The Best of Lip Balms
Old: Burt’s Bees The Original Beeswax Lip Balm
Why we love it: We don’t know what we love more – the founding story behind Burt’s Bees or their original, tried-and-true lip balm. Did you know the brand was founded in the early 1980s in Maine by Burt Shavitx and Roxanne Quimby? Both were former city dwellers (Manhattan and San Francisco) until Burt established a honey business in The Pine Tree State and they met by chance. In 1984 they started creating beeswax-based products like candles and then lip balm in 1991.
The classic Burt’s Bees lip balm is a minty-smelling stick formula that features responsibly sourced beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, peppermint oil, and lanolin. Beeswax and lanolin (which is essentially wool grease) are some of the most common ingredients found in lip care products and are known for their lubricating and conditioning properties. The sunflower and coconut oils in the formula add another layer of protective goodness.
Upon application there is a minty tingle and a prominent minty smell, which lasts a few minutes, and your lips are coated with a thin waxy layer of product. We found that this lip balm is quite long-lasting so you don’t need to reapply multiple times during the day, which is always a bonus.
As a note: if you have sensitive lips you may want to avoid this formula and opt for one of the many other Burt’s Bees lip balms as peppermint oil can be a potential skin irritant.
The bottom line: If you’re looking for a lip balm that is both affordable and natural (and you don’t mind that it’s not vegan), Burt’s Bees should be your go-to. You get excellent value for money.
Areas of improvement: Nada!
Key ingredients: Cera Alba (Beeswax, Cire D'abeille), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Lanolin, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Canola Oil (Huile de Colza), Limonene.
Fragrance: Fragrance-free, but peppermint oil and limonene (an aroma ingredient) impart the minty smell
Skin types: Great for most skin types
Product sensory & attributes: Waxy, firm stick with a semi-glossy finish
Key product claims: Formulated without Parabens, Phthalates, Petrolatum or SLS; FYI, lips balms never contain SLS or phthalates
Price & fill weight: Often sold in a pack of two for around $5-6; .15 oz/4.25g each Package: Small, cylindrical stiff tube with a tiny plastic cap
Application: As needed
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New: Goop Goopgenes Clean Nourishing Lip Balm
Why we love it: While everyone has a strong opinion on what the best lip balm is, there's something about Goop’s Clean Nourishing Lip Balm that has the potential to be universally loved. Who doesn’t love a lip product that is ultra-moisturizing, creamy, subtly scented, and super cushion-y? It’s lip-smackingly good.
What makes this product a true stand out is its texture. It’s creamy, soft, and cushy – like a pillow for your lips. In the world of product development, when evaluating lip products, we often look at parameters like ‘cushion’, ‘slip’, and ‘payoff.’ Let’s just say this lip balm has the highest amount of cushion and slip we’ve seen for a stick format to deliver the sensorial experience on lips.
From a formulation point of view, there’s a great lineup of botanical oils worth mentioning: coconut, argan, castor seed, and jojoba. Plus, there’s beeswax and shea butter. The selection of emollients, including the waxier variety, helps protect the lips from the environment as well as mechanical damage. Remember: our lips lack a stratum corneum (the outermost layer of our skin), making it more susceptible to moisture loss, pollutants, allergens, and the like.
The bottom line: From a user experience POV (from formula to application and packaging) this product ticks all the boxes.
Areas of improvement: The ultra-soft and cushy nature of this lip balm makes this product run out quickly; a lot of product gets deposited on the lips with each application. If you’re applying it multiple times a day, it may run out much quicker than you’d planned for.
Key Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Beeswax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Lauroyl Lysine, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopherol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Punica Granatum Flower Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Siraitia Grosvenorii Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
Fragrance: Fragrance-free; subtle scent comes from natural botanicals/fruit extracts
Skin types: Great for all skin types
Product Sensory & Attributes: Waxy, soft stick with a glossy finish
Key product claims: “clean”
Price & Fill Weight: This is a luxe investment balm; $20 for .12 oz
Package: Cylindrical metal tube with a shiny, reflective finish
Application: As needed