Tech
5 Best Lip Balms to Try in 2025, All Tested in Tough Conditions
Compare Top 5 Lip Balms
Honorable Mentions
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Eos 24H Moisture Super Balm for $6: I’ve been a fan of Eos’s egg-shaped balms since middle school. The 24H Moisture Super Balm feels like the grown-up version. There are some solid ingredients like shea butter, avocado oil, and castor seed oil. It’s also free of parabens, phthalates, silicones, and synthetic dyes. It’s glossy, cushiony, and comes in delicious scents like Coconut Milk, Mango Melonade, and Watermelon Frosé. The one catch is that it’s not fragrance-free, so those with sensitive lips may not love it. The texture is also sticky, meaning your hair will find its way onto your mouth on a breezy day. And despite the 24-hour moisture claim, expect to reapply every hour or two.
Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm for $4: If you’re ingredient-conscious, Burt’s Bees has probably been in your tote at some point. The original formula blends beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, and peppermint oil. There’s no petroleum or parabens, and you can find it just about everywhere. That said, the beeswax forms a solid barrier but is not the most hydrating, especially during the dead of winter. The balm coats but doesn’t penetrate, which means it won’t do much for lips that are already cracked. The peppermint oil can also be a little too spicy for sensitive lips. Still, if you’re in a pinch and standing in front of the CVS self-checkout, it’s a smarter purchase than Blistex (more on that later).
Glossier Balm Dotcom for $16: The Glossier Balm Dotcom walked so the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask could run. It’s a multipurpose salve that blends lanolin, castor oil, and beeswax for ultimate moisture retention. Plus, it comes in a handful of sheer tints that play well with no-makeup makeup days. But the thick, waxy texture can feel a bit clumpy, especially if you’re layering over flaky lips.
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Goop Beauty Nourishing Lip Repair Mask for $30: This buttery lip mask from Goop is loaded with ceramides to help restore your lip barrier, along with fig seed oil and acai fruit that smells just as tropical as it sounds. While it’s free from silicones, parabens, and synthetic fragrances, those botanical oils and fruit extracts can still trigger a reaction. Patch test first. Also, at $30 for just 0.3 fluid ounces, it’s not the most cost-effective balm on my list.
Omorovicza Budapest Perfecting Lip Balm for $46: Omorovicza’s Perfecting Lip Balm’s texture leans gritty, almost like a lip polish or a micro-exfoliator. There are some goodies in here, like hyaluronic acid and omega fatty acids. But, there are also some unnecessary (potentially irritating) extras—eucalyptus oil, perfume, and benzyl alcohol.
Avoid These Lip Balms
Nivea Dewy Lip Care with Hyaluronic Acid: Nivea’s Dewy Lip Care with Hyaluronic Acid is packed with emollients, humectants, and antioxidants—like shea butter, glycerin, and vitamin E (to name a few)—that sound promising. Unfortunately, there are also a couple of unnecessary additives, particularly geranoil fragrance and “flavor,” which could include any mix of synthetic or natural compounds. Nivea’s tinted balms aren’t much better; they leave a greasy film and rely on synthetic pigments for shimmer and color. There are many better balms available that provide lasting hydration without the excessive shine.
Blistex Lip Medex: It gives you that instant tingle thanks to menthol and camphor, plus a cocktail of synthetic flavors and fragrances, but that sting is a red flag. A general note: “Medicated” lip balms often do more harm than good.
Carmex Classic Lip Balm: For similar reasons to Blistex, skip Carmex. It contains camphor and benzocaine, which are ingredients that can irritate the skin and make cracked lips worse over time.
What Causes Chapped Lips? There are a lot of triggers, and here are some of the most common causes of chapped lips:
What Ingredients Should You Look for (and Avoid) In Lip Balms?
Here’s what to look for on the label:
Here’s what to avoid:
When to See a Dermatologist
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, if your lips are still chapped after two to three weeks of consistent balm use, you should consult your dermatologist. A professional can help you figure out if there’s something more serious going on—like an allergic reaction or fungal infection—and treat it before it exacerbates.
My lip balm obsession started sometime around 2006 with a Fanta Lip Smacker, but for this story, I got more methodical. Over the past eight months, I put 30 balms to the test across a variety of climates and conditions: dry Chicago winters, Florida heat, airplane air, etc. I judged each against a checklist of factors: What Are We Testing Next?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Castor oil: Thick, nourishing, and packed with ricinoleic acid that helps smooth rough texture. It is ever so slightly comedogenic, meaning it can clog pores.
2. Cocoa butter or shea butter: These rich butters toe the line between emollient and occlusive. They hydrate and help rebuild the lip’s natural barrier without clogging pores.
3. Coconut oil: Naturally anti-inflammatory, but if you’re acne-prone, it can be too much for the skin around your lips.
4. Jojoba oil: Mimics the skin’s natural sebum. Super lightweight, nongreasy, and unlikely to clog pores.
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