Best Lip Balms and Treatments For Dry, Chapped Lips
24 Lip Balms That’ll Soothe Your Dry, Chapped Lips
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Lip balm: most people have their favourites, many have multiples dotted around (desks, handbags, and bedside tables all being usual spots), and a lot of us feel very passionate about what makes a lip balm good or bad. It's a beauty product that almost everyone uses and repurchases often. In my opinion, you can never have too many of the tubes and tubs.
Small but mighty, the humble lip balm looks after your lips and helps moisturise them when they're dry, soften them when they're chapped, and soothe them when they're sore — especially in the wintertime when all these symptoms are exacerbated. Most balms contain hydrating ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E, which all help to treat dry, chapped lips. Balms also act as a barrier to lock in moisture, preventing evaporation from the surface of the lips, which helps lead to dryness and irritation.
Because they are such a must-have item, there is an exhaustive number of lip balms available and the overwhelming amount of options can result in just grabbing the first you see in the store. That's why we've rounded up the ones we're totally devoted to, so the next time you're on the hunt for a new one, you'll know which actually work and our editors swear by. Read on to check out our all-time favourite lip balms covering all price points.
OLEHENRIKSEN Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment
The brand-new OLEHENRIKSEN Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment (£17) will keep my juicy pout in check for the whole of 2023. The balm is packed full of peptides which promise to strengthen the skin around your lips and smoothes even the finest of lines.
Glossier Balm Dotcom
Glossier Balm Dotcom (£11) has had a major upgrade. It's still just as pretty, Instagrammable, makeup artist favoured, and straight out of our millennial dreams (you get it) . . . but it's now got a brand new formula. Not only is it vegan, they've also redesign the applicator tip, so it's even easier to apply. The texture still feels smooth like a balm, and doesn't feel greasy or heavy. It both protects and moisturisers and comes in a variety of flavours like birthday cake, mango, and berry. As if this wasn't enough, Glossier has also brought back the much-loved wild fig flavour and it's here to stay.
Pat McGrath Labs Lip Fetish Lip Balm
Pat McGrath Labs Lip Fetish Lip Balm (£18) is hands-down the most beautiful lip balm you'll own being housed in the iconic (and beautiful) Pat McGrath Labs lipstick bullet. But of course, it doesn't just looks great, it also instantly hydrates lips without being a single bit sticky.
Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm
The Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm (£15) is definitely more expensive than your typical drugstore till aisle item but damn, is it worth it. The top ingredient is coconut oil, which instantly soothes the lips, but the addition of avocado, mongogo, and marula oils is what really makes this balm extra special and hydrating.
The Glowcery Sweet Orange
The Glowcery Sweet Orange (£12) is packed full of hydrating vegan ingredients that your lips will love, including carrot and avocado oil, mango and shea butter, as well as plant-based fruit wax and orange oil. The texture is creamy but not too wet (perfect if you don't like that lip gloss finish) and the sweet scent of orange is truly irresistible.
Nivea Hydro Care with SPF 15 Lip Balm With SPF 15
Sometimes there's nothing better than the basics, and that's exactly how I feel when it comes to the Nivea Original Care Caring Lip Balm (£2). It's not heavily scented, coats my lips with a quick swipe, and really moisturises my lips. I'll always have one of these in my bag, regardless how many other new balms I have on the go.
Nuxe Baume Levres Reve De Miel Honey Lip Balm
Nuxe knows a thing or two about hydration: its hair oil is beloved by beauty editors and hairstylists alike. It's no surprise then that the Nuxe Baume Levres Reve De Miel Honey Lip Balm (£10.50) is also amazing. If you're a germaphone, the tub will probably turn you away, but if you can get past that, it's honestly one of the best lip treatment on the market. "I keep a jar at my desk all year round, but it's especially helpful when the heaters in the office go on full blast and suck the life out of my skin," POPSUGAR content director Sophia Panych said. "When I'm done applying it, you'll find me going back for seconds rubbing it over my cuticles, too."
Smith's Rosebud Salve Original Lip Balm
Smith's Rosebud Salve Original Lip Balm (£8.50) is a classic (created in 1892!) that's been used by many makeup artists for decades. It immediately softens and soothes flaky, dry lips, leaving behind a very faint pink tint and a delightful rose scent.
Dior Addict Lip Glow
Dior Addict Lip Glow (£29.50) is one of the chicest handbag companions you'll ever own and it's also a total delight to use. The shea butter-packed balm provides day-long hydration to keep dry lips at bay. Even better, there are plenty of shades to choose from, including universal, which provides clear, glossy hydration to something with a little more pigment like plum or mahogany.
Strivectin Hyaluronic Omega Moisture Lip Mask
Strivectin Hyaluronic Omega Moisture Lip Mask (£26) immediately packs a punch of hydration making even the dryest of lips feel more comfortable and moisturised. It also smells delightful and gives a gleaming finish to rival even our favourite lip glosses.
La Mer The Lip Balm
Yes, £52 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a lip balm. However, if you're feeling bougie, just know that this spenny lip saver comes recommended by nearly every makeup artist working in Hollywood. So while La Mer The Lip Balm (£52) won't give you lips like Angelina Jolie, it will make the lips you have soft, smooth, and perfectly prepped for any lipstick you layer on top.
Eos Smooth Sphere Organic Strawberry Sorbet Lip Balm
Back in the day, when Eos Smooth Sphere Organic Strawberry Sorbet Lip Balm (£6.50) was only stocked in the US, I'd feel like the coolest gal in the UK walking around with my spherical, colourful lip balm that I'd pick up when visiting my dad in the States. Now that it's widely available in the UK, I still feel like the coolest gal walking around with my spherical, colourful lip balm. Aside from how fun they are, the Eos balms are packed with cocoa and shea butter to help make my sore lips feel nourished.
Carmex Original Lip Balm
For those with severely dry lips, Carmex Original Lip Balm (£2) is a must have. It does exactly what it promises: soothes, relieves, and moisturises chapped lips and cold sores. However, if you aren't a fan of tingly products, this one is not for you.
R&R Luxury Lip Butter
What we really like about the R&R Luxury Lip Butter (£5) is the fact we can read, recognise, and even remember every single ingredient listed on the tube it's so short. There might not be a whole lot in this hydrating formula (a good thing when it comes to a lip treatment in our opinion), but every ingredient in there is considered and very effective. There's shea butter (sourced responsibly and ethically from Ghana), coconut oil, beeswax, lavender oil, and peppermint oil, that, when combined, leave lips silky and smooth, but not tacky or sticky — making this a great option to use to prep your lips with before applying lipstick or liner.
Aquaphor Lip Repair
There's a reason Aquaphor Lip Repair (£7) is a top-Amazon-rated choice and highly recommended by dermatologists. It's often recommended by those taking Roaccutane (a vitamin A derivative that's often used as acne treatment) as the medication causes severe dry lips. The formula contains shea butter and camomile, which work together to soothe sore lips.
Burt's Bees Lip Balm
Burt's Bees Lip Balm (£4) is a classic. No, really. Every second, someone around the world is buying a tube of the stuff. Made with beeswax (unsurprisingly) and vitamin E, it's incredibly hydrating without looking too shiny or feeling to slick on your lips. And because it also contains peppermint extract, it also leaves behind a slightly tingling sensation.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
POPSUGAR editorial assistant Kara Kia has used the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (£10) for the past two years and swears by it for curing her chapped lips. "I use it after exfoliating my lips with a sugar scrub; right now I'm using Barry M Mango Lip Scrub (£5). I apply the mask every night, and sometimes in the morning before I head out into the dry Winter air. It definitely works," she said.
John Masters Organics Lip Calm
Don't be fooled by the light, citrusy scent of John Masters Organics Lip Calm (£6). This all-natural lip balm is a heavy-duty lip treatment that immediately hydrates lips, relieving them of flakes and that tight feeling you get when they're dehydrated. Panych has been a fan for years. "I wouldn't make it through the colder months without this stuff," she said.
Frank Body Lip Balm
POPSUGAR assistant editor Angela Law swears by Frank Body Lip Balm (£7) because it contains lanolin, a wool wax often from sheep that is the only thing that she's found that really helps sooth her chapped lips. It also smells like coffee, a bonus if you aren't keen on the sweeter lip scents.
Eau Thermale Avène Cold Cream Lip Balm
My favourite Eau Thermale Avène lip cream was discontinued a few years ago and I've never quite recovered. Until the brand comes to their senses and relaunches the product, I've been using the Eau Thermale Avène Cold Cream Lip Balm (£6), which is an equally good formula because it contains lanolin extract without being thick and goopy.
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy
The Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 (£21.50) is expensive but it's so worth it. It's thick enough to coat the entirety of your lips but still has a glossy, balm feel to it. It's highly emollient and I feel like it really does lock in moisture.
Honest Beauty Magic Beauty Balm
Honest Beauty Magic Beauty Balm (£16) is a multiuse product that works particularly well on the lips. It contains sunflower, coconut, olive, and shea oils (to name a few) and is a great hydrating lip balm that works just as well on other dry parts of the body such as elbow and cuticles — perfect to throw in your bag or keep stashed in your makeup kit.
Ameliorate Intensive Lip Treatment
Ameliorate Intensive Lip Treatment (£15) isn't your typical lip balm, in the best kind of way. At first, it feels a little strange because it applies like a moisturiser with a thick white layer. But once rubbed in, it soaks into the lips creating an almost matte barrier. After applying a generous coat before bed, I wake up with hydrated, flake-free lips.
Lumene Arctic Hydra Care [Arktis] Moisture and Relief Rich Lip Cream
Similar in texture and formula to the Ameliorate lip balm, Lumene Arctic Hydra Care [Arktis] Moisture and Relief Rich Lip Cream (£8) applies like a cream but dries semi-matte, rather than glossy, like most balms. I like to apply a thick layer before stepping outside as it protects my lips from the cold, and also doesn't stick to my hair or scarf, which is a bonus for me.
![Lumene Arctic Hydra Care [Arktis] Moisture and Relief Rich Lip Cream](https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/LzPfriJd1Bo8LqcndaScJ2UtRVk/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2020/02/21/530/n/29590734/d794b438803ef697_qzwzsihthrazpxdlgfhg/i/Lumene-Arctic-Hydra-Care-Arktis-Moisture-Relief-Rich-Lip-Cream.jpg "Lumene Arctic Hydra Care [Arktis] Moisture and Relief Rich Lip Cream")
