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Your lips are unlike any other skin on your body. For starters, they don’t produce the natural oils that keep the rest of your skin supple, and while the rest of your body has 15 to 16 protective layers, your mouth has only three to four.
"Lips are primed to be chapped," says Dendy Engelman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Manhattan. "They are in daily contact with saliva that contains alpha-amylase, a digestive enzyme that can break down skin, and are always exposed to the elements, so lips take a beating from the sun, the cold weather, wind and heat." Translation: They're especially prone to dryness, flaking, chapping and cracking. But the good news is that a great lip balm can help.
Our top picks:
That's why the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab tested 175 lip treatments from more than 70 brands: To find the best balms that help to replenish much-needed moisture and seal it in. Hydrating, tinted, wallet-friendly, balms with SPF — we've got 'em all on this list. These are the best lip balms on the market, with picks sourced from extensive Lab testing, plus the pro picks our Beauty Lab experts reach for every single day.
Scroll to the bottom of this article for more information on how we test lip balms in the GH Beauty Lab, plus what to look for when you're shopping for a good lip balm. Want more tips for hydrated skin? Check out the best moisturizers for dry skin and learn what's causing your dry skin.
Pros
- Softens lips
- Makes lips appear fuller
- Not sticky
Cons
- Expensive
It's a splurge, but this GH Beauty Lab test winner provides both softening and anti-aging benefits in one thanks to ingredients like peptides, antioxidants and hydrators. In Lab evaluations, the VenEffect lip treatment formula made lips look fuller after four weeks of use, and testers gave it high marks for its non-tacky feel and the fact that it soaked in quickly.
Size | 0.34 fl. oz. |
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Key ingredients | Resveratrol, grapeseed oil |
Pros
- Shine-free finish
- Hydrating occlusives and emollients
Cons
- May not feel hydrating enough for some
Lightly flavored with coconut and pear, this beeswax-and-shea- butter stick hydrates with coconut and sunflower oils, Aral says. Its shine-free finish means no goo or visible gloss, with a waxy finish that's perfect for layering under lipstick (though if you're suffering from extremely dry lips, you may want a more emollient pick). With over 28,000 five-star reviews, it's also the most popular lip balm on Amazon. Reviewers say "Burt’s Bees seems to go on smoother" than other lip balms, "and I can definitely feel the soothing effect more."
Size | 0.15 oz. |
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Key ingredients | Beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, sunflower oil |
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Pros
- Non-sticky, high-shine finish
- Blurs the look of fine lines
Cons
- Some found the taste unpleasant
A winner of our 2022 Beauty Awards, Lab pros found this high-shine pick had immediate lip-line-blurring and softening benefits and a non-goopy feel. Formulated with shea, mango, avocado and jasmine butters and extracts, our analysts said, lips "felt protected and smooth with a nice shine," and that the texture feels lightweight but dense enough to stay put on lips, though one commented the taste could be better.
Size | 0.34 fl. oz. |
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Key ingredients | Neroli Morocco organic oil, shea butter, mango butter |
Pros
- Clinically proven to heal skin
- Smooth, non-sticky formulation
- Multi-purpose balm
Cons
- Unscented
This Beauty Lab gold standard ointment is a cure-all healer for everything from diaper rash to cracked knuckles, so of course, it's a star on irritated, dry lips. Clinically proven to restore smooth, healthy skin, it locks in moisture and creates a healthy barrier on skin to lock out irritation on even severely chapped, peeling lips. Plus, unlike heavier petroleum jelly formulas, this balm contains panthenol and glycerin for a less sticky finish.
Size | 7 oz. |
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Key ingredients | Petrolatum |
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Pros
- High-pigment tint
- Natural, nourishing formula
Cons
- Color may be too intense for some
Made with natural plant oils, butters and waxes, Beauty Lab pros said this new iteration of the timeless classic balm is a "nice, nurturing formula that imparts low sheen and color and immediate softness to lips." Evaluators agreed that the pink tint was bright, and though one found the color to be a bit too intense, it's perfect if you're looking for a hybrid of color and hydration on your lips. One especially loved its "subtle grapfruit-y flavor."
Size | 0.12 oz |
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Key ingredients | Sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, shea butter |
Pros
- Made of natural lanolin
- Extremely hydrating and efficacious
Cons
- No scent or flavor
"Lano’s 101 Ointment is one of my favorites," says Dr. Engelman. "It works for so many different skin care concerns – from dry, chapped lips and cuticles to burns, eczema and beyond." The dense balm is all natural, made with just two ingredients: Lanolin and lanolin oil, which mimic your skin's own oils. The brand claims that "this balm holds 200% of its weight in moisture," and Dr. Engelman swears "it really is a wonder ingredient for hydration and healing alike." We haven't tested it in the Lab, but it's an editor favorite for overnight and everyday use (as long as you don't mind a no-frills balm without scent, fragrance or color!).
Size | 0.52 oz |
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Key ingredients | Lanolin, lanolin oil |
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Pros
- Mineral SPF 15
- Tinted and colorless options
Cons
- SPF could be higher
On top of containing vitamins C and E, this pick shields your delicate lip skin from the sun's harmful rays with SPF 15. Though our Beauty Lab typically recommends using at least SPF 30, we appreciate that thanks to mineral sunscreen titanium dioxide, this broad-spectrum balm doesn’t have the foul taste that some chemical SPF products can. Plus, it’s laced with antioxidants, and it's also offered in six tinted formulas for a touch of color, or a colorless pick for none at all.
Size | 0.14 oz |
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Key ingredients | Castor seed oil, carrot seed oil, avocado oil |
Pros
- K-Beauty favorite
- Overnight formula
Cons
- Texture is a bit thin
This K-beauty cult classic hydrates and protects sore lips while you sleep thanks to antioxidants like vitamin C. Apply a moisturizing layer at bedtime and you'll wake up with a flake-free pout. It has over 15,000 rave reviews on Sephora, with reviewers saying, "I always, always wake up to smooth moisturized lips," though some of our beauty pros say they wish the overnight formula were a bit thicker to stay put through the entire night.
Size | 0.7 oz |
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Key ingredients | Vitamin C, murumuru seed, shea butter |
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Pros
- Balm hydration; gloss finish
- Hydrating formula plumps lips
Cons
A winner of our 2020 Beauty Awards, this lip oil looks like gloss but functions like a soothing balm. Colors range from nude to deep-berry, and a combo of six plant oils plumps lips. One tester noted the formula left "no stickiness," yet "lips felt hydrated, not parched.”
Size | 0.24 fl. oz. |
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Key ingredients | Castor seed oil, vitamin C, vitamin E, |
Pros
- Thick, healing ointment texture
- Scented and unscented options
Cons
- Contains gluten
The Beauty Lab favorite formula heals painful lips with powerhouse petrolatum along with vitamin E, aloe and squalene, a plant-based lipid that's easily absorbed by the skin and helps restore its barrier for soft, healthy skin. The ointment-esque texture on this balm gives some shine, but zero flavor and scent. If you do prefer some scent on your lip product, it also comes in mint, mango, and cranberry. Heads up for those that are sensitive to gluten: this pick contains wheat germ oil.
Size | 0.5 fl. oz. |
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Key ingredients | Squalane, aloe vera, vitamin E |
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Pros
- Tinted yet hydrating formula
- Easy-to-apply crayon
Cons
While tinted balms can be too transparent and lipsticks can be too drying, Beauty Lab testers found this glossy lip balm to be both moisturizing and colorful. Amazon reviewers give it an average 4.5 stars, praising its "fresh peppermint feeling" and moisturizing finish. "The color is good and [it] does not dry out my lips as so many others do," says one reviewer.
Size | 0.1 oz |
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Key ingredients | Shea butter, mango butter, coconut butter |
Pros
- Smooths lip wrinkles
- Colorless and tinted options
Cons
This balm was named a winner in our Anti-Aging Awards for its soothing, softening formula. A combo of line-plumping hyaluronic acid and nourishing jojoba and grapeseed oils helped to visibly smooth lines on testers' lips after four weeks. It comes in both colorless and sheer pink formulas.
Size | 0.15 oz |
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Key ingredients | Hyaluronic acid and nourishing jojoba oil, grapeseed oil |
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Pros
- Hydrating ingredients soften lips overnight
- GH Beauty Award-winner
Cons
A winner of our 2018 Beauty Awards, this overnight balm packs skin-healthy ceramides, jojoba seed oil and castor oil to nourish dry lips as you sleep. Ceramides are essential for hydrated skin — especially on lips — since they make up a healthy skin barrier and prevent moisture loss. One tester even found that her cracked lips improved over a few nights' time.
Size | 0.25 oz |
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Key ingredients | Glycerin, jojoba seed oil, ceramides |
Pros
- Multipurpose balm
- Uncomplicated ingredients
Cons
When it comes to balm, basic can be better. With just three ingredients — shea butter, petrolatum and vitamin E — Vaseline's balm is a simple treatment for your parched, chapped lips that will hydrate without stickiness. It also comes in a slew of scents and flavors, from rose to soothing aloe to hydrating cocoa butter.
Size | 0.6 oz |
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Key ingredients | Petrolatum, shea butter |
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Pros
- Formulated with hydrocortisone
- Calms lips quickly
Cons
- Unscented and unflavored
Formulated with 1% hydrocortisone, this lip balm doesn't just make lips feel better — it actually calms inflammation and irritation for noticeable results in just a few uses. It's made with just a few ingredients (beeswax, petroleum jelly, mineral oil and hydrocortisone) to soothe angry chapped lips and prevent future moisture loss.
Size | 0.14 oz |
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Key ingredients | Beeswax, petroleum jelly, mineral oil, hydrocortisone |
Pros
- Thick stick for all-over hydrating
- Cocoa butter formula smells great
Cons
- Large; can be tricky to apply
GH Beauty Director April Franzino recommends this do-it-all stick because of the cocoa butter and vitamin E-infused formula that heals cracked lips quickly. Made with hydrating cocoa butter (Palmer's star ingredient), the chubby swivel stick goes beyond soothing dry lips: It's also ideal for on-the-go moisturization for dry patches face and body, from cracked cuticles to eczema on the face and beyond, though the large surface area can make it difficult to apply neatly to lips.
Size | 0.5 oz |
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Key ingredients | Cocoa butter, vitamin E |
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Pros
- Stick formula is less messy than ointment
- GH Beauty Award-winner
Cons
- May be less hydrating than traditional ointment
A winner of GH's 2020 Beauty Awards, the stick version of the cult-favorite healing salve packs even more hydration specially formulated for lips, including shea, vitamins B5 and E, and sunflower seed wax. “My lips felt soothed instantly and through the day,” a tester said, for soft lips with no stickiness, although some may find the traditional ointment to be more hydrating.
Size | 0.17 oz |
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Key ingredients | Shea butter, jojoba oil, vitamins C, E and B5 |
Pros
- Hydrating plant oils
- Biodegradable packaging
Cons
A winner of a GH Sustainable Innovation Award, this organic balm is hydrating, thanks to a powerhouse combo of coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter and vitamin E oil (and flavored with real fruit!). Testers said the balm effectively moisturized lips and they loved its natural sheen. Earth-friendly bonus: Its unbleached cardboard packaging is entirely compostable.
Size | 0.2 oz |
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Key ingredients | Coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter |
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How we test lip balms
In our most recent Beauty Lab evaluation of lip balms, we received over 175 products from more than 70 brands in four general forms: stick, lipstick, tube and jar. Our pros documented each product's ingredients and claims and tested the balms, ultimately settling on 20 finalists that were further evaluated to find a final range of picks across formats, gloss level, color, scent and more.
We also relied on picks from previous GH Awards programs, from Beauty Awards to Sustainability Awards and beyond. The lip balms we ultimately recommended, above, are proven to hydrate and heal lips, perfect for everyday or overnight use.
What to look for when shopping for the best lip balm
"A lip balm should be designed to deliver a film of moisturizers onto the delicate skin of the lips," says Aral, with emollients to replenish lost moisture and occlusives to prevent further moisture loss. Here's what to keep in mind when shopping for the very best product to hydrate your lips:
✔️ Hydrators: Plant oils like castor and sunflower and emollients such as squalene and triglycerides help to moisturize and soften dry lips, making them lip-healing heavy hitters. Dr. Engelman recommends formulas made with vitamin E, hyaluronic acid or lanolin for ultimate moisturization.
✔️ Protectants: A great balm also contains occlusives to lock in all that nourishment and hydrate. "Look for balms or formulations containing petroleum or beeswax to seal in moisture," says Dr. Engelman. These give the balm "the ability to enhance the barrier function by forming an occlusive film over the lips," she adds. Other star occlusives include plant waxes, and shea and cocoa butters.
✔️ SPF: Sunburned lips are super common — and super painful. Dr. Engelman recommends lip balms with SPF 30 or greater to protect the delicate skin on your lips. Just be careful to avoid chemical sunscreen (as well as fragrance, alcohol and salicylic acid) which can actually further irritate lips.
✔️ Extras: No great lip salve is complete without bonus bells and whistles, like skin-shielding and formula-stabilizing antioxidants (e.g., vitamin A and vitamin E) and flavor from sources like fruit oils and extracts.
Jessica Teich
Director, Editorial Commerce & Product Reviews
Jessica (she/her) is the director of editorial commerce and product reviews with over a decade of experience as a product tester, reviewer, writer and editor of beauty and lifestyle content. Previously she was the beauty editor at USA Today's Reviewed where she launched the Beauty vertical and tested hundreds of products and has covered trends for publications like The Boston Globe and The New York Times. You can usually find her sorting through piles of beauty products — and testing the best ones on camera.