Don’t forget to protect your pout with these editor-approved SPF lip balms.
Though you may already use lip balm on a regular basis to avoid chapped lips, applying a lip balm with SPF when you go outside is a simple but effective approach to increase your sunscreen use. In fact, applying sun protection on your lips may be more vital than in other areas. Jill Salyards, MD, board-certified dermatologist and owner of Refine Dermatology, a private practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, believes that protecting the lips is just as important as protecting the rest of the body, especially since they are a common site for skin cancer, and that it protects against sunburns, skin aging, and cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone, regardless of skin type or pigmentation, wear it.
We evaluated ten of the most popular sunscreen-enhanced lip products to determine the best SPF lip balms. Our editors, who ranged in age, skin type, and level of familiarity with SPF cosmetics, tested them for two weeks. We evaluated each SPF lip balm’s feel, moisture level, overall appearance, and value. Then, a dermatologist from our Medical Expert Board reviewed the content to ensure its accuracy.
What SPF is Best for Lips?
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, sun protection factor (SPF) relates to how long it takes UV radiation to redden your skin when you use the product as prescribed versus not using it. SPF ranges from 6 to 100, but the ideal level is somewhere in the center, with SPF 15 being the minimum requirement. The AAD recommends using SPF 30 or higher. Sunscreen with broad-spectrum coverage is also recommended because it protects against UVA and UVB radiation.
Types of SPF Lip Balms
Mineral: This type is often advised for persons with sensitive skin because it is gentler, although it can leave a white cast on the skin. According to Dr. Salyards, mineral sunscreens should contain sun-blocking chemicals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
Chemical sunscreens are more pleasant to wear, but there are questions about their overall safety for both humans and the environment. According to Dr. Salyards, chemical sunscreens contain active chemicals such as avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, and oxybenzone, which absorb UV radiation.
Nivea Smoothness Lip Care
Why We Recommend It
Throughout our testing, the Nivea Smoothness Lip Care SPF lip balm was velvety smooth, hydrating, and smelled delicious, so it was an obvious choice for our top overall SPF lip balm. We found ourselves reapplying this lip balm because the essential ingredients, shea butter, jojoba oil, and avocado oil, provided us with endless moisturizing benefits. Shea butter helps to retain moisture and includes antioxidant vitamins E and A1, which are helpful at healing dry skin, calming irritation, and reducing cell damage. Jojoba oil minimizes the appearance of fine lines2, while avocado oil and a broad range SPF composition protect your lips from sun damage.3
When we first used this product, we were astounded by its lightweight consistency. It felt as silky as butter on our lips. The refreshing and light aroma reminded us of a spa day, and we enjoyed how our lips looked and felt after using it. The lip balm left a nice gloss on our lips. It resembled our skin, but better. We fell in love with this SPF lip balm and highly suggest it.
Keep in Mind
We felt the consistency to be slightly sticky, but this did not detract from its comfort on the lips. Our editors also discovered that the taste of sunscreen was noticeable whether eating or drinking.
Aquaphor Lip Protectant & Ointment
Why We Recommend It
Sunscreen is designed to be reapplied regularly, so you may run out and have to make additional purchases. SPF lip balm can be expensive, but it does not have to be. Aquaphor’s Lip Repair Lip Balm with Sunscreen is widely available at drugstores, making it affordable. It is less expensive than our other recommendations and comes in a larger tube, ensuring that it lasts longer. Furthermore, following testing, we discovered that a little goes a long way and can last for hours without needing to be reapply.
The sun-protective features of this lip balm stem from chemical sunscreen filters that absorb both UVA and UVB rays, providing broad-spectrum coverage for your lips. This product provides a lot of protection (and value), thus we recommend it as the best drugstore SPF lip balm.
Keep in Mind
The first ingredient, however, is petrolatum, an occlusive substance that effectively traps moisture4 but is known for leaving a greasy behind. Also, our editor with dry skin found it a little sticky and bled outside the lip line, but she still appreciated the product’s hydrating benefits.
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm
Why We Recommend It
The Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm is incredibly hydrating, thanks to the shea butter and avocado oil. Avocado oil is excellent for hydrating, healing, and protecting skin from UV damage.5 During testing, we discovered that this lip balm is incredibly moisturizing—enough to survive the winds of New York that would usually cause dry, cracked lips.
This lip balm is an excellent choice for anyone who is not primarily looking for SPF cosmetics. Its finish is significantly more inconspicuous, leaving little trace that you’re wearing anything at all. It can be used under makeup, and our editors discovered that it works best for protection against the weather, such as a sunny, breezy day in the park.
Keep in Mind
We noticed that it felt a little tacky at times, which didn’t feel great on our lips.
EltaMD UV Lip Balm Broad-Spectrum SPF 36
Why We Recommend It
EltaMD UV SPF Lip Balm eliminates the need for replication. This selection is ideal for all-day wear because it protects your skin from severe sun damage with zinc oxide, a typical sun protection ingredient, and is extremely moisturizing (we felt we could use it as an overnight lip mask).6 Glycerin, a humectant, pulls moisture from the environment to further hydrate the skin, promoting wound healing and protecting it from irritants.7
We didn’t need to reapply frequently for the moisturizing advantages, but you might want to add another layer if you’ve been in the sun for a while. This mixture is ideal for those seeking optimum sun protection and hydration.
Keep in Mind
Our editor with combination skin found the solution to be heavy and noted a faint white cast that improved after rubbing in. If you like lightweight products or have oily skin, it may be too heavy-duty.
MDSolarSciences Hydrating Sheer Lip Balm SPF 30
Why We Recommend It
If you’re seeking for an SPF lip balm that combines sunscreen sun protection, lip balm hydration, and lipstick color payoff, look no further. The MDSolarSciences Hydrating Sheer Lip Balm is our top choice for the best tinted SPF lip balm. It’s more lipstick than lip balm, but it’s packed with skincare-like ingredients to protect and nourish your lips, like shea butter, avocado oil, and olive butter (which has anti-inflammatory characteristics that help heal skin).8 It employs chemical sunscreen filters to block UV radiation, and hyaluronic acid increases skin hydration9.
We found it equivalent to a lip tint and didn’t need to be reapplied as frequently as other SPF makeup to get the same level of hydration.
Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30
Why We Recommend It
The Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30 strikes a balance between SPF and lip oil. That’s why we chose it as the finest SPF lip gloss (or balm). It has a glossy sheen, making it more of a lip gloss than a lip balm—but we loved it. It contains vitamin E, shea butter, sea moss (which is known for its high concentration of vital minerals such as zinc, potassium, and phosphorus), and aloe (which promotes collagen synthesis), all of which soothe and hydrate lips.1112
While other lip glosses leave your lips thirsty for more, this one hydrates dry lips. We didn’t feel the need to reapply, but you should always reapply sunscreen if you’re outside. It soothed our editor’s cracked lips, keeping them soft and supple even after eating and drinking. We tested the clear version, but it’s also available in several tinted options.
Sunnie Skin Plump It Lips
Why We Recommend It
It has the normal sunscreen filters found in most SPF products, but it also contains anti-aging compounds such as ceramides, peptides, and Niacinamide. These substances, when combined, help to diminish fine wrinkles, increase collagen formation, and combat hyperpigmentation.13141516
It felt heavy and tacky while testing, but in a pleasant way. In the middle of winter, you want a thick layer of protection and moisture, which this product provides. According to our editor, with dry skin, this lip plumper reduced flakiness and created plump, lovely lips as promised. We found this lip balm to be quite tingling, as we would anticipate from any lip plumper. This could be due to peppermint and spearmint essential oils.
Everyday Humans Big Mood Lip Balm
Why We Recommend It
The Everyday Humans Milky Lip Balm is our choice for the best mineral SPF lip balm. This product provides both protection and moisture. We appreciated how it immediately relieved our dry, chapped lips. Oat extract and oatmeal are popular soothing ingredients in skincare due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities.17 As soon as we applied the lip balm, our lips felt cool, tingling, and healed. Zinc oxide, a prominent ingredient in mineral sunscreens, provides excellent UVA and UVB protection.18
We thoroughly enjoyed testing this product. Its nice aroma reminded us of an oat milk latte, yet it was neither overbearing or persistent.
We had to reapply a few hours later, but it was no problem. Overall, we had a positive experience evaluating this product and intend to continue using it.
Eos SPF Coconut Lip Balm
Why We Recommend It
If you’re going to the beach or the pool, you don’t want to have to keep reapplying your SPF lip balm every time you get wet. The best water-resistant SPF lip balm is the EOS SPF 30 Lip Balm. During testing, we discovered that the lip balm remained securely on our lips even after drinking drinks throughout the day. We are certain that it is an excellent choice for swimming or water activities due to its durability.
Beeswax, an active element in the lip balm, forms a protective coating on the lips. It absorbs moisture, while sunflower oil moisturizes the skin.1920 This product initially seemed disappointing, but we couldn’t resist the quick hydration we felt. Over time, our lips appeared healthier, and at the end of the test, we discovered that continuous re-application improved the long-term health of our lips. It has a subtle tropical aroma.
We Also Tested
- Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm: This SPF lip balm performed its job, leaving lips feeling nourished and sun-protected. However, we found it to be less long-lasting than the other products we examined.
- Salt & Stone SPF 30 Lip Balm: This SPF lip balm is an excellent choice for individuals seeking a 100% mineral sunscreen. Its zinc oxide formulation makes it gentler than other alternatives. Still, we weren’t impressed with its performance. Ultimately, it was uncomfortable on the lips and appeared to wear off soon.
- Vacation Bananas Foster Lip Balm: This SPF lip balm is approved as a weather-resistant barrier. However, as a lip balm for everyday use, we found the aroma to be overpowering.
How We Tested the SPF Lip Balms
Long-term testing is required before deciding whether or not to endorse a product. Over the course of two weeks, we evaluated the appearance and texture of 27 SPF lip balms in The Verywell Testing Lab and at home. To test the top SPF lip balms, 21 of our editors used and evaluated one or more items. We evaluate our skin kinds, our lips’ inherent problems and difficulties, and the weather circumstances around us, all of which influence how lip balms operate. For optimal sun protection, we limited our options to those with SPF 25 or above and broad-spectrum coverage to match with the CDC’s guidelines for selecting sunscreen based on the following:
- We examined how the lip balms felt physically (sticky, clumpy, glossy, etc.). We noted whether the lip balm felt chilly, tingling, or relaxing, as well as how it settled and absorbed into our lips.
- Hydration: We followed the manufacturer’s instructions for how to apply and how frequently to reapply. We extensively studied whether the product caused a noticeable increase in hydration. We remarked how soon our lips felt moistened and how long it lasted. Finally, we compared the hydration of our lips at the end of the testing phase to the beginning to determine how long the effects lasted.
- Look: We evaluated the lip balms’ appearance on our lips, noting their shine levels, whether they were glossy, matte, satin, or natural-looking, and whether they contained any tints or colors. We also considered whether the substance bled over our lips or transferred easily.
- Value: At the conclusion of the testing period, we analyzed everything mentioned above and compared it to the price point, determining the total value in relation to the lip balms’ performance.
What to Look For in Lip Balms With SPF
- Other Health Benefits: Those with dry, chapped lips may benefit from SPF lip creams that moisturize and hydrate the lips. The formula’s ingredient list has a significant impact on this. Geria claims that lip balms containing beeswax, shea butter, or coconut oil can give hydration, preventing them from becoming dry, chapped, or cracked. For those who frequently suffer from dry, chapped lips, Salyards recommends hydrating compounds such as glycerin, petrolatum, dimethicone, or squalane.
