14 best lip balms that lock in moisture, tried and tested

One of the most hydrating lip balms we’ve ever used, Hello Sunday’s formula contains broad spectrum SPF 50 as well as hyaluronic acid, shea butter and squalene. We found the formula instantly moisturising and softening. It boasts brilliant staying power with hydration that lasts, and it did a brilliant job of keeping dryness at bay. The clear, gel-like consistency leaves a juicy sheen on lips, making them look nourished and healthy, all of which created the illusion of a slightly plumper pout. One thing to note is the texture does feel quite waxy and thick but it’s vegan, unscented, doesn’t feel sticky, and a little goes a long way.

Bondi Sands is favoured for its suncare and fake-tan products but did its lip balm (with SPF 50) leave our lips feeling moisturised as well as protected? In short, yes. We were impressed with this nourishing budget balm, which managed to hold off dryness and keep our lips feeilng supple and comfortable, thanks to vitamin E and coconut oil. It’s a reef-friendly formula with an absolutely divine toasted coconut scent (we also noticed a faint sweet taste on our lips). It has a thick, buttery consistency in the tube and takes a good squeeze to come out, but it melts into a clear, silky, lightweight layer. Free from parabens and sulphates, it’s also cruelty-free and vegan.

From day one, this little pot of goodness worked wonders for our dry lips. Formulated for cracked and damaged pouts, it boasts a rich and buttery consistency but melts into a silky-smooth layer. The sweet scent, with soft hints of honey and citrus, makes it a treat to apply. Lavender honey nourishes, while shea butter soothes and alleviates tightness, and we were pleased with how intensive it was (this is one of the most hydrating balms we tried). Our pout felt supple and comfortable, with chapped areas softened.

This is a do-it-all balm delivering lasting hydration, SPF 50 and a high-gloss finish in six sheer shades (”choc top” has become one of our favourite low-maintenance tints). Applied with a curved, flexible applicator that helps with precision, this balm has a soft peppermint scent, and we noticed a slight cooling sensation on the skin. We also picked up on a very subtle bitter taste, but this certainly isn’t a deal-breaker. With shea butter and cacao seed butter working to hydrate, the effects of this balm are stellar. Our lips felt markedly soft, supple and smooth for hours after the gloss and pigment had worn away.

If you have dry to very dry and chapped lips, consider this intensive formula from Eucerin. Suitable for application around the lips, it is said to help with lip-licking eczema, cheilitis and dry lips caused by medical treatment. The formula contains evening primrose oil and liquorice extract to repair and address redness and irritation, and it’s also fragrance-free. While our skin wasn’t irritated before or during the testing period, we did find the intensive formula gentle and it kept our lips feeling moisturised. We found we could go several hours before feeling the need to re-apply this balm. Although it costs less than £10, it’s worth keeping in mind the tube is quite small.

Pumped with peptides, hydrating organic cocoa and plant-based hydraulic acid, Clarins’ balm boasts brilliant staying power. Hydrating from the first application, it left our lips feeling supple, and less chapped after multiple uses. its softening effect seemed to last for hours, too. It leaves a subtle sheen on the lips, which, along with the hydrating effects of the formula, gave our pout a juicy, plumped-up look. It’s not especially sticky, and we picked up on a subtle, slightly sweet scent. The downsides? The balm doesn’t contain SPF, and we’d have liked more product for the price. That said, we were very imperssed with this hydrating powerhouse.

Containing the brand’s signature ingredient, lanolin (an oil that occurs naturally in sheep’s wool), this all-in-one balm really impressed. Also with conditioning shea butter plus vitamin E, the creamy texture isn’t sticky and provides good colour pay-off along with a subtle sheen. The formula includes SPF 30 and kept dryness at bay during a sunny holiday abroad. The applicator is unlike anything we’ve tried before – it’s wide, so it made the most sense to apply with our finger. In terms of shade range, we would have liked to see more variety. The rose shade we tried turned out much cooler on us than pictured, too. There’s also rhubarb and nude shades.

Enlisting the help of lanolin, vitamin E and beeswax to nourish and regenerate, this multipurpose balm boasts tremendous staying power. It seemed to stick around long after application – even after eating. Formulated for cracked and chapped lips, the consistency is quite thick, so, a little goes a long way. In use, it immediately softened our lips and kept them feeling moisturised and supple. It’s multipurpose, so it’s suitable for use on the hands and other areas needing nourishment and hydration. We think it’s a reasonable price for 30ml, too.

Korean skincare brand Laneige achieved cult status with its lip sleeping mask (used by the likes of Charli XCX and Sofia Richie Grainge), and this glowy lip balm is the next instalment in the brand’s lip care range. Pairing the glassiness of a gloss with the benefits of a balm, it contains shea and murumuru seed butters to lock in moisture. After a day of using this balm, our lips felt markedly more comfortable and smoother. The buttery feeling stuck around long after the sheen had faded. It has a fruity, slightly artificial scent, which not everyone will want from an everyday lip balm, but we think it makes a great lip gloss alternative, with a skincare focus and a very subtle pink tint.

The Ordinary’s first ever lip balm, this product provides a thin, immediately softening veil over the lips, with a lightweight, non-greasy finish. We felt neutral about its novel packaging – the applicator is quite small, enabling better precision, but the twist-off lid is a little fiddly.

Supporting the skin barrier, the formula calls on skin-quenching squalene. This works in tandem with moisture-boosting amino acids. We would have liked more staying power from the formula, and to see some sun protection factor included, but our lips did feel moisturised. Suitable for all skin types, it’s unscented and, like all The Ordinary skincare, vegan.

For low-maintenance, semi-sheer colour, turn to Mac’s new balm. With a lightweight and velvety feel, the “PH-activated” formula is available in a range of different shades that adjust to your personal lip chemistry and, sure enough, the soft coral shade (candid) was very flattering on us. We also used it as a creamy, glowy blush, but it is quite tacky on the skin.

With 91 per cent naturally derived ingredients, the balm contains jojoba seed, sunflower oils and shea butter, which smooth the lips and condition and strengthen the skin barrier. It’s said to provide 24 hours of moisture but it was, for us, a little less moisturising over the course of a day than some of the other tinted balms we tested. However, this is a great lipstick alternative, if you want something subtler, creamier and more comfortable.

While this is technically an overnight lip mask, it can also be used during the day, but it does feel a bit thicker and greasier than a typical lip balm. Thanks to papaya (pawpaw), antioxidant-packed aloe vera, hydrating olive oil and plumping natural peptides, which are also said to smooth fine lines, we woke up to our lips feeling hydrated and pillowy. Billed as a multi-purpose product for cuticles and dry skin more generally, it’s made with 99 per cent natural ingredients. The formula is vegan, cruelty-free (certified by PETA), and suitable for sensitive skin. As far as lip products go, you get a lot of product per tube for the price, making it great value for money.

True to form, Rituals’s balm is a little bit of luxury, not least thanks to the metallic green packaging and button-press mechanism. It’s heavily scented, which not everyone will love, but it is very refreshing. It’s a botanical, slightly medicinal scent, owing to the inclusion of eucalyptus, which is said to heal, as is shea butter, while vitamin E protects against free radicals and smooths the skin.

Ticking the sun protection box with SPF 30, the yellow-hued stick melts into a velvety, mid-weight consistency. It softens lips immediately, leaving them feeling moisturised, and we picked up on a slightly cooling effect. The stick is quite small, especially when taking into account the price, and we found ourselves re-applying it quite often, but the recommendation with lip balms with SPF is to do this every two hours anyway.

Tropic’s lip shade is travel- and reef-friendly and provides SPF 50, so is well-suited to sunny holidays as well as day-to-day suncare. With an inoffensive, faintly sweet scent, the thick, buttery formula left our lips feeling supple and hydrated. Where ingredients are concerned, nourishing Omega 6 fatty acids and glow-boosting antioxidants in Kalahari melon seed oil regenerate skin cell growth. Aloe butter prevents skin from drying out in the sun, while shea butter offers nourishing, conditioning and anti-inflammatory benefits. We did notice it was quite soft as far as stick balms go, so be careful not to press too hard while applying, as this can squish the stick out of shape. However, we love that all of Tropic’s products are cruelty free, and certified as vegan by the Vegan Society.