16 Nourishing Balms to Heal Chapped Lips (2024)

When the temperatures drop and the air gets dry, so does our skin. And while our hands and bodies may suffer the rigors of icy winds and dry, heated air, there's one body part that suffers most of all: lips. Unlike most of your skin, lips don't naturally produce their own moisturizing oils to fight off flakiness, so the only protection they get comes in the form of lip treatments, such as oils, masks, and of course balms.

That said, there are so many products on the market—from inexpensive drugstore staples to luxurious formulations—but price or packaging doesn’t always mean quality. That is to say: choosing the perfect balm can be a trial-and-error process. But like with many good things in life, hunting down the perfect formula is worth it in the end. Below, we've rounded up the best lip balms to keep your pout looking plump, soft, and kissable all season long.

A clever blend of peptides works to pump up the natural collagen production in your lips to fend off lines, while hyaluronic acid pulls hydration into the skin and cocoa butter, avocado oil, and shea butter lock it in tight.

A favorite among ladies and gents, the soft feel and subdued matte finish of this gel-like shea butter- and SPF-infused lip balm have helped it gain cult-status among those who hate for their lips to look made up.

The sophisticated, minimalist tube hides an equally sophisticated, crystal clear balm packed with fatty acids to make your lips feel velvet soft. The minty mojito scent is just a bonus.

A mix of lanolin with avocado, shea, and mango butters blended with natural waxes make this sturdy balm a perfect base for wearing underneath lipsticks or glosses that might otherwise emphasize flakes and cracks.

La Mer's lip cure feels incredibly luxurious because a), it's La Mer, and b) it melts straight into your lips, leaving them with a moisturized sensation that really lasts.

Consider this pot of rose-scented balm the Swiss army knife of on-the-go beauty. Chapped lips, elbows, or knees? This tin can handle a range of skin conditions, relieving the most severe of dryness.

Designed to hydrate lips while you catch zzzs, this silky, antioxidant-packed balm works just as well during the waking hours.

Perhaps when you were a child, your mom would give you Vaseline or Aquaphor for your chapped lips. Well, we're here to tell you this stuff really holds up. This easy-to-use tube of Aquaphor is one we swear by. File that under "Things Mom Was Right About." Plus, any beauty product is made all the better if it includes SPF.

If there's one thing Charlotte Tilbury does especially well, it's hydration. Case in point: the brand's Magic Cream. So it only makes sense they would have a killer lip product, too. This lightweight oil packs in all the best ingredients to nourish your lips for long-lasting moisture.

With flavors like cocoa, banana, and mango, this balm could get by on yum factor alone. But its thick formulation packs a serious hydration punch, meaning it'll quickly become one of your must-have favorites.

Even the most dedicated SPF users can overlook their lips, but the skin around the mouth is just as susceptible to sun damage (and its wrinkle-inducing, potentially cancer-causing side effects) as anywhere else. This high-SPF gloss has you covered whether you're hitting the sands or the slopes with a clear formula and hydrating feel, sans that sunscreen-y taste.

Think of this demure metal tube as the grown up version of your favorite Lip Smackers. The sweet, watermelon-scented balm is infused with shea butter and olive oil for prime moisturizing and goes on feeling more like a gloss than your classic waxy balm.

This no-frills medicated lip balm is a tried and true product with strong active ingredients, which provide fast relief and long-term moisture balance.

According to T&C associate shopping editor Sophie Dweck, the genius of Ilia's nourishing lip balm lies in its innovative ceramic tip that naturally feels cooling and soothing upon application. "It's truly changed the way I look at balms," she writes.