18 Best Lip Balms to Soothe Chapped, Dry Lips, According to Derms

Despite their reputation as a winter affliction, chapped lips seem to strike year-round. Luckily, the best lip balm can soothe cracks and prevent future dryness with ease. But let’s be real, there are so many lip products on the market right now—from masks to salves to creams, and as we type this, we are sure there are even more formulas in development as we speak. That said, you might want to find the best one for you without all the trial and error, which is where we come in. We tapped three dermatologists to weigh in on everything you need to know about lip balms, plus the best ingredients for healing and soothing everything from minor splits and deep chaps to lip lickers’ dermatitis.

Vogue’s Guide to the Best Lip Balms:

• Best for Everyday: Ilia Lip Wrap Reviving Balm, $24
• Best Classic: Vaseline Blueseal Pure Petroleum Jelly Original, $5
• Best Tinted: Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm, $40
• Best Vegan: Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, $24
• Best Sun Protection: Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30, $16
• Most Viral: Rhode Peptide LIp Treatment, $16
• Best for Cracked Lips: Aquaphor Lip Repair, $5
• Best Multitasker: Chanel N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm, $45
• Best K-Beauty: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, $24
• Best Longwear Lip Balm: Topicals Slick Salve, $16

In This Story

• What to Look for in a Lip Balm
• How often should you apply lip balm?
• Can some lip balms actually make your lips dryer in the long run?

First thing’s first: “Lip balms are products intended to nourish and moisturize the lips by preventing water loss and protecting the lip mucosa,” board-certified dermatologist Azadeh Shirazi tells Vogue, adding that they are mainly designed to relieve chapped lips. “A good lip balm should provide protection against environmental stressors such as cold, wind, low humidity, and irritating substances.”

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Best Everyday: Ilia Lip Wrap Reviving Balm

• Why We Love It: When we think of the ultimate everyday lip balm, we look toward this Ilia option. The formula is led by hyaluronic acid, sea succulent, shea butter, and squalane (plus a few botanical oils) to replenish the skin barrier on the lips, moisturize, smooth, and soften over time. Not to mention, it pairs excellently with lip liners and lipsticks, if that’s your vibe.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, squalane, sea succulent, shea butter, castor oil, coconut oil
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.23 fl oz

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Best for Cracked Lips: Aquaphor Lip Repair

• Why We Love It: “Aquaphor is often recommended by dermatologists to moisturize and protect dry lips,” says Murphy-Rose. “[It’s] excellent for all skin types including the most sensitive; the Aquaphor lip is highly occlusive to powerfully lock in moisture.” Shirazi is also a fan; That’s why we think of it as the ultimate chapped lip salve—relieving dryness and cracks instantly.
• Key Ingredients: Petrolatum, ahea butter, chamomile essence, castor oil
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.35 fl oz

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Best Vegan: Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

• Why We Love It: Dr. Murphy-Rose is a fan of this pick by Summer Fridays, describing it as “a glossy balm that smells delicious and is full of nourishing moisturizers like shea butter and murumuru seed butter.” The 100% vegan balm has developed quite a fan base (so much so, it inspired the brand’s new Dream Lip Oil), perhaps in large part to its yummy flavors like vanilla, pink sugar, and brown sugar that leave a modern, sheer tint on the lips.
• Key Ingredients: Shea and murumuru seed butter, vegan waxes
• Shades: 9
• Size: 0.5 fl oz

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Best Classic: Vaseline Blue Seal Pure Petroleum Jelly Original

• Why We Love It: Vaseline, a product made with 100% pure pretroleum, is Dr. Shirazi’s top pick for lip care. “Petroleum jelly is one of the safest ingredients used in lip products, as it has almost no potential to cause irritation or allergic reaction,” she explains. “It’s also very effective at holding moisture in, protecting the lips, and healing chapped lips.”
• Key Ingredients: 100% pure petroleum jelly
• Shades: 1
• Size: 3.38 fl oz

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Best K-Beauty: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

• Why We Love It: Easily one of the most sought-after lip treatments on the market, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a wondrous find. Apt for moisturizing lips instantly through a blend of fruit complex, vitamin C, coconut oil, shea, and murumuru butter, this is best used as an overnight salve to promote smoother, softer lips come morning.
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, murumuru butter, vitamin C, coconut oil, an antioxidant-rich fruit complex
• Shades: 6
• Size: 0.7 oz

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Best Sun Protection: Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30

• Why We Love It: Dr. Shirazi emphasizes the importance of a lip balm with SPF to protect the lips from sun damage. One of her favorites? Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30. UVA/UVB protection aside, this vanilla brown sugar-flavored balm envelopes lips in a glossy shine perfect for daily wear.
• Key Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%, homosalate 10%, octisalate 5%, shea oil, aloe stem cells, vitamin E, sea moss
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.35 fl oz

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Best Sugar-Infused: Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Treatment Lip Balm

• Why We Love It: Many users of Fresh’s Sugar Lip Balm swear by not only its hydration properties, but its soothing of dry, cracked lips. These benefits arrive via sugar and hyaluronic acid filling spears, which boost moisture and help lips look plumper, plus sea fennel to smooth fine lines on the lips.
• Key Ingredients: Sugar, hyaluronic acid filling spheres, sea fennel, beeswax, botanical oils (jojoba, castor, olive, grapeseed, meadowfoam, black currant)
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.05 oz

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Best Editors’ Pick: La Mer The Lip Balm

• Why We Love It: La Mer’s lip balm is yet another dreamy product Vogue editors can’t get enough of. Whether spotted on our way to market appointments or typing away at our desks, you’ll likely notice a few of us gliding the plush satiny elixir to our lips, draping them in a nourishing, restorative sheen. Did we mention it’s refreshingly minty?
• Key Ingredients: La Mer’s Miracle Broth, petrolatum, aloe, algae extract, sesame seed oil, eucalyptus leaf oil, alfalfa seed powder, castor seed oil, glycerin
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.32 oz

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Best Viral Lip Balm: Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment

• Why We Love It: Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment is one of those beauty products that feel too good to be true. It’s garnered what feels like rave reviews online and on social media because it manages to promote softer, plumper, hydrated lips while leaving an enviable glossy finish sure to turn heads.
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, peptides, cupuaçu, babassu, lactic acid
• Shades: 4
• Size: 0.3 fl oz

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Best Tinted: Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm

• Why We Love It: We like to think of the Dior Addict Lip Glow as the OG tinted lip balm. Just take your pick of 25 sheer-to-buildable hues for a comfortable nourishing pop of color—perfect for on-the-go wear or even a night out. The choice is yours.
• Key Ingredients: Cherry oil, shea butter, sunflower and rice wax
• Shades: 21
• Size: 0.11 oz

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Best Clean: Weleda Skin Food Lip Butter

• Why We Love It: Looking for a clean beauty product for your lips? Weleda’s Skin Food Lip Butter is just the ticket. Its memorable green tube is packed with conditioning agents like lanolin, beeswax, and plant-based oils to safeguard lips from harsh winter temps.
• Key Ingredients: Sunflower seed oil, lanolin, beeswax. glycerin, botanical extracts (viola tricolor, rosemary leaf, chamomile, calendula)
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.27 oz

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Best Protective: Sisley-Paris Nutritive Lip Balm

• Why We Love It: What’s not to love about the Sisley-Paris Nutritive Balm? Designed to protect lips for environmental stressors like cold winds and pollution, this enlists a blend of plant-based oils and butters to soothe and nourish your pout in just one use.
• Key Ingredients: Kokum butter, mango butter, botanical oils (shea, plum kernel, jojoba, sweet white lupin, wheat germ), Padina pavonica extract, alpha bisabolol
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.32 oz

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Best Multitasker: Chanel N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm

• Why We Love It: Who’s to say your chosen lip balm can’t be a multitasker? Available in nine vibrant shades—from a rich berry to a classic Chanel red—this balm imparts a sheer buttery tint to the lips and cheeks with ease.
• Key Ingredients: Red camellia oil, castor oil
• Shades: 9
• Size: 0.23 oz

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Best Peptide: Nudestix Hydra-Peptide Lip Butter

• Why We Love It: Thanks to avocado and shea butter, this Nudestix treatment delivers some much needed vitamins and antioxidants to your pout. Plus, 2% peptides are featured to lock in moisture and promote plumper lips. Our favorite part? There are four smell-good shades (three tinted, one not) to choose from.
• Key Ingredients: Avocado butter, shea butter, peptides
• Shades:
• Size: 0.33 oz

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Best Cult-Favorite: Glossier Balm Dotcom

• Why We Love It: When cult-favorite brand, Glossier, hit the beauty scene in 2014, one of their first hits was Balm Dotcom. Fast forward, and the hero product has been revamped with a convenient applicator—goodbye, lip balm finger painting! Packed with a mix of ultra-nourishing ingredients like castor oil, beeswax, and lanolin, this balm works overtime to keep your lips soft and hydrated. Plus, antioxidants swoop in to protect against pesky free radicals.
• Key Ingredients: castor seed oil, beeswax, lanolin, antioxidant blend (vitamin e, rice bran, rosemary)
• Shades: 11
• Size: 0.5 fl oz

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Best Oil: Dolce & Gabbana Mint Oil Plumper

• Why We Love It: Who doesn’t want smooth, hydrated, and plump lips? Dolce & Gabbana’s lip oil gives you all three. The texture of this chic lip product blends the best of a silky oil with the non-sticky feel of a jelly. The nourishing combination of oils like vitamin E and fenugreek sprout moisturizes lips. At the same time, a dash of mint extract gives them a natural plump and a subtle flush for a your-lips-but-better look.
• Key Ingredients: Italian mint extract, cranberry seed oil, vitamin E, fenugreek Sprout
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.5 fl oz

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Best Longwear Lip Balm: Topicals Slick Salve

• Why We Love It: Look no further than Topicals Slick Salve for a lip balm that lasts. An all-time favorite of this writer, this fragrance-free formula is safe for sensitive skin. A powerful blend of peppermint oil and vitamin E reduces irritation. At the same time, nourishing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides deeply moisturize lips. Best of all, ingredients like glycerin and rice bran wax keep this lip balm in place by creating a moisture barrier for extra-long wear and extra hydration.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, rice bran wax
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.5 oz

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Best Texture: Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask

• Why We Love It: Whether you wear it overnight (or throughout the day), Tatcha’s Lip Mask combines luxe ingredients that work overtime to deliver plump, hydrated lips. Packed with squalane to lock in moisture and Japanese peach extract to help gently exfoliate, this soft jelly-texture mask melts into your lips with a non-sticky feel. It’s also infused with a deeply nourishing camellia oil, so you wake up with a supple pout.
• Key Ingredients: Japanese peach extract, Japanese camellia oil, squalene, rose extract
• Shades: 1
• Size: 0.32 oz

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What to Look for in a Lip Balm

In our opinion, the hallmarks of a good lip balm are texture and formula. Dr. Shirazi shares a bit of guidance for those with really dry lips: “Less is more when it comes to healing chapped lips,” she says. “Forget the fancy stuff with flavors, dyes, fragrances, etcetera, if you have chapped dry lips.”

• Key ingredients: Board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Pooja Rambhia advises looking for occlusive, emollient, and nourishing ingredients that help to lock in moisture and restore the skin’s natural barrier. She breaks down her top ingredients to consider when selecting a quality lip balm:
• Petrolatum: This powerful occlusive agent creates a protective barrier on the lips, preventing moisture loss.
• Beeswax: This natural emollient not only locks in moisture but also helps to soothe and protect dry, chapped lips.
• Ceramides: These are lipid molecules that help restore the skin’s protective barrier, reducing water loss and improving hydration.
• Shea Butter: A rich, nourishing ingredient that softens and moisturizes the lips while promoting healing.
• Hyaluronic Acid: A humectant that draws moisture into the skin, providing long-lasting hydration
• Finish: When it comes to lip finishes, it all depends on preference. Matte lips offer a sleek, velvety look with zero shine, whereas glossy ones impart high-shine, almost wet sheen. And for those who want a subtle balance, satin is the sweet spot—offering a soft, natural coat without the stickiness of gloss. For a glossy finish, Dr. Murphy-Rose is fond of Summer Fridays’s Lip Butter Balm (list above) thanks to its delicious smell and nourishing formula of shea butter and murumuru seed butter. For a satin finish, she recommends Aquaphor, as it’s a safe choice for most skin types, including the most sensitive.
• Consistency: Dr. Shirazi emphasizes the importance of consistency as a hallmark of a quality lip balm. “The consistency should help lock in moisture by reducing water loss, while the formula should support the skin barrier, nourish the mucosa, and be free of irritating substances.” This might come to fruition as an occlusive petroleum layer like Vaseline, a glossy sheen like Laneige, or a natural softness like Fresh’s lip balm.
• SPF: Dr. Shirazi believes a lip balm with an SPF is a bonus, as the lip mucosa is thin and more prone to sun damage from UV rays; she’d recommend one with zinc oxide, as it’s a “skin protectant [that] has anti-inflammatory properties.” Dr. Murphy-Rose agrees, explaining, “for those exposed to the sun, choosing a lip balm with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher is essential to protect against UV damage, which can worsen dryness and lead to long-term harm.”

How often should you apply lip balm?

“The frequency varies from person to person and depends on the climate,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Murphy-Rose says. “During dry winters, applying a lip balm every hour or more may be best.” Otherwise, Dr. Shirazi suggests twice daily—once in the morning, and again at bedtime.

Can some lip balms actually make your lips dryer in the long run?

“Lip balms with ingredients that irritate the lips or cause a sensitivity reaction can cause more dryness and peeling in the long run,” Dr. Shirazi explains. When in doubt, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Pooja Rambhia advises it’s best to keep it simple. “Aquaphor and Vaseline generally don’t exacerbate dryness. In fact, they work by creating a protective barrier to help lock in moisture and prevent further dehydration. The issue arises with lip balms containing fragrances, flavoring agents, or other irritating ingredients, which can disrupt the skin’s barrier and lead to more dryness over time,” Dr. Rambhia explains.

Dr. Murphy-Rose agrees, adding that you’ll want to avoid licking your lips as much as possible. “The problem is that the saliva is a skin irritant, which often worsens the problem and can cause ‘lip licker’s dermatitis,’” she continues. “Sometimes what looks and feels like dry skin is actually inflamed and irritated skin. It can be a true dermatitis.”

Meet the Experts

• Dr. Blair Murphy-Rose is a New York City–based board-certified dermatologist who specializes in facial rejuvenation techniques and noninvasive body contouring.
• Dr. Azadeh Shirazi is a California-based board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology.
• Dr. Pooja Rambhia is a board-certified and fellowship-trained dermatologist practicing at Union Derm in New York City and Greenwich CT.