Do you need lip balm? Can you get addicted to lip balm? Are some lip balms bad? The answers are yes, yes and yes! How do you pick a good lip balm and what should you avoid?
As a dermatologist I know that you need to keep your lips moist by applying a really good moisturizing lip care product if you don’t want dry-looking lips that are prone to chapping. You need to apply it at the beginning of your day, throughout the day and at bedtime too. This is because your lip skin is unique and requires this special care.
Lip chapping occurs because, structurally, your lips don’t have the same tough dead skin cell layer that other parts of your skin have. Technically, we call lip skin 'mucosa' and it is different. Also, your lips don't have oil glands to help keep the lip mucosa hydrated. (Compare the skin of your nose to your lips for a fun demonstration!)
Lip skin is also really thin. It has many fewer layers of skin cells than does the adjacent skin of your face. This thinness is why lips are pink; the pink color of lips is visible because lip skin is so thin that you can see the capillaries below the skin surface.
Moisture is easily lost from lip mucosa. Dry climates and wind will quickly pull out moisture from your thin and vulnerable lip skin resulting in unpleasant chapped lips. By applying a lip moisturizer, you can help protect your lips from chapping. But, you can become “addicted” to lip balm if you use the wrong product.
The disadvantages of lip balm depend on what is actually in the product - specifically, what ingredients were used to make the balm. Some ingredients in lip balm can lead to a lip rash that looks identical to chapped lips.....
You bet it can! The wrong lip balm - meaning one that contains an allergen - will cause dry, rough uncomfortable lips that feel chapped! Exposure to the allergen causes a lip rash that mimics chapping (allergic cheilitis). The rash is really an allergic lip rash (eczema), but it looks and feels exactly the same as chapped lips.
The allergic lip rash from lip balm forces you to keep reaching for your trusted lip product to find relief. It's a beautiful world for the lip balm maker who sells you endless tubes of a product promising to treat your "chapped" lips but that really causes the disturbing dryness and peeling.
I especially recommend you avoid products with notorious lip allergens including:
These ingredients are really really really common in lip products. Start reading the labels and you will especially see citrus, mint and tea tree. Argh! Some of the older formulations rely on camphor and lanolin. My opinion is that lips are too sensitive for these ingredients - avoid them!
It is also important to note that vitamin E is often included in natural products as a preservative. It too can be an allergen, though it is rare. Another caution I want to alert you to is sunscreens in lip balm. Chemical sunscreens ingredients can be allergens to sensitive skin and I recommend avoiding them! Use only SPF lip products with mineral zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. I'll say more on that below.
I recommend only hypoallergenic lip moisturizers made from deeply hydrating and protective ingredients. My top choices include olive oil and other botanical oils such as castor seed oil, shea butter, dimethicone and even Vaseline, though the latter is not my favorite.
You can use pure Vaseline or a tin of shea butter. Nicer options include blended hypoallergenic products such as my certified organic Natural Lip Balm made with olive oil and castor oil. I apply this many times a day and always at bedtime. I keep one everywhere (purse, bathroom, desk, bedside table etc) and I give them as gifts - because everyone spends their day reaching for lip balm over and over.
I don't like chemical sunscreen UV filters and I definitely don't like you to eat those chemicals. Of course, what's on your lips is eaten all day. You can also be allergic to chemical sunscreens in lip balms, benzophenone being one notorious culprit.
Keep your lip sun protection products simple and use physical mineral lip sunscreens such as Vanicream Lip Protectant. This gentle product also contains dimethicone to help prevent chapping from wind and weather. Like all VaniCream products, it is free of notorious allergens including those that can cause you to be "addicted to lip balm".
If you are using lip balm all day and still have chapped lips, it may be the lip balm that is the problem. Lip skin (mucosa) is thin, absorbs allergens and gets allergic chelitis (allergic lip rash) that looks just like chapped lips. Allergic chelitis to lip balm is not rare. Use only hypoallergenic lip care products as I mentioned above.
Preventing annoying and painful chapped lips is why I'm so particular about lip balms and carry only the two products that I mentioned. They are hypoallergenic, free from the notorious allergens that create lip balm addiction, and work really well to treat and prevent lip chapping. These are the products I use for my sensitive skin patients, and the products that I carry in my purse and recommend for my family.
Before I was a dermatologist, I was "addicted to lip balm" because I used a popular lip product (which will go unnamed) for years. I had well worn tins and tubes of it everywhere - and chronically chapped lips. My bottom lip would split, my top lip was always chapped and the angles of my lips would crack and fissure too. I bought tons of that brand over the years and trusted them to my detriment. Now that I'm a dermatologist, I know better - I was addicted to the lip balm and suffered the consequences. I'm glad I finally figured it all out! Learn from me and prevent chapped lips by using only hypoallergenic lip care products!
When it comes to your lips, there are loads of products to choose from — lip liners, liquid sticks, plumpers, and more. But are these products actually good for your lips, and do they provide any benefits beyond appearance? Or, are you better off with your faithful black and white tube of ChapStick? We get to the bottom of these questions by battling out two of the most popular products in the lip world: lip balm and lip gloss.
Lip gloss is primarily a cosmetic product designed to give your lips a glossy finish. Note: According to the FDA, cosmetic products are used to alter a person’s appearance, but they don’t impact the human body‘s structure or functions.¹
Lip glosses are typically liquid or semi-fluid and may come packaged in a squeezable tube for applying directly to the lips. Some lip gloss tubes come with a doe foot applicator (a sponge-tipped wand) instead.
Lip gloss can add a high-shine top coat to give your favorite lipstick a glass-like finish. Or it can be applied on its own to add a shine to your natural lip color. You can also buy tinted lip gloss, which comes in just about every shade imaginable. From metallic shimmers to subtle pinks, these liquids add a pop of color and glossiness to make your lips stand out.
Okay, but what’s the difference between lip balm and lip gloss when it comes to ingredients?
Every lip gloss has its own combination of ingredients, but these are some common ones:
Emollients moisturize and soften the skin. Synthetic and refined emollients include squalane and mineral oils. Lanolin and jojoba are natural, moisturizing emollients.
Thickeners help keep the gloss on your lips. They include waxes, like ozokerite, and clays, like kaolin.
Coloring agents, like dyes, pigments, mica, and iron oxide, create different hues and add sparkle.
Polybutene and polyisobutene² act as binding agents to create a sticky texture.
Finally, the million-dollar question: are there benefits to lip gloss from a medical perspective? This can depend on the product formula.
Some lip glosses have benefits due to additional ingredients, like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (for sun protection), and moisturizing ingredients, like glycerin or jojoba oil. Other lip glosses, however, may have pore-clogging ingredients that can lead to acne around your mouth.
We recommend carefully reading each product label to know what ingredients you’re applying to your lips. If you’re ever uncertain about an ingredient, Curology’s licensed dermatology providers are here to help.
Lip balm is generally meant to moisturize your lips and treat and help prevent chapped and cracked lips. Most lip balms are wax-like substances packaged in sticks, jars, or roll-on containers.
Things get a bit technical when it comes to lip balm product classification. Your standard lip balm is a cosmetic product. But a lip balm with active ingredients that treat a medical condition is both a cosmetic and a drug.³ An example is a lip balm that treats cold sores.
And, unlike lip gloss, lip balm is not typically a makeup product. It’s generally considered a personal care product and skin protectant.
Here are some common ingredients that may be found in lip balm:
(Keep in mind that this is by no means an all-inclusive list. Different lip balm brands will have their own product ingredients.)
Beeswax and carnauba wax
Cocoa butter, shea butter, and palm butter
Petrolatum and petroleum jelly
Lanolin
Honey
Plant oils like jojoba, almond, and avocado oil
Vitamin E
Hemp seed oil and castor seed oil
Dimethicone
Coloring and flavoring agents
Most lip balms are made to give your lips the care they need. But are there any disadvantages of lip balm?
Lip balms made with certain ingredients may harm your lips by drying them out instead of moisturizing them.⁴ And, like lip gloss, some ingredients in lip balms may be comedogenic, potentially clogging the pores around your mouth.
Check out our helpful list of common pore-clogging ingredients to avoid.
Because the purposes of lip gloss and lip balm can differ, your final choice will depend on your goals. Although some lip glosses have hydrating and protecting benefits, they’re more often beauty products. For healthy, hydrated skin, lip balm is probably your best bet.
The good news? You don’t have to choose one or the other. Applying lip balm regularly will keep your lips healthy and create a smooth canvas on which you can apply beauty products like lip gloss.
Wondering which lip balm is best for daily use? Dermatologists recommend applying a non-irritating lip balm throughout the day and before you go to bed.⁵ When outdoors, apply a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher every two hours. Add some gentle exfoliation to the mix, and your lip care routine will be good to go.
Getting your lips to pouty perfection shouldn’t be a game of trial and error. If you’d like expert advice on how to use lip balm, Curology is here to help.
Our dermatologists have developed an acne-friendly, non-greasy lip balm to soften and soothe your lips. It’s packed with all the good stuff, like natural butters, plant-based oils, and even SPF 30!
Sign up for a Curology trial* and get your Curology lip balm along with other customized products picked for your skin goals. Take a quick quiz, send us some selfies, and kiss dry lips goodbye.
Is lip balm better than lip gloss?
This depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your lip product. If you want to relieve dry or chapped lips, a lip balm can provide your lips with the hydration they need. But if your motive is more aesthetic, lip gloss can make your lips shimmer.
Is lip balm healthy for your lips?
Lip balms with the right ingredients moisturize dry lips and help protect them from the sun. But some lip balms may contain ingredients that can harm your lips and cause irritation. Keep in mind that everyone’s lips are different.
Lip balm vs ChapStick vs lip gloss: Are they the same thing?
Nope, and let’s make this distinction clear. ChapStick is one of many lip balm brands, like Curology and Burt’s Bees. Lip gloss is a makeup product that adds shine and color to the lips.
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Melissa Hunter is a board certified family nurse practitioner at Curology. She received her MSN from George Washington University in Washington, DC.
*Cancel at any time. Subject to consultation. Results may vary.
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Our medical review process:
We’re here to tell you what we know. That’s why our information is evidence-based and fact-checked by medical experts. Still, everyone’s skin is unique—the best way to get advice is to talk to your healthcare provider.
Our policy on product links:
Empowering you with knowledge is our top priority. Our reviews of other brands’ products in this post are not paid endorsements—but they do meet our medically fact-checked standards for ingredients (at the time of publication).
Written byCurology Team
Medically reviewed byMelissa Hunter, NP-C