"Some people collect matchbooks, some collect figurines, shells, refrigerator magnets—the list goes on. Me? I collect lip products. Depending on what time of the year it is, different parts of my collection have their time to shine, and with cold weather on the horizon—when dry lips and skin creep into your daily life—I’m diving right into my lip balm bounty.
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When the weather is cold, my chap-prone lips require the most hydrating lip balms—and ideally ones that don’t require me to re-apply them every hour. (They might be the only product that proves how good it is by how infrequently you’re reaching for it.) Ready to kiss your dry lips goodbye? These 13 editor-approved lip balms will be your saving grace this season.
14 Editor-Approved Hydrating Lip Balms
Smith’s rosebud salve can be used on lips, cuticles, skin, or anywhere else you experience dryness. With over 5,000 reviews and almost a five-star rating on Sephora, this product is made with petrolatum, which works by creating a water-resistant barrier on the skin to prevent drying.
Beeswax traps moisture and prevents dryness, which is ideal for treating dehydrated lips. With Burt’s Bees’ blend of beeswax and vitamin E, this peppermint lip balm will treat your existing dryness while preventing any further chapping.
If you prefer a no-fuss lip balm, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter is for you. With a blend of Vitamin E, coconut oil, and cocoa butter—which helps to intensely hydrate the skin—it provides the lips with a boost of hydration that lasts. The best part? With a three-for-$7 price tag, you can buy one with every bag.
Aquaphor is a beauty holy grail for a reason: its blend of nourishing shea butter, jojoba oil, and Vitamins C, E, and B5 is clinically proven to provide relief to even the driest of skin. Thanks to its fragrance-free formula, the dermatologist-recommended, no-frills product is also safe for sensitive skin.
SPF is a must for the thin, sensitive skin on the lips, and Jack Black’s Intense Therapy Lip Balm combines SPF 35 with shea butter, avocado oil, and Vitamin E for a double dose of sun protection and intense hydration.
Designed for sensitive, irritated lips, Tower 28’s SOS LipSoftie Lip Treatment is made with a blend of four soothing restorative oils and lysine—an essential amino acid that helps to prevent dryness—to instantly hydrate while leaving a soft-shine finish.
With hyaluronic acid to give instant hydration, ceramides to reinforce the skin’s barrier, and rice bran to seal in all the soothing goodness, Topicals’ Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm is a thick, vegan formula that’s ideal for the cold, windy months.
With a fragrance-free formula that’s chock-full of hydrating ingredients like Vitamin B5 and shea butter, La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Lip Balm provides an instant boost of hydration without leaving any greasy residue behind.
Lanolips’ award-winning Original 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm is made with 100 percent lanolin, a natural wax that’s used to soothe even the driest of skin. It can be used on all dry areas—lips, cuticles, heels, nose—and is safe enough to use on newborn skin.
With 14,000 reviews and a 4.5-star rating, Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment is the lip balm of the moment. It replenishes dry lips and locks in moisture while leaving a glossy, long-lasting finish. The best part? It also comes in four delicious scents (I’m partial to Rhode Vanilla and Salted Caramel).
If you like your lip balms to give you a little extra plumpness, Ole Henriksen’s Pout Preserve is for you. The clinically tested formula helps to restore volume while smoothing fine lip lines to give you a hydrated, plumped-up pout.
4 colors available
Image Skincare’s cult-favorite Ormedic Balancing Lip Enhancement Complex uses a polypeptide complex to give the appearance of fuller lips. Its two-in-one formula includes avocado oil and vitamin E to moisturize and soften the lips and enhance lip volume.
Like a little tint in your balms? This best-selling lip balm provides long-lasting hydration with the addition of sheer, buildable color. With over 10 natural-looking shades, it’s the lip product you’ll want to keep in every single bag.
Bella Gil, Associate Commerce Editor
Because shopping is quite literally her full-time job, Bella is dedicated to making sure you spend your hard-earned money on products you’ll fall in love with. She spends her days testing, researching, and writing about a wide range of topics, from beauty products to rug cleaners and everything in between.