The Best Men’s Lip Balms to Protect Your Lips

Hot and cold weather, dry climates, pollution, and just being out in the world can be tough on your lips, so you’ll need products that soothe, protect, and heal them. Even if you don’t always use lip balm, when you find yourself with irritated lips, you’re going to want an emergency tube to reach for. That’s why we’ve gathered the best men’s lip balms to help you out.

What you should look for in a lip balm

Ingredients: First and foremost, you want to avoid products that include stuff like preservatives, parabens, mineral oils, and artificial colors, as they’re not healthy for your lips and require you to use (and buy) more. The best balms are made from natural ingredients like beeswax, nut oils, cocoa butter, and shea butter, as they’re all good sealing and moisturizing bases.

Protection: Some balms will be better for healing, some for adding moisture, and some for keeping your lips safe from the sun. Lip balms with a more protective goal will usually be labeled with the SPF protection they provide and/or list the ingredients that help repair and protect lips (like vitamin E and fatty oils).

Flavor/Shine: The ideal lip balm flavor is ultimately up to you, but popular choices include natural scents like peppermint and citrus. Additionally, having shiny lips may not be your thing, so there are options that have something closer to a matte finish for that.

Aquaphor Lip Repair Ointment

The Best Budget Lip Balm: A stick of beeswax is ideal if you are looking to seal your lips away from danger and damage. They have an SPF of 30 and the formula performs well at sealing moisture in for hours at a time. And when your lips become chapped, sunburnt, or even if they suffer from eczema or hypersensitivity this will be a welcome relief. It lasts for hours with a single application which will keep you going into the next day.

Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

The Best Travel Lip Balm: The natural ingredients in Burts Bees’ Beeswax Lip Balm leverage the power of the planet for a more eco-friendly approach to caring for your lips. Burt’s falls just shy of being completely vegan thanks to the use of beeswax, but it’s still organic and offers decent protection, moisturization, and renewal for a small cost. It’ll save you in a pinch and fits easily in your pocket, but can be taken down by hard-core exposure to sun, surf, snow, and wind. 

Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm Peppermint

The Best Moisturizing Lip Balm: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm is a great natural choice that’ll keep your lips moisturized and minty fresh. It’s made without any harmful synthetics, with organic beeswax and oil as the main ingredients. Additionally, you can use this for other dry parts of the body like your hands and the rest of your face.

Jack Black Lip Balm

The Best Healing Lip Balm: Everything you could want or need is represented by Jack Black’s Lip Balm to varying degrees. You’ll get broad-spectrum protection from UV rays, and it works equally well for healing damaged lips as it does for preventing future damage. This is aided by the anti-oxidants that are also included in the balm.

Kiehl’s Facial Fuel No-Shine Moisturizing Lip Balm

The Best No-Shine Lip Balm: Kiehl’s Facial Fuel is designed specifically to avoid giving your lips a shiny coating, while also providing you with a weather-proof seal that’s great for keeping them moisturized. There’s no UV protection so those who are particularly sun-sensitive or live in more temperate climates should look elsewhere.

Supergoop! PLAY Lip Balm

The Best Lip Balm for Sun Protection: If you want a summertime lip balm that’ll protect you from sunburn, then the PLAY Lip Balm from Supergoop! is a great choice. Made with a shea butter base, this SPF 30 balm will ensure that your lips are not only protected from the sun, but from dryness as well.

Ursa Major Going Places Lip Balm

The Best Natural Lip Balm: This all-natural lip balm from Ursa Major will keep your lips moisturized for the long haul while providing immediate comfort as well. It’s also good for protection in cold weather and windy conditions. Also, if you’re interested in a balm that doesn’t look shiny, then the matte finish on this one is ideal.

Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Moisturizer

The Best Thick Lip Balm: This gel lip moisturizer from Malin + Goetz absorbs quickly into your lips and provides long-lasting hydration. It’s noticeably thicker than most other lip balms on the market, so if that’s what you’re looking for then this is the pick for you. Moreover, it’s vegan and cruelty-free so there’s no need to worry about harmful ingredients and construction.

Aesop Cedar & Citrus Lip Salve

The Best Premium Lip Balm: The quality of Aesop’s products often speaks for itself, and the Cedar & Citrus Lip Salve is no exception. Although it’s ideal for chapped lips, the hydration it provides can be appreciated by everyone. The scent of orange, grapefruit, and cedar will be appreciated as well.

The Best Face Wipes for Staying Sharp

Your lips are just as important as the face they’re on, so check out our best face wipes guide to make sure it’s taken care of.