Our lip balm nominations round was poppin’, breaking records for number of comments on one of our posts, number of product nominations, number of recommendations for nominees, and more. Here are the top seven, apply and vote.
Honorable Mention: The Blood of a Human Male
Burt’s Bees
I can’t leave home without a tube of this stuff, I will actually have a mild panic attack. When I get home I immediately transfer it to my lounging clothes and even keep a tube in my pajamas or on my nightstand when I’m in bed.
I am/was a musician with a master’s degree in trombone performance. At the height of my playing I probably had the instrument to my face 6-8 hours a day. My lips became irritated quite easily and for obvious reasons getting chapped lips was detrimental. This was my go to choice for daily maintenance. I’m also friends with lots of other wind instrumentalists and many of them have their preferred lip balms but I would say the most common is Burt’s Bees. - My Beer Belly
Carmex
Works great, practically no smell/flavor. Won’t give away your position if you are stalking wildlife. It also works wonders on cracked skin on the back of your hand. - Defenestrate You
Blistex Medicated
This stuff can restore lips that are cracked to the point of bleeding to like-new in a day. I also have many tubes in random places - absolutely a testament to how awesome this stuff is! - The Big Borowsky
EOS
EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm is mostly organic, comes in numerous flavors, and has popularized its more lip-friendly form factor. Jezebel recommended it back in 2011.
EOS packs in shea butter and vitamin E and won’t make a mess in your pocket or bag. The consistency isn’t messy or melty like a lot of lip balms, and you won’t have to deal with the insanity of applying it with your fingers like many other brands. - Shane Roberts
Fresh Sugar
Fresh Sugar lip balm. Moisturizing, smooth, SPF 15 and comes in several colours (including clear). Free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates. Screw-on cap keeps it from opening in your pocket/bag. - hummingbird
Rosebud Salve
I have extremely acne prone skin and can’t wear a lot of lip gloss/balm because it breaks me out around my mouth, which is horrible. Obviously. I’ve been wearing this for years and it never breaks me out. It has just a hint of color, but looks pretty natural. It has a bit of sheen — the main ingredient is petroleum I believe, similar to Vaseline in it’s consistency, but this has other oils in it and is easier to wear than straight vaseline. Also, it has an extremely light but wonderful (rosey) fragrance. - cathygale
Aquaphor Lip Repair
It’s not waxy, so it penetrates as opposed to sitting on top of the lips. It’s soothing and deeply hydrating in a lasting way, it has a sheen but doesn’t make lips shiny (making it unisex) and it doesn’t really have a scent or taste of any kind. This is the only balm that really, truly works wonders, and I have tried them all (literally, I am a former beauty editor). - olivianewtonjohn