
Image: Imaxtree
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Bite Beauty
Agave Lip Balm, $27.25 at Amazon
This formula feels really, really good. The mix of agave and rare Madagascan vanilla CO2 extract is like a cashmere blanket for your lips. Plus you don't have to worry about balm getting crammed underneath your nails when applying.
Per reviewers:
"I've really been loving this on my dry winter lips. Long-lasting and very moisturizing! My only gripe is that it's shaped like a pill, so I can easily envision this tube rolling all over my desk and me losing it!"
"I suffer from such dry skin, eczema and all! When my lips get dry they are on another level. Nothing worked at all. Desperate and chapped, this gem fell into my hands and all I can say is, I will be buying five more. I cannot live a moisturized life without it."
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Dr. Bronner's
Peppermint Organic Lip Balm, $3.49 at Target
From the soap experts at Dr. Bronner's, a long-lasting lip balm that moisturizes while protecting against the cold, works as a primer or alone, fits easily in your minaudière and smells faintly like peppermint, not menthol, as one reviewer made sure to point out.
Per reviewers:
"LOVE. Finally, a lip balm that isn't full of nasty ingredients and works great!"
"This is my favorite lip balm right now. I love the scent! (It actually smells like peppermint, not menthol, like Burt's Bees does.) It's not waxy and it keeps my lips moisturized! Plus it's toxin-free!"
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Frank Body
Original Lip Balm, $11.95 at Ulta Beauty
Frank Body can do no wrong. Fortified with lanolin, vitamin E, arabica coffee seed oil, grapeseed oil and coconut oil, this all-natural best lip balm softens, hydrates, tones and protects your pout.
Per reviewers:
"I definitely prefer this to Glossier's Balm Dotcom. Both are emollient-packed salves but this seems to be thicker and more effective. It has a nice coffee scent, too."
"I am an EOS addict and have been for years. I'd heard good things about this brand and wanted to try it out. I've been using the lip scrub and lip balm for a week now and my lips never flake or crack. I love how it doesn't feel too heavy on my lips and is so nourishing!"
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Kopari
Coconut Lip Glossy in Original, $13 at Sephora
Come for the chic minimalist packaging, stay for the powerfully calming, nourishing and quenching formula. (Also it's vegan, silicon-free and tastes like coconut, yum.)
Per reviewers:
"Love this lip gloss! That juicy wet look without too many additives in the ingredient list like most lip products. This tube lasts a long time and I use it daily to keep my lips soft. Layers nicely over lipsticks and lip stains as well."
"I have LOADS and LOADS of lip balms, I am pretty obsessed with lip balm, and having as many lip balms as I have, I can say this is an amazing balm!!"
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Fresh
Sugar Lip Caramel Hydrating Balm, $18 at Sephora
Offers just enough shine, but it's more of a lip treatment than a gloss (thanks to the apricot kernel oil, black currant seed oil, grapeseed oil and vitamin E within).
Per reviewers:
"As with everything in the Sugar collection by Fresh, this balm is very hydrating. It feels nice on my lips and isn't too sticky or too dry. Overall, I love it, though I have to say when I saw the word 'caramel,' I expected the balm to be pretty sweet. The scent and flavor is very subtle."
"I am enjoying this balm — very hydrating. I have chronically dry lips and sensitive skin and experienced no irritation or dehydration with this product. The caramel scent is subtle, with a hint of citrus too. I didn't notice any flavor."
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Paula's Choice
Lip & Body Treatment Balm, $15 at Amazon
With chapped lips weather comes dry cuticles weather, flaky nose weather and patchy red skin weather. This super-effective lip and body balm hydrates without discrimination — no need to schlep around lotion.
Per reviewers:
"Worth the price! I carry this with me always. I use it on my lips and my cuticles throughout the day and at night. No taste. No smell. Works nicely! I definitely recommend this!"
"Amazeballs. Seriously the best lip balm I've ever used. Super hydrating and healing. I love that I only need to apply it a couple times a day, not flipping hourly. Works great on chapped skin and wintertime dry nose. I have very sensitive skin and have never had any irritation from this, nor have any of the friends that I've let use it."
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MALIN+GOETZ
Lip Moisturizer, $14 at Nordstrom
This super-hydrating, nonsticky serum works especially well on severely cracked lips. Don't believe us? Just read the reviews.
Per reviewers:
"During a grueling course of chemotherapy nearly four years ago, both corners of my mouth split open. It was very painful. When treatment ceased my lips continued to split on a regular basis despite being kept regularly and expensively moisturized. Desperate, I tried every healing product I could find. A friend gave me a tube of this moisturizer that she'd received as a promotion. Based on the rather clinical packaging, I was skeptical. However, I knew almost immediately that I'd found something special — within a few days my mouth began to heal. (I'll admit to applying it five to six times a day at first and leaving a big blob in each cracked corner.) After three weeks the cracks had completely disappeared. I immediately bought 10 more tubes and maintain my new mouth with regular applications (obviously the skin is very damaged, probably beyond complete repair). It is no exaggeration to say that this product has changed my life beyond measure. It has achieved what even prescription creams could not and I cannot recommend it highly enough."
"Like everyone that suffers from dry, chapped, cracked lips, I am always on the search for something better. After reading reviews — especially the one from the woman who'd gone through chemo — I decided I had to buy this. It arrived on a day when my lips were severely dry and I had a painful crack on my lower lip. I applied it a few times through the day, then a liberal amount before bed and I kid you not, my crack was healed overnight. I stretched my lips to see if it would split back open and it didn't. I will definitely be repurchasing this to have on hand for the winter months and as a nighttime treatment because all the liquid lipstick I wear during the day tends to dry my lips out. I'm excited to try other products in this range!"
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Jack Black
Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25, $8 at Ulta Beauty
This Allure Best of Beauty winner will leave your lips plump and moisturized long after the balm itself has disappeared. And at less than $10 a tube, what've you got to lose?
Per reviewers:
"My lips have been extremely dry because I wear a mask for at least 6 hours a day. This has been the best remedy! I will stock up on this product!"
"It's my absolute favorite lip balm! Keeps my lips moisturized and does not feel too heavy on my lips."
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Sol de Janeiro
Brazilian Kiss Cupuaçu Lip Butter, $18 at Sephora
Skiers, rejoice: this cupuaçu, açaí and coconut oil-infused lip butter is thick and protective enough for outdoor winter activities. That said, contrary to what the name implies, you may want to mime your "hello" kisses after recent application.
Per reviewers:
"This is the first lip balm I've used all the way down to the bottom. It's smooth on the lips, smells delicious and is an excellent moisturizer. This is definitely gonna be a staple for me."
"This stuff is amazing! Usually, I suffer through the winter with extremely chapped lips. (I'm a skier, so there's a lot of wind abuse.) This helps heal and protect my lips, plus it smells like I'm on a beach. Love it!"
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Tatcha
Camellia Gold Spun Lip Balm, $30 at Tatcha
Imagine you're at brunch with your friends and you pull out this uber-cool, gold-flecked lip balm. Does that actually work? They ask. Hell yes. You answer. Its star ingredient, camellia oil, is rich in oleic acid and vitamins A, B, D and E along with Omegas 3, 6 and 9. Just kidding. You don't have to memorize all that.
Per reviewers:
"It's the perfect lip balm. It's light, long-lasting and works well as a base for makeup. Perfect under liquid lipsticks. Nonsticky. I love the smell. This is my ride or die!"
"I use this every night before I go to bed and it is amazing. It isn't sticky or too thick. It has the perfect mouthfeel and actually stays on my lips all night long. Since starting use my lips have become softer, more hydrated and plumper. I adore this lip balm. And the gold flecks? Who doesn't want to feel a little extra special when you leave the house?"
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Olio E Osso
No. 1, $28 at Anthropologie
A favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow, this super-hydrating best lip balm is an easy fix for split ends, flyaways and brows. (You can also use it on cuticles and dry spots of any kind.) Keep one at your desk for midday touch-ups.
Per reviewers:
"This is a nice staple. I carry it in my purse to use for emergencies (flaking, dry skin on my face) or dry lips. I chose the uncolored version so I can use it as a base under (or over) lip color."
"I purchased this product to use as a lip balm and eyebrow tamer and it doesn't disappoint. It's clear, hydrating and smells of grapefruit...perfect!"
