While many of us will often remember to apply sunscreen on our face and arms before heading out the door, chances are we’ll overlook one other part of our body that needs sun protection as well — our lips. The fact is, the skin on your lips is quite thin and there just isn’t enough melanin in them to offer any type of sun protection.
Without adequate sun protection, your lips can become sunburned, but the potential risk doesn’t stop there. Over time, your lips can develop precancerous lesions (known as solar keratosis) as a result of overexposure to the sun. If left untreated, these lesions can develop into squamous skin cell cancers. Moreover, unprotected lip skin is at risk for developing melanoma – a rare but deadly form of skin cancer.
To mitigate these risks, you may want to add a little SPF to your lip care routine and remember to use it daily, even when it’s raining and cloudy out and even in the dead of winter. An overcast day does not magically cause UV rays to be any less dangerous.
Ahead we pulled together a list of some of the best lip balms with SPF that you may want to add to your shortlist.
Eos Active Aloe SPF 30 Lip Balm
Enriched with jojoba oil, shea butter, Vitamin E, and SPF 15, this yummy lip balm by Eos has plenty of good for your skin ingredients to keep it moisturized and protected from the sun.
Khiel’s Butterstick Lip Treatment SPF 30
Formulated with coconut oil and lemon butter, this rich lip treatment from Khiel’s offers deep hydration to parched lips. Plus, it has broad-spectrum SPF 30 to protect your lips from UVA and UVB rays. If that weren’t plenty, the butter stick is tinted for a little dash of color.
Aquaphor Lip Protectant and Sunscreen Ointment Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Aquaphor offers a budget-friendly way to protect your lips from the elements and the sun. Infused with vitamins C, E, B5, and shea butter, it deeply hydrates dry, cracked lips. Further fortified with a broad-spectrum SPF 30, it offers plenty of protection from UVA and UVB rays. And all of that for less than $5 to boot.
EltaMD UV Lip Balm SPF 36
With 5% hydromanil (a moisturizing complex derived from plants), antioxidants, and zinc oxide, Elta MD’s UV lip balm is not only super hydrating but also protects your lips against sun damage. What’s more, this formula is water-resistant and protects your lips for up to 80-minutes, when you’re enjoying a little fun in the sun.
Blistex Five Star Lip Protection SPF 30
If you prefer a no-fuss, no-muss, tried and true classic, then Blistex’s Five Star Lip Protection won’t disappoint. For less than $3, this lip balm checks all the boxes. It holds in moisture on delicate skin and rehydrates chapped lips; it forms a wind-resistant moisture shield and protects your lips from UVA/UVB rays with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. And at that price, you can stash one anywhere and everywhere.
