There’s nothing worse than finishing up your beauty routine on vacation or getting ready for work, and realizing your lips are chapped and dry. Keeping your lips protected is extremely important both when faced with cold winter air, or a long day in the sun.
However, it can be very overwhelming when shopping specifically for moisturizing lip balms with natural, organic, or vegan ingredients.
So how do you know which natural lip balms are the best for chapped lips?
Checking your ingredient list is a good place to start. Natural lip balms use ingredients known for their moisturizing ingredients like plant-based oils, nourishing butters and protective natural waxes to help soften dry lips and lock in moisture.
Let's take a closer look at what makes a good natural lip balm, which ingredients to look out for, and five plant-based lip balm options that deserve a spot in your everyday vegan, organic or all-natural skincare routine!
What Is a Natural Lip Balm?
Traditional lip balms come in all kinds of formulas, some with better ingredients than others. Lower quality, cheap lips balms often are formulated with less desirable waxes and fillers, without providing much in terms of nourishment. They also can be made from petroleum-based oils, beeswax, or various types of other waxes.
Natural lip balms typically focus on ingredients derived from plants and other naturally occurring sources. Whether you’re looking at a vegan, natural, or organic lip balm, some common ingredients include coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, and plant waxes.
These ingredients can help soften dry lips and create a protective layer that slows moisture loss.
Of course, natural doesn't automatically mean a product is better, or higher performing for you specifically. Your skin can still react to essential oils, botanical extracts, and other natural ingredients differently than another person.
The important thing is finding a formula that works for your lips, your personal preferences, and ethical reasons why you might want to avoid certain ingredients.
Natural vs. Organic Lip Balm
It’s important to remember that while there is often overlap, natural and organic aren't interchangeable terms.
Natural lip balms generally refer to the types or origins of ingredients used in a formula. Organic refers to how agricultural ingredients are grown and processed according to specific standards.
An organic lip balm may contain certified organic coconut oil, shea butter, or other botanical ingredients.
However, a product containing organic ingredients isn't necessarily certified organic as a finished product.
If organic ingredients are a priority, check the ingredient list and look for certification information rather than relying only on the product name.
What Makes a Lip Balm Vegan?
One ingredient you'll commonly find in traditional natural lip balms is beeswax.
Beeswax helps create a protective coating on your lips, but because it comes from bees, it isn't vegan. It can often be a natural or organic lip balm ingredient, but not vegan.
Vegan lip balm replaces animal-derived ingredients like beeswax and lanolin with plant-based alternatives like candelilla wax, for example. This is a popular vegan substitute for beeswax because it helps lip balms keep their classic structure while forming a protective layer on your lips.
Vitamin E is another common ingredient in vegan lip balms, and vegan skincare in general. This antioxidant can help protect the plant-based oils in the formula from oxidation. It also helps vegan lip balms keep that conditioning feel that you’d often expect from a beeswax or animal-derived ingredient in a traditional lip balm.
The Best Ingredients to Look for in a Natural Lip Balm
When your lips feel dry or rough, a good lip balm should help soften them while reducing moisture loss.
Here are a few ingredients worth keeping an eye out for when looking for your next go-to natural lip balm.
Plant-Based Butters and Oils
Some of the most popular natural lip balm ingredients are also common in other skincare products.
- Shea butter: Rich in fatty acids, shea butter helps soften lips and gives balms a smooth, creamy texture.
- Cocoa butter: A rich plant butter that helps condition dry lips and provides a protective feel.
- Coconut oil: Helps soften skin and makes lip balm easier to spread.
- Jojoba oil: A lightweight plant-derived wax ester that helps condition the lips without feeling overly heavy.
- Mango butter: Adds a smooth, nourishing texture to lip care formulas.
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Sunflower oil: Helps soften and condition lips while supporting a smooth application.
You'll often find several of these ingredients combined in one formula. The oils are responsible for providing softness and that satisfying slip when applying, while the butters help the product thicken, hold its shape, and stay on your lips.
Five of the Best Natural and Vegan Lip Balms for Chapped Lips
You don’t have to sacrifice effectiveness, comfortability, or looks when shopping for a natural or vegan lip balm! These brands have perfected their formulas, so whether you’re looking for something with a little color, an unscented option, or just something extra moisturizing, these lip balms will keep your lips feeling soft all day long.
Meow Meow Tweet Vegan Lip Balm
If you're looking for a natural lip balm with a short ingredient list, Meow Meow Tweet is a great place to start at under $10 a pop!
This Vegan Lip Balm features ingredients like coconut oil, cocoa butter, candelilla wax, and rosemary extract to soften and protect your lips.
Available in three different formulas: Coconut Cacao, Sweet Orange Tangerine, and Rosemary Eucalyptus. While they pack a different flavor punch, all of these lip balms are made in small-batches with no animal testing.
What makes the Meow Meow Tweet Vegan Lip Balm stand out?
Coconut Cacao is made without essential oils, making it a great option if you’re sensitive to, or just want to avoid essential oils.
An added zero-waste bonus? These vegan lip balms are packaged totally plastic-free, compostable paper tube.
River Organics Tinted Vegan Lip Balm
If you’re looking to add a little color to your every day routine, River Organics Vegan Lip Balm is the perfect pick! Made by a women-owned, family business, these gorgeous shades also moisturize your chapped lips.
Made with cruelty-free, vegan, and organic ingredients, these sheer lip balms offer a little bit of color with soft shine. Naturally scented from cacao, the moisturizing formula also features vitamin E, macadamia oil, coconut oil, and candelilla wax to give it a pleasant, smooth texture.
Grab all three shades for an amazing gift for the natural beauty lover in your life.
No Tox Life Vegan Lip Butter
Lavender and bergamot essential oils add a light botanical scent to this rich lip butter. A mix of organic cocoa butter and a blend of coconut, sweet almond, and avocado oils. Wildcrafted candelilla wax gives this lip balm a decadent formula you will want to bring with you everywhere!
The tube is also biodegradable, so you're skipping the traditional plastic packaging.
What makes this vegan lip butter different?
The 0.3-ounce tube is approximately twice the size of a typical lip balm, making it a great value for money if you’re looking for a smooth, vegan lip balm.
Izzy Zero Waste Glossy Lip Butter
If you love the look of lip gloss but still want the moisturizing benefits of a lip butter, Izzy Zero Waste Glossy Lip Butter brings you the best of both worlds!
This vegan formula uses sunflower oil, castor oil, mango butter, and sunflower seed wax to help soften lips while leaving behind a glossy finish.
If you’re a fan of a little sweet flavor to your lip gloss, you’ll love this natural, vanilla mint scent.
What sets Izzy Zero Waste Beauty apart?
The packaging of this lip butter is unlike anything you’ve probably seen before. In an effort to reduce waste and reduce your carbon footprint, these tubes are reusable! Instead of throwing away the container when you're finished, you can return the tube using the brand's prepaid return system (a QR code on the container). Izzy then cleans, refills, and reuses the packaging with your next purchase.
It's a great option if you want a glossy lip product and are interested in a reusable packaging system rather than another disposable beauty item.
ZWS Essentials All-Natural Lip Balm
If you want a natural vegan lip balm with high-quality, plant-based ingredients and plastic-free packaging, then you’ll want to try the Vegan Peppermint or Lavender Lemon ZWS Lip Balm!
Both use a combination of shea butter, cocoa butter, candelilla wax, kukui nut oil, castor oil, and coconut oil for an affordable and lightly scented lip balm.
Remember that not all ZWS Natural Lip Balms are vegan. You’ll want to stick with Vegan Peppermint which adds peppermint essential oil for a cool, refreshing scent, or Lavender Lemon which features a floral lavender scent with bright citrus notes.
The standout feature?
These lip balms use certified organic ingredients and come in home-compostable paper tubes.
How to Choose the Best Lip Balm for Chapped Lips
With so many natural lip balms out there, finding the right one really comes down to your ingredient preferences, and if you’re looking for your lip balm to be vegan, too.
If your lips feel especially dry, especially in winter, look for rich plant butters and protective waxes that help soften the skin and slow moisture loss.
Prefer something lightweight for everyday use? A formula with plant oils and a smooth, easy-to-apply texture might be your go-to!
Something to keep in mind: If your lips are already cracked or chapped, then strongly flavored or scented balms (like mint) may irritate them. A simple, fragrance-free formula is often a better starting point, then you can go wild with any scent and flavor your heart desires!
With many natural lip balms packaged plastic-free in compostable paper tubes, organic plant ingredients, and refillable packaging, you can give your lips a little extra care while also making an important, sustainable swap in your beauty routine.
