There’s pretty much nothing I’m obsessed more with than lip balms…well let me clarify, ORGANIC lip balms. Why slather your lips with synthetics, parabens and health-compromising toxins when you can nourish your lips with organic butters and oils? I’m rounding them all up here—coupon codes too!
By: Lisa Fennessy
IN THIS POST:
- Ingredients to celebrate in organic lip balm
- Ingredients to consider in organic lip balm
- My favorite organic lip balm
- Best vegan lip balm
- Best budget vegan lip balm
- Best gluten free lip balm
- Best budget organic lip balm
- Best overnight lip treatment
- Best for severely chapped lips
- Best eco friendly packaging
- Best all around lip balm
Lip balms = LIFE! Who’s with me!? I rarely leave my house without one not to mention I have them stashed in my car, bag, bathroom, kids backpacks…So I’m pretty much always within an arms reach of conditioned lips. Needless to say, there’s nothing I’m obsessed with more than organic lip balms.
And all the people said YESSSS! Why? Well the skin on our lips is actually composed differently than the skin on the rest of our body in two ways.
First, the stratum corneum (the most outer layer of skin), is thinner on our lips. And second, our lips have a lack of melanin (which gives lips a red hue).
The lack of melanin and thinner skin makes lips more susceptible to sunspots and skin cancer. Also, our lips have no sweat glands, no hair follicles, and no sebaceous glands. And this is why we get chapped lips!
RELATED: The best natural face moisturizers & our red lipstick buying guide.
Ingredients to celebrate in organic lip balm
So in my book, there are two types of lip balms. Balms made with nourishing organic oils and butters OR balms made from synthetics like petroleum, preservatives like parabens and health-compromising ingredients like chemical fragrances. The choice is ours!
Obvi, we’re over the moon if we can find organic ingredients. It’s not always the case, but we’re looking there to start. We’re also looking for emollient ingredients that attract water from the air, and help hold it in, hydrating your kisser from top to bottom (lip).
- Butters, like cocoa seed butter, shea butter and more.
- Oils, like coconut oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, red raspberry seed oil can provide some additional antioxidants and other nutrients to support the thin skin of lips.
- Waxes, like candelilla, jojoba and beeswax, can help that balm stay put! We’re looking for ingredients that help prevent evaporation of moisture from the skin and also protect skin from irritation. This type of skincare ingredient is categorized as an “occlusive” because of the way it functions. Some vegan ingredients that act like occlusives are vegetable waxes (candelilla and jojoba).
You’ll usually see a combo of these in a lip balm, with different varieties and formulations producing different consistencies and feels (from a drier balm in a twist-up tube to a more liquid version in a squeeze tube). A butter+wax+oil=a lip balm you can love!
Ingredients to consider in organic lip balm
- Mineral oil, typically listed as petrolatum or paraffin. Fatty acids from petroleum are absorbed through the skin, stored in our adipose tissue, not metabolized, and not excreted. Mineral oil snuck into food and cosmetics has led to mineral oil being the largest contaminant in human tissue (1).
- Synthetic fragrances or flavors listed as fragrance or perfume or flavor or aroma. Sooo common in lip balms.
- Questionable preservatives like chlorphenesin (2), parabens (3), and unregulated Phenoxyethanol (4).
- Carmine. If you’re out for vegan, you’ll want to avoid colorants that are derived from insects, like carmine, a common sub for synthetic colors. The insects used to make carmine are called cochineal. They’re native to Latin America but mainly farmed in Peru, where millions of tiny insects are harvested every year to produce the coloring (5).
- Chemical UV Absorbers like… Avobenzone, which is genotoxic (6) (Sevinc et al. 2017), phototoxic, photoallergenic (7), increases damaging free-radical production in the skin (8) and is highly photo-unstable (7). Oxybenzone, which is also genotoxic (9) and induces chromosomal aberrations (9), passes easily through human skin and accumulates in the bloodstream 339-419 times higher than the FDA limit (10) after a single use, and contains residual carcinogen benzophenone (11). Oxybenzone is also a phototoxicant (12) and America’s and Europe’s most common cause of phototoxicity and photoallergic contact dermatitis (PACD). Homosalate, which is genotoxic (13), induces oxidative stress in cells and damages mitochondrial membranes (14). Pregnant women are advised to practice caution while using homosalate because this UV absorber has been found to affect the survival of the placental cells that nourish the embryo. Octocrylene (OCR), which is a photoallergen (15) and it causes considerable DNA-damaging free-radical singlet oxygen production (16), enhancing UVA-induced cell damage (17).
RELATED: Guide to clean beauty
My favorite organic lip balm
So while we are on the subject….let me just come out and say it, I’m kinda obsessed with Maya Chia’s Waterless Wonder Balm. It can be used to treat a myriad of body parts and issues. Hands, cuticles, feet, elbows…you can even use it as a heavy-hitting face balm. The texture is creamy, silky, smooth and rich. And it’s healing, soothing and protective. And the ingredients? To die for.
Ingredients: Shea Butter, Supercritical Chia Oil, organic Apricot Kernel Oil, organic Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, Non-GMO Vitamin E, 2% essential oils or botanical extracts.
Maya Chia holds the US patent on supercritical chia seed extraction which is the cleanest extraction method on the block. This ensures we are getting all the benefits chia has to offer in its most natural state and you will only find it here with Maya Chia. Read my full Maya Chia review here.
Chia seed oil is a superfood for your skin. It’s stacked with saturated fatty acids which keeps skin cell membranes healthy and fights against free radical damage. Check out this 2010 study on the efficacy of topical n-3 fatty acid products containing just 4% chia oil on patients suffering from severe cases of dry, problematic, itchy skin. It “improved skin hydration, skin barrier function and reduced trans-epidermal water loss” in just two weeks – which sounds like the perfect recipe for a lip balm to me! (Scroll through the study to see the results).
I love the Waterless Wonder Balm for days but it’s especially great as a night lip treatment too. I wake up with lips feeling so smooth and soft. Like, I just can’t get enough. And of course it’s formulated without the use of parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, PEGs and SLSs.
The Waterless Wonder Balm makes for a spendy lip balm but I’ve had mine for over a year and I still have some left— it’s super concentrated and a little goes a long way.
Maya Chia Waterless Wonder Balm | $42
This multi-purpose balm can be used to treat a myriad of body parts and issues. Hands, cuticles, feet, elbows…you can even use it as a heavy-hitting face balm. The texture is creamy, silky, smooth and rich. And it’s healing, soothing and protective.
RELATED: HENNÉ Organics Review
Buying guide: Best organic lip balms 2024
Axiology Vegan Lip Balm | $14
This lip balm is one of Axiology’s newest products. It’s super creamy and uber moisturizing (without being slippery) which I didn’t expect.
SAVE: Use code THENEWKNEW for 20% off at Axiology.
Best over night lip treatment: Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Serum | $48
LOVE this overnight to soften, hydrate and transform lips. Pomegranate plant sterols, beet extract and vegan collagen actually work to improve lip cell structure and fight signs of aging. Can you say bedside table staple!? This formula has almost a gummy consistency but the payoff is worth it. Great for overnight, not so much for daytime. With a hint of vanilla this formula is straight up transforming.
SAVE: Code NEWKNEW20 will save you 20% at Fitglow.
OLIO E OSSO Balm No. 1 | $28
A sheer waxy balm with a stiff consistency and almost a dry finish. I love this one because it’s fragrance-free and it stays put—like you put it on and it’s not going anywhere but it’s also not distracting either. Made with only four ingredients, great for lips, cheeks and kids faces too. You can even use it to tame eyebrows and beards.
OGEE Sculpted Lip Oil Clear | $28
This is actually a solid oil stick. When you take the cap off, it kind of look like a crayon. The Sculpted Lip Oil adds shine with a hint of mint via peppermint essential oil. They apply thin and finish with a nice slip. Available in several shades including a clear. Formulated with hyaluronic to help draw in moisture although some people report these have a drying effect on their lips. See all shades applied here! (Gluten free)
Best for severely chapped lips: Beneath Your Mask Remedy Conditioning Lip Balm | $22
Kinda obsessed with this formula. First of all, the packaging is in a SLEEK aluminum black squeeze tube – talk about chic. Second, this formula is INTENSE. It’s designed to moisturize, condition, soften and protect and it does all of that with a hint of lavender. It’s CRAZY THICK—think Vaseline on roids. You really have work to get it out of the tube but I love that because this formula doesn’t play. GREAT for dry, peeling and chapped lips.
Keep scrolling for more AND while you’re at it, check out this video that details my favorite organic lip balms here!
Best gluten free + best overall: Sparitual Citrus Cardamon Moisture Balm | $23
My total daytime fave right now. I love this cubby, fatty tube. The citrus/cardamom scent is understated and elegant. The consistency is just right—not too thin, not too thick. And it’s gluten-free! You can use this all over your body but for me it’s reserved for lips only!
Henné Organics Lux Lip Balm V2 | $19
A certified organic, fragrance free, luxe lip balm that comes in a sleek black tube. Medium consistency with a light creamy finish. Love it.
SAVE: Use code NEWKNEW15 to save 15% on your first order at Henné.
Bali Balm | $9
Th Cinnamon & Burnt Orange one smelled so strong out of the tube I just knew I was going hate it but au contraire! It’s everything I love about fall jam packed into a lip balm. A little tingly, a lot of cinnamon, a hint of orange and thick, even moisture. It even comes with one of those old school Blistex slanted lip applicators.
28 LITSEA Melted Balm | $12
Yes, yes and YES! This balm is so beautiful and it’s made in my home state of Massachusetts! (Which by the way, no one can pronounce in the south—it always comes out sounding like some foul phrase—it’s actually pretty hillar because everyone says it with a straight face and I’m like; you just swore—haha!) Conditioning, creamy, not too heavy/not too light, smells minty and pretty. (Gluten free)
SAVE: Code THENEWKNEW will save you 10% at The Choosy Chick.
Best vegan + eco friendly lip balm: Meow Meow Tweet’s Vegan Lip Balm | $14
A multi-purpose chubby stick that can do no wrong. Think chapped cheeks, noses, lips, cracked hands and more. Comes in an eco-friendly, biodegradable paper tube. Coconut Cacao anyone!? Sold! (Gluten free)
Osmia Lip Doctor | $12
Osmia can literally do no wrong and the same applies to their lip doctah! This no-frills formula is all business. It’s castor oil free (which some people are allergic to) and essential oil free—perfect for those with sensitivities. Formulated with a base of olive oil, the lip doctor leaves no lips behind! Nourishing, healing and calming. A great option for someone who is looking to swap out their Chapstick. Both of my kids have this in their school backpack. Do yourself a fave and buy two. (Gluten free)
Kari Gran Lip Whip in Naked Peppermint | $21
If you haven’t entered into the land of Kari Gran Lip Whips yet…GUUURRRL you are missing out! Creamy, conditioning and minty with the perfect amount of gloss. This balm is borderline a lipgloss. Packaged in a glass pot. They have tinted ones too. Super cute! (Gluten free)
Best budget vegan lip balm: Hurraw Lip Balm | $8.95
An all organic lip balm that comes in several flavors like lemon, mint, grapefruit…also available with SPF too. Goes on smooth, is super nourishing and smells amazing! Comes in a traditional application tube.
Best budget lip balm: Moroccan Magic Certified Organic Lip Balm | $3.99
This all-organic lip balm is divine! Comes in several trending flavors like rose, peppermint eucalyptus, lemon thyme and coconut almond. Available at CVS, Wegmans, Bed Bath & Beyond + Whole Foods. Certified organic. Comes in a traditional application tube.
LILFOX Gelsomino Luxury Lip Butter | $35
With scents of jasmine, French neroli, Italian bergamot, this lip balm doubles as a perfume balm. Talk about a 2 in 1!
Kosasport LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm in Baseline | $18
This formula is charged with attracting water and sealing in nourishment while working to repair and plump. This sits heavier on the lips with a semi-matte finish. A little minty too. (Gluten free)
Three Ships Buttercream Hydrating Lip Mask | $19
A vegan lip mask that works as a lip balm. Smells fantastic and works really well!
Love + Sage Daydreams Lip Balm | $12
Lightly scented with fig and vanilla in a traditional tube shape.
Which one of these organic lip balms is your favorite?
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REFERENCES:
1. Concin, Nicole; Hofstetter, Gerda; Plattner, Barbara; Tomovski, Caroline; Fiselier, Katell; Gerritzen, Kerstin; Fessler, Siegfried; Windbichler, Gudrun; Zeimet, Alain; Ulmer, Hanno; Siegl, Harald; Rieger, Karl; Concin, Hans; Grob, Koni; Mineral oil paraffins in human body fat and milk, August 2007
2. Wang, Jingyi; Liu, Yang; Kam, Wendy; Li, Ying; Sullivan, David A.; Toxicity of the cosmetic preservatives parabens, phenoxyethanol and chlorphenesin on human meibomian gland epithelial cells; 25 September 2019
3. Pan, Shawn; Yuan, Chaoshen; Tagmount, Abderrahmane; Rudel, Ruthann A.; Ackerman, Janet M.; Yaswen, Paul; Vulpe, Chris D.; Leitman, Dale C.L; Parabens and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Ligand Cross-Talk in Breast Cancer Cells; May 2016
4. D’Souza, Ryan S.; Warner, Nafisseh; Phenol Nerve Block; Mayo Clinic, updated in September 2020
5. Cameo Chemicals; MeSH; National Library of Medicine, updated on February 20th, 2021;
6. Yazar, Selma; GÖKÇEK, Yaman; Yeni Yüzyil Üniversitesi; Marmara Pharmaceutical Journal, February 2018;
7. Paris, Cecilia; Lhiaubet-Vallet, Virginie; Jimenez, Oscar; Trullas, Carles; Miranda, Angel, Miguel; Instituto de Tecnologıa Quımica UPV-CSIC; Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain; ISDIN S.A., Dermopharmaceutical Discovery Unit, Barcelona, Spain; April 25th, 2008; A Blocked Diketo Form of Avobenzone: Photostability, Photosensitizing
Properties and Triplet Quenching by a Triazine-derived UVB-filter
8. Sayre, Robert M.; Dowdy, John C.; Gerwig, Andre J.; Shlelds, William J.; Lioyd, Roger V.; Unexpected Photolysis of the Sunscreen Octinoxate in the Presence of the Sunscreen Avobenzone, 30th April 2007;
9. Santovito, Alfredo; Ruberto, Stefano; Galli, Gabriella; Menghi, Constanza; Girotti, Marilena; Cervella, Piero; Drug and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 4, 2019; Induction of chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei by 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (oxybenzone) in human lymphocytes
10. Matta, Murali K. Matta, PhD; Florian, Jeffry, PhD; Zusterzeel, Robbert MD, PhD, MPH; JAMA Network, January 21st, 2020; Effect of Sunscreen Application on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients
11. National Toxicology Program Tech Rep Services, February 2006; Toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of benzophenone (CAS No. 119-61-9) in F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice (feed studies)
12. Photobiology Unit, Department of Dermatology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee; The European Multicentre Photopatch Test Study (EMCPPTS) Taskforce; A European multicentre photopatch test study
13. Yazar, Selma PhD; Ertekin, Simge, Kara; Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology; Assessment of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of homosalate in MCF‐7, April 25th, 2019
14. Yang, Changwon; Lim, Whasun; Bazer, Fuller W.; Song, Gwonhwa; Environmental Pollution, Volume 243, Part B; December, 2018; Homosalate aggravates the invasion of human trophoblast cells as well as regulates intracellular signaling pathways including PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways
15. Avenel-Audran, MD; Dutartre, Hervé, MD; Gossens, An, PhD; Arch Dermatol., July, 2010;146(7):753-757. doi:10.1001/archdermatol.2010.132; Octocrylene, an Emerging Photoallergen
16. Allen, John M.; Gossett, Cynthia J.; Allen, Sandra; Chemical Research in Toxicology; Photochemical Formation of Singlet Molecular Oxygen in Illuminated Aqueous Solutions of Several Commercially Available Sunscreen Active Ingredients, April, 1996
17. Hansona, Kerry M.; Gratton, Enrico; Bardeena, Christopher J.; Free Radical Biology, Volume 4, Issue8; 15th, October 2006; Sunscreen enhancement of UV-induced reactive oxygen species in the skin
Jennifer
March 26, 2018Lip balm and mascara are my two beauty products I can’t live without!!
Lisa Fennessy
March 26, 2018Haha! Agree!
Lura
March 26, 2018Ooh so exciting! I love lip balm too. Kari Gran Lip Whips are definitely a favorite. I’d love to try Maya Chia Waterless Wonder Balm!
Beth Cincotta
March 26, 2018Thank you thank you for this review! Lip gloss most definitely is life. I’m so in need of it that I make my husband stash mine in his pocket if for some reason I don’t have my purse haha. And I LOVE True Botanicals!
Lisa Fennessy
March 26, 2018I love that your husband takes yours – haha!
Rachel Guler
March 26, 2018Lip Balm would be one of those one things I would bring to a deserted island as a thing I can’t live without. Love WWB, & I even use the SuperBlend Pressed Serum as a lip balm treatment too ! I’ll share
this with my friend Haydee !
Lisa Fennessy
March 26, 2018Agree 100%!!!
Lindsey
March 26, 2018Would love to try out this product!!
Ginger
March 26, 2018All of these sound great! I’d love to try the maya chia one! Thanks for the chance 🙂
Devora Ten
March 26, 2018Obsessed with anything Maya chia. Need to win this!
Rita
March 26, 2018OOh my fav is also the morrocan magic but I’m not gonna lie I’m having a hard time getting rid of petroleum like aquaphor!
Lisa Fennessy
March 26, 2018Maya Chia is a high end substitute for Aquaphor. I would also recommend Pleni Naturals Baby Balm – it’s a nontoxic dupe!
Lorraine
March 26, 2018I also really love lip balms! My current favorite is Osmia lip doctor, but I would be so excited to try Maya Chia’s balm. They make such wonderful products!
Annette
March 26, 2018There are a couple of brands I haven’t tried yet. Just when I thought my lip balm obsession couldn’t get any worse!
Lisa Fennessy
March 26, 2018Haha! Love your comment Annette!
Megan
March 26, 2018I finally found Moroccan Magic at CVS! Really would love to try the Maya Chia because I just had my daughter and my skin is DRY!
Michelle
March 26, 2018This post is perfect for me – always on the hunt for my perfect lip balm, and in need after Chicago winter. Thanks for a great post, and all you do!
Lisa Fennessy
March 26, 2018Thanks Michelle!
Samantha
March 26, 2018I love lip balm. I honestly have 3 throughouty upstairs and one at work just in case. I’m always looking to try new brands.
Jae
March 26, 2018I *love* everything I’ve ever tried that’s been recommended by you so, duh, I’m sure the Maya Chia will be absolutely no different. Love the Moroccan Magic and the Osmia necklace the best! Thanks for what you do! 😊
Lisa Fennessy
March 27, 2018Hi Jae! Thanks so much girl! I know, I totally LOVE my OO necklace!
Meg
March 26, 2018I have been searching and searching for an effective clean balm/lip treatment for my peeling lips. Thank you for this review and give away!
Lisa Fennessy
March 27, 2018Absolutely Meg! Thanks for reading!
Heather
March 26, 2018Love Osmia as well! I like to have more than one balm though and it sounds as though some products you mention also do more than moisturizer lips. I’ll venture out from Osmialand and try some 😊
Lisa Fennessy
March 27, 2018I like to have more than one balm too Heather…if you couldn’t tell : )
Mikayla
March 26, 2018I love Osmia’s lip doctor! It’s so good! And the Red Apple Rallye balm for under lipstick is wonderful. So, how do you pronounce Litsea :D?
I never knew Maya Chia had invented and patented the supercritical chia extraction–so cool!
Lisa Fennessy
March 27, 2018So cool, right!? I have to ask about the pronunciation! I just discovered them!
Mary
March 26, 2018Eeek one of my favorite posts yet! I will definitely have to look into the Maya Chia balm andddddd I’ve been trying to get my hands on the Kari Gran Suji red lip whip in Canada!! I’ve asked my local green beauty shop to look into carrying her line of lip whips, I hear they are ah-mayyy-zing 😛
Luna Tran
March 26, 2018Sill looking! My lips get crack so easily. 😩
Lisa Fennessy
March 27, 2018Seriously. Maya Chia to the rescue!
Kimi
March 26, 2018Lip balm is my desert island must-have. I don’t go anywhere without it! I am a lip balm junkie!
Lisa Fennessy
March 27, 2018Me too Kimi! Can’t live without it!