My love for lip balms began in elementary school. I would trade Lip Smackers lip balms during recess. Since my Dr. Pepper and grape flavored lip balm days, my tastes and preferences have become more refined. With my love for lip balms, today’s post is about the best lip balms I’ve discovered.
WHAT MAKES THE BEST LIP BALMS?
Because of my early obsession with flavored lip balms, I quickly became addicted to lip balms. After reading an article in college about how the use of certain lip products can cause your lips to become addicted to the products therefore causing your lips to lose it’s ability to naturally stay hydrated, I was on the hunt for alternative options. The main ingredient I like to avoid is petroleum/ mineral oils. Everyone is different and has different sensitivities. Here is an article explaining why you’d want to avoid petroleum in your lip balms.
THE BEST LIP BALMS
Back then, options were limited. I had heard a lot about Fresh Sugar lip balm. For a college student, spending $24 on a lip balm sounded insane. However, after learning about how sugar is a natural humectant, meaning sugar helps your skin draw in moisture from the environment, I purchased my first Fresh Sugar Lip balm.
Fresh Sugar Lip Balm $24
Ingredients
- Sugar is a natural humectant known to prevent moisture loss.
- A blend of nourishing oils, including meadowfoam and black currant seed oils, helps moisturize.
- Grapeseed oil helps to smooth and soften and is rich in antioxidants known to protect from damaging free radicals.
- SPF 15 protection
Claims
- Proven to keep lips moisturized for 6 hours
- 97% said it was soothing and softened their lips
- 97% felt their lips were silky, velvety, and supple
- 94% said it moisturized and improved the appearance of dry, chapped lips
*in-vivo test
My Experience
Fresh Sugar Lip balm was worth the $24 price tag. I found that I do not have to reapply this lip balm as often as others, which makes it last longer. There is no weird residue or film. I have to have one of these lip balms in my purse at all times. It’s been a healthy and committed relationship since 2005.
Lanolips $13.50-$15.95
a recent discovery, now available at Ulta.com made from lanolin, from sheep. Lanolin is 100% natural & animal cruelty free. It’s found on the wool of sheep that helps keep their coat protected and dry throughout the year.
Ingredients and Why it works?
Lanolin is a unique, natural ingredient that works in 3 ways:
- The molecular structure of lanolin mimics human skin lipids, making it the most skin-compatible ingredient around. More so than any other natural or synthetic ingredient in skincare.
- It is semi-occlusive and semi-permeable – meaning it allows skin to self-hydrate from within.
- It is a moisture reservoir, holding up to 400% its weight in moisture.
· No residual pesticide chemicals · No additives · Hypoallergenic · Colour free · Odour free · It’s so safe it can be used on the mouths of newborn babies · It is used in hospitals after surgeries to help open wounds heal · It is 100% natural.
(http://www.lanolips.com/usa/)
Do be aware that certain people can have allergies or sensitivities to lanolin.
My Experience
Lanolips has been pleasant to use. I like to use Lanolips before makeup application. Before applying a matte lip product, I’ll wipe off any excess product. Lanolips helps with smoothing out my lips and prepping before liquid lipstick or any drying lip product. I have also used Lanolips on my cuticles. I find this to be the closest texture to Vaseline, but without the harmful effects.
NUXE Paris Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm Rêve de Miel® $15
Another new discovery from around Christmas time. NUXE Paris Ultra- Nourishing Lip balm has been an at home favorite of mine. With pot products where I have to use my fingers to apply the product, I prefer to keep them at home and only use after I wash my hands.
Ingredients
This best-selling lip balm with Honey and precious oils is highly concentrated in ingredients that help to nourish, repair, soothe and protect even the driest and damaged lips.
Thanks to its unique texture and subtle taste of refreshing grapefruit. At least 79,5% of the lip balm ingredients are natural, Paraben free formula to pamper your lips with high quality care.
Rêve de Miel® lip balm Star ingredients : Honey, Vitamin E.
My Experience
super lightweight, fast absorbing, light citrus scent, perfect for those who do not like the feeling of heavy products on their lips. Also a great product to apply over liquid lipsticks or matte lipsticks to add hydration and refresh the lip color.
Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask $26
My all time favorite night time lip treatment. I go through about 1 1/2 tubes a year. Bite Beauty products are all food grade and ultra luxe.
Ingredients
It’s no surprise that this lip balm has many of the same ingredients as the ones I’ve already talked about.
-Resveratrol: Provides antioxidant benefits equivalent to 15 glasses of red wine.
-Medical-grade Lanolin
-Jojoba Oil: Heals.
Lanolin* (medical grade), Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil**, Organic Agave Tequilana (blue agave) nectar**, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil Unsaponifiables*, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax)**, Flavor, Vanillin, Siraitia Grosvenori (Monk Fruit)*, Vanilla Tahitensis (Vanilla) Fruit Extract*, Organic Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax*, Trans-Resveratrol*, Vitis Vinefera (Grape) oil*, Tocopherol acetate*, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (And) Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract (and) Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*.
My Experience
This lip balm is a lot heavier than the previous ones I’ve mentioned, which is why I like to use it before bed as a lip treatment. I am a mouth breather and drooler when I sleep. Since discovering the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, I have been able to wake up without dry cracked lips. Before this product, I would have horrible cracked lips that bled.
If you are looking for a tinted lip balm with fun flavors, KORRES makes one that reminds me of a grown up version of my childhood favorite, lip smackers.
Ingredients
-Natural Oils and Extracts: Soothe and condition lips.
-Shea Butter and Rice Wax: Provide lasting hydration and softness.
Polybutene, Trimethylolpropane Triisostearate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Polyethylene, Hydroxystearic Acid, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Flavor (Aroma), Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Punica Granatum Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract. May Contain: Titanium Dioxide, Red 7 Lake, Red 6, Iron Oxides.
My Experience
Not quite as clean as the lip balms mentioned above, but when adding color and flavor this is expected. Because of the pot packaging, I prefer to keep this at home. I apply this on my no makeup days for a slight tint on the lips.
SHOP THE BEST LIP BALMS
What are some of your favorite lip balms? What do you think should be part of the best lip balms list? Leave me your comments and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter for exclusive content and giveaways.
xoxo
Serein
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Great post. Very informative. Thank you Serein for all the hard work put into it!
Author
Thanks for visiting!
Hey! I love your content because you are all about clean beauty, like me. I was wondering how you felt about the chemical sunscreens in the Fresh lip balms? I used to love them until I found out about the harmful effects of those chemicals. I like the Coola ones as an alternative with natural sunscreen, but they are a bit drying.
Author
Honestly, I have tried a few mineral SPF ones and they taste and feel awful. I understand why they went with the chemical SPF. If i’m going to be out in the sun directly, I’d us a physical/mineral SPF, but for everyday I’m not too worried about it.
Love this post! I’m also obsessed lip balms ever since I was in elementary school. I’m always searching for the next best thing especially since developing some kind of lip sensitivity a year or two ago. My favorites right now are Fresh Lip Balms, The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Balm, and the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm. I prefer a more thick lip balm just because they’re always so dry now.
Author
So happy to hear you are on the hunt for better balms. Me too! Try the Kopari coconut one if you get a chance. I’m loving that one as well and it’s full of good ingredients.
Hi I’m new to following you so reading through older post! I’m laughing as I have a plethora in my nite stand drawer of lip products! My favorite is Nuxe which I thought was heavy but will now ck out bite! Thank you loved this review!
Author
Hehehe, oh I have so many lip products it’s sick :-p Like how many lippies does one girl need?! Thanks for reading!
This post us right up my alley!!! This is the kind of stuff that I ponder about and will end up with a few myself lol. I just bought Drunk Elephant and Tarte’s lip exfoliater stick thingy. I’m not a huge fan of the Tarte one. I thought I would love it because of needing it for liquid lipsticks. I like the DE one just fine. Just not a fan of the price.
Thanks for sharing! I want to try the sugar lip balm now (:
My favorite have always been Dr. Hauschka. I would like to hear your impressions
This is a really great post babe!! I had no idea of the dangers of petroleum in lip balms ..that’s really something I never thought about!! I have been using the Fresh sugar balm for a while now and I have to say that’s my favorite!! A bit pricey..but it really does the job 🙂
Xoxo, Jessi
http://www.mywhitet.com/sneak-peak-into-my-new-office/
Great article, Serein!
So happy that I stumbled across your youtube channel, and this blog… keep up the good work!
Now, as for the lip balm – this will sound crazy, but I started using Lansinoh, which is a lanolin product, when I started nursing my daughter 8 years ago, and I have continued using it on my lips ever since! I’m glad to see you included a lanolin option here, because it is a great natural product. I use it before bed, and in the morning my lips feel very hydrated. I also like to use it while I put my face on, and then by the time I’m ready to apply my lipstick, my lips are soft and perfect for any lipstick formula.
Take care,
Anna
This was so informative! Definetly doing the switch to petroleum free lip balms!
I love this post – perfect timing because I am on the hunt for a new lip balm! I have really been enjoying the Fresh lip balms but I really want to try the Bite Agave Lip Mask and the new lip balm. Oh and the Lip Slip! So many good options!
Kate | katelovesmakeup.com
Author
Yay! So happy to hear!
I didn’T know petroleum was bad EESH ! I put vaseline on my lips every night before bed 🙁 I suppose it’s time to invest in something better…
Author
There are lots of affordable options. I know Vaseline is super affordable, but it really doesn’t fix the problem. Even coconut oil from your cabinet is better.
I really want to try the fresh sugar lip balm. I use the Rod one and it just do not work on my lips, they feel even more try after a few weeks.
Author
I like the original Fresh one the best.
Serein – HUGE THANKS for this amazing post 🙂 And I can only wish, that you “take on the mission” on your YT channel and all your socialmedia about this topic: petroleum must out of our homes, bodys, faces and lips. If more and more people hear/learn about petroleum, if they knew that it is petroleum they apply on their body, mouth, face – the most of all people should avoid it. I have educate all human beings I met in my life since 1988 about petroleum based products.
Author
I have. I mention it a lot in my videos. I avoid mineral oils and petrochemicals in my skincare as much as I can.
Yeah we have some of these products in my country too!I’m so excited that I can try them out!!thank you Serein for letting us know about some natural lip balms😍!if you’ve ever get a chance to try a brand that’s called Apivita it has some quite descent organic lip balms in my opinion..lots of love and I hope everything turns out great in every aspect of your life❤
Thank you for sharing this Serein! It was very to informative and I’m looking forward to trying the Fresh sugar lip balm.
I also use Bite Agave lip mask. I have had the same tube for almost a year, and I use it every night after applying my nighttime skin care. So I just bought the new agave lip treatment from Bite in the stick form so that I could have it in the family room where I watch tv. I like the squeeze tube better. Feels different, and I like the mask more.
Your blogs are always so detailed and informative. I love all your content your blogs videos and podcasts. You are such a beautiful and talented woman.💕 ❤💋❤💋
I love this post! I suffered from all year round chronic dry lips for years. i’ve tried everything except nuxe reve de miel, which I’ve been dying to get my hands on if it’s not as expensive as it is.
I have to agree with you with all the other choices. I love each one of them for different reasons but out of all, I find that lanolin based lip balm works the best for my lips. I also like burt’s bees tinted lip balm because it works quite nicely and cheaper than fresh for sure.
I’ve only ever tried the lanolips lemon aid lip treatment because it says that it is intended for extremely dry lips, but I don’t like flavour/scent of it.
I would suggest you to try hanalei lip treatment. It is lanolin based with some oil and it does contain petrolatum, however it is the best thing I’ve ever found so far for my lips. it’s not heavy like bite agave lip mask, so you can use it anytime, but it works wonders. it also taste sweet, so if you accidentally licked it, it won’t make you regret your action.
sorry for the long ramble. you post just made me all excited.
I love posts like this!! I love to know about others top products so I can check out the products I think would work for me. Serein I hope to see many more posts like this one. I really enjoyed reading this! I love that you included the ingredients and the price. Thank you for a great read! ❤️❤️
Love articals like this! So educational for everyone, we get so hung up on buying beauty products just because they are in & we forget that they could potentially be harmful to our skin. I will be trying some of theses out I’ve always had chapped lips! TY 😘
I love the Farmacy lip balms. Also, I think lanolin is just as gross as petroleum. I can’t imagine putting an animal’s wax from their oil glands on my lips. Yuck!!
I absolutely love the fresh sugar lip balm and the bite beauty agave lip mask!! I don’t know how I got by before being introduced to these products! Thanks for sharing this post and the knowledgeable article Serein 👍🏽😉!
I love the Bite lip mask too. Totally worth the price since you need so little of it. I love waking up with it still on my lips, no other mask has worked that well. Great article. Thanks Serein. 🙂
Omg, I used to wear “coffee” lip liner with dr.pepper lip smackers all the time in jr high and high school lol. Loved this lost!!🖤💋
I loved this post. For the record I have purchased the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm in stick form Ulta online, and on sale $6 I think.
I just started using the Laneige lip sleeping mask, I bought this on Amazon because it is not available in the US, it is a Korean product. I have heard that it is also available in Canada. So far, I have used it 3 or 4 times but I don’t use it just at night, I have been using it through out the day too, whenever I feel my lips are drying. It’s working for me, my lips feel softer and less dry than usual. Smells like bubblegum to me and has no taste. I agree with everything you said about the Fresh sugar lip balm, it is always in my purse too (my mother also loves it!). I also have been using the Lancome Juicy shakers frequently, anytime I don’t use lipstick, I will use a lip liner and put some of the juicy shaker on, it keeps the lips hydrated and comfy. This year, I am hoping to try out the bite beauty lip mask. I was hoping it would be in included in this review and it is!
I’m so glad I read this. I know I’ve mentioned before I had no idea about the ingredients in chapstick. And my daughter is constantly using them! We now both have a Fresh Sugar lip balm!!! Awesome read, I want to try a few of these 💕
I really wish I liked the bite lip mask. I use it at night a lot to get my money’s worth out of it but I when I wake up it leaves a film on my lips but they don’t feel hydrated. I tried almost all of these but the lanolips. I will have to pick up and try the lanolips though next time I’m at Ulta and the it out.
Author
Hmm… I do feel like there’s a film of the Bite one when I initially put it on, but it absorbs as I sleep. Have you tried using just a tiny bit? I use about a droplet amount. You might actually like the Lanolips one better, it’s a bit faster absorbing, but the Bite also has Lanolin in it, so they are both a bit thicker than your average lip balm.
My absolute favorite lip balm is the Burt’s Bees lip balm in the peppermint flavor! However I got a sample of the fresh sugar lip balm and it hurts my wallet to say that I’m falling in love with it as well.
Hey Savannah, I know you will find this weird but apparently I am allergic to EVERYTHING from the Burt’s bees line! I love the Fresh sugar lip balm too, but I feel like one of these lasts me the whole year! I hope that helps your wallet a tiny bit better 😀
Author
I love Burt’s Bees as well, but to be honest I have to reapply Burt’s Bees more than I do the Fresh, so a Fresh one lasts me longer than a Burt’s Bees one does. I do love Burt’s Bees lipstick thought!
I really really like the Fresh Sugar lip balm! I have been curious about the lanolips and Korres lip balms for sometimes now. Your review is really great! Will definitely have to look into trying out some of your suggestions.
Author
Me too! It’s such a good lip balm. Hope you enjoy the other recommendations when you get a chance to try them.
I am so glad you did this post. I have started to use Vaseline on my lips because they are so chapped, cracked, and painful. Now that I see that the sugar lip balm and the bite beauty things work I will be ordering them right away.
Author
Yay! Please give them at least a full week to kick in. Your body has to get rid of it’s addiction to Vaseline. So happy to have helped 🙂 Thanks for reading!