Looking for the best clean lip balms to keep your lips soft and healthy? Check out our top picks, made with natural and non-toxic ingredients.
Lip balm is the quiet hero of the beauty world. It’s not flashy or glamorous but oh so essential year-round, especially in the cold, dry weather. Nothing is worse than chapped, cracked lips!
Proper lip care is critical for keeping your lips beautiful and healthy. No one likes the look of dry, flaky lips, and they can be downright painful.
With the growing demand for clean, non-toxic beauty products, it's important to choose lip balms made with natural, organic ingredients. Because the product sits directly on your lips, you inevitably ingest some of the balm each time you apply it.
For this reason, you want to be extra conscious about using safe, natural ingredients.
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Our Top Picks:
Biossance Squalane Rose Vegan Lip Balm - Most Nourishing
Lanolips The Original Lanostick - Most Intensely Hydrating
ILIA Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask - Most Soothing
Henné Organics Lip Mask - Most Luxurious
Dr. Barbara Sturm Lip Balm - Most Protective
Why Our Lips Are More Prone To Dryness
Our lips need special care because they lack oil glands, which help to keep the skin on the rest of our body moisturized. Without natural moisture, our lips are prone to dryness that can lead to flaking, cracking, and even fine lines over time.
Dehydration coupled with dry, cold weather in the winter months is a recipe for chapped, cracked lips. This delicate skin on and around your lips is also more vulnerable to sun damage because it lacks melanin, the pigment that helps protect our skin from UV rays.
This is why using a good natural lip balm regularly is important to help protect the minimal moisture that our lips do have. Keeping your lips consistently hydrated reduces visible signs of aging like wrinkles and keeps your smile smooth and supple all year long.
Keep a spare of these all-natural lip balms in your purse, your workout bag, office desk, bedside table, or favorite coat pocket. You won’t want to be caught without these essentials that will leave your pout moisturized, supple, and perfectly plumped.
Importance of Natural Ingredients In Your Lip Products
When it comes to what you put on your lips, being aware of the ingredients is crucial. Many conventional lip balms contain concerning chemicals that can be harmful to your health with repeated use. Problems with typical drugstore varieties include petrochemicals, fragrances, preservatives, and synthetic dyes that can accumulate in your body resulting in serious health issues.
Unlike other skincare products, lip balm sits in a thin layer on your lips all day. When you eat, drink, or lick your lips, you end up directly ingesting some of the product. That's why it's critical to choose a balm made with clean, natural ingredients that you feel good about.
Quality natural lip balms hydrate lips using safe plant-based oils, butters, and waxes. They skip the unnecessary fillers and fragrances that can irritate the sensitive skin on your lips. The best lip balms are made with ingredients like coconut oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, olive oil, shea butter, and vitamin E, that hydrate and nourish your dry lips. Treat your lips right by being picky about what you put on them.
What Makes A Lip Balm "Clean"?
Clean lip balms are made only with all-natural and non-toxic ingredients. They are free of synthetic fragrances, artificial colors, parabens, phthalates, and other concerning chemicals. Instead, they rely on plant-based oils, butters, and waxes to hydrate and nourish the lips.
Key Ingredients to Look For
The best lip balms take advantage of clean ingredients straight from nature. Botanical oils, butters, and waxes work in harmony to provide lasting nourishment. A short ingredient list using real, recognizable ingredients is always best. When you see natural ingredients that you can pronounce, you know your lips are in good hands.
When scanning the product label, look for these ingredients. Jojoba oil, argan oil, avocado oil, castor oil, and sunflower seed oil are excellent emollients that hydrate dry skin without feeling greasy. Look for shea butter, cocoa seed butter, and mango seed butter to provide a smooth texture and essential fatty acids. Beeswax and candelilla wax help seal in moisture.
Other beneficial ingredients include vitamin C for antioxidant protection, essential oils that provide natural flavor and aromatherapy benefits, and calendula extract to soothe sensitive skin. Some balms also contain active ingredients like zinc oxide for added sun protection.
The 5 Best Clean Lip Balms For Luscious Lips All Year Long
If you are looking for a deeply hydrating vegan lip balm that is super nourishing and cruelty-free, this is the balm for you.
This nourishing, vegan-friendly formula is packed with ultra-hydrating ingredients like Wakame algae, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid that will leave your lips smooth and supple.
At the heart of this lip balm is squalane, a plant-based lipid that mimics the skin's natural oils to provide long-lasting moisture without leaving a greasy residue.
We love the subtle rose scent that comes from natural rose wax, and the packaging is made from renewable sugarcane, making this a great eco-friendly choice.
If you live in a dry climate, have sensitive skin, and dry, chapped, or cracked lips in need of intense hydration, you’ll love Lanolips’ Lanostick. This balm is formulated with lanolin, which is an occlusive moisturizer, meaning it works by reducing water loss from the skin, similar to petroleum jelly, but way better for you.
The Lanostick is 100% natural and free from artificial fragrances, parabens, petrolatum, PEG's, mineral oil, and sulfates and is highly effective at moisturizing even the most chapped lips. It can also be used not just on your lips but also on dry, itchy skin, cuticles, and more.
It comes in an easy-to-apply stick, which makes it the perfect lip balm to carry around in your pocket, purse, or gym bag when you are on the go.
The ILIA Lip Wrap Hydrating mask is the best non-toxic lip balm for those with very sensitive skin or easily irritated skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis. But even if you don’t have sensitive skin, we have a feeling this nourishing overnight lip treatment will become your new favorite lip balm.
ILIA’s lip masks feature a powerhouse combo of papaya enzymes, sea succulent, and hyaluronic acid. The papaya buffs away flaky dead skin while the sea succulent extract hydrates and strengthens your moisture barrier. Hyaluronic acid attracts and seals in moisture for lasting hydration. We love that this mask both exfoliates and quenches thirsty lips in one step.
Applying a thin layer before bedtime will leave your lips feeling soft and renewed. The Lip Wrap leaves zero greasy residue or sticky tacky feeling, and it absorbs nicely while working its magic.
ILIA’s vegan lip balms are free from silicones, gluten, petrolatum, and other common irritants.
If you’re looking to incorporate a luxurious and rejuvenating treatment into your beauty routine, you’ll want to reach for Henné Organics Lip Mask. This luxe lip treatment contains nourishing ingredients like sea buckthorn oil, evening primrose oil, and black cumin oil.
This indulgent mask melts onto your lips with a lush, balm-to-oil texture, and we love the beautiful, fresh yet light sweet citrus scent. Every time we apply it, we can feel it nourishing our lips back to health.
This mask is thick and deeply nourishing and probably best for a weekly overnight treatment rather than for everyday use.
If you are looking for an exceptional, fragrance-free, dye-free, and non-comedogenic lip balm, the Barbara Strum lip balm is the ultimate. Barbara Strum’s simple, clinically-inspired formulas are gentle enough for the most sensitive skin and actively soothe and calm any dryness or chapping.
The lightweight texture glides onto lips effortlessly, imparting instant softness and comfort. Your lips will drink up the blend of deeply hydrating oils like avocado, coconut, and sunflower oils, which provide lasting nourishment. Shea butter and beeswax create a protective barrier, locking in that moisture so lips stay soft and supple.
While thick and creamy, the Dr. Barbara Sturm Lip Balm never feels heavy or tacky.
If you deal with dry, flaky lips, the Dr. Barbara Sturm Lip Balm is an absolute must-try. It’s incredibly nourishing and protective while still feeling lightweight and comfortable.
Why Go Clean: The Benefits of Using Organic Lip Balms
Skin Absorption
Our lips readily absorb everything we apply to them. Unlike most skin, the tissue on our lips lacks an outer layer of dead cells that would slow absorption. This makes our lips especially vulnerable to synthetic chemicals found in many conventional lip balms. These can potentially disrupt hormones or irritate sensitive skin when absorbed.
Allergic Reactions & Sensitivities
An organic lip balm uses plant-derived ingredients grown without pesticides. Skipping synthetic fragrances, dyes, and preservatives also reduces the risk of allergic reactions or irritation. For people with sensitivities, an organic balm with simple, botanical ingredients is far less likely to trigger any issues. Even people without sensitivities may appreciate avoiding prolonged exposure to harmful synthetic ingredients.
Environmental Impact
Opting for an organic lip balm also benefits the environment. Organic farming nurtures healthy soil and ecosystems. Fewer pesticides and responsibly sourced botanicals make organic products more sustainable. Brands committed to organic ingredients often also use recyclable packaging. Choosing organic encourages farming practices that protect wildlife and reduce pollution.
While the price tag might be a bit higher, an organic lip balm nourishes your lips in the healthiest, safest way possible. And it feels good to choose a product that also nurtures the earth.
Tips For Choosing A Clean Lip Balm
With so many lip balms out there, it takes a bit of sleuthing to find one that nourishes your lips without unhealthy additives.
- Scan ingredient lists carefully, watching for any synthetic additives. Opt for balms with super short, plant-based ingredients you recognize and can pronounce. Steer clear of those with a medicine cabinet’s worth of multi-syllabic chemicals.
- Key ingredients to avoid are synthetic fragrances, parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, and petrochemicals. These can irritate lips or disrupt hormones with daily use.
- Seeking out balms with natural SPF shields your lips from sun damage. Ingredients like zinc oxide offer safer sun protection than chemical SPFs.
- Consider texture too. Do you prefer lightweight gels, waxy sticks or thick buttery balms? Ingredients like beeswax or shea butter deliver rich hydration while oils give a silky feel. Sample different textures to find your perfect match.
Chemicals To Avoid In Your Lip Balm
Petroleum- (or petrolatum) is a byproduct of the crude oil refining process (yes, like the same crude oil used to make gasoline that goes into your car). This ingredient is not good for your skin, your general health, or the environment.
While petroleum is used in many widely used in drug store brands it doesn't provide any hydrating properties. Instead, it sits above the skin barrier, only giving the appearance of moisturization.
Worse yet, petroleum is associated with significant health and safety concerns because it contains PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), which are known carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors.
Paraffin- and paraffin wax are derived from petroleum, coal, and oil shale. Paraffin contains dangerous chemicals often referred to as BTEX, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals can cause severe determinantal effects on your kidney, liver, and blood systems and can even cause cancer of the blood like leukemia.
Mineral Oil- don't be fooled. While mineral oil may sound like a harmless all-natural ingredient, mineral oils are mostly derived from petrolatum and paraffin oil products and are associated with the same health concerns.
Parabens- including methylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparabencan disrupt hormones in the body and harm fertility and reproductive organs, affect birth outcomes, and increase the risk of cancer.
Fragrance/Parfum- "Fragrance" is a blanket industry loophole that allows companies to put whatever toxic ingredient they want into a product without disclosing the harmful components to the customer, claiming that their scent blends are trade secrets.
This blog post was all about the 5 best clean lip balms.
When it comes to nourishing and protecting your lips, using a natural, organic lip balm is the healthiest choice. These clean balms skip synthetic chemicals and rely on plant oils, butters, and waxes to deeply hydrate lips.
The top 5 clean lip balms featured provide long-lasting moisture and soothing care. They contain beneficial ingredients like squalane, lanolin, papaya enzymes, and vitamin E, all from nature. With natural options for any preference, from vegan to ultra-hydrating, you can find your perfect match.
Remember to check labels for any questionable ingredients and look for balms with short, plant-based formulas. Avoiding chemicals like parabens, petrochemicals, and artificial fragrances reduces the risk of irritation and long-term health risks.
Investing in an organic, non-toxic lip balm nourishes your lips safely while avoiding harm to your health and the environment. Treat your delicate lip skin to the botanical power of nature.
I hope this overview inspires you to nurture your lips with non-toxic care. Let me know if you have any other questions about choosing the perfect natural lip balm for your needs!
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