Lip Balm with SPF
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Time to read 4 min
The lips are a very common area to develop skin cancer, so finding the best lip balm with SPF that does not taste bad is important to protect your lips from the sun. Tinted lip balms with SPF are a great way to give your lips daily sun protection and hydration. For men, a hydrating lip balm that won't give you a “chapstick addiction” is the way to go. I am a dermatologist in Miami and we need to protect our lips every day of the year here. I will discuss which lip balms and lipsticks with sunscreen I recommend to my patients.
Lip Balms with Sunscreen
There are a few things to consider when shopping for lip balms with SPF. Do you want color (tinted) or a clear (untinted) lip balm? Do you want a lipstick or a lip gloss? And do you want a chemical SPF or a mineral (physical) sunscreen? This blog will guide you on how to find the best way to protect your lips from the sun whether its for every day, a day at the beach, or while skiing. Waterproof SPF for the lips is best if you are surfing or swimming.
Tinted Lip Balm with SPF
I explain to my patients that we tend to ingest a lot of our lip balm, so I prefer mineral lip balms with as many natural ingredients as possible. In my opinion, the best tinted lip balms with SPF are by Pavise. They use since and a diamond core technology to give good broad spectrum p protection. I personally use these and I like them because they stay on, do not tase bad, have nice colors, and give me good sun protection for my lips. These Pavise tinted lip balms with SPF come in 3 colors.
The Best Tinted Lip Balms with SPF
This vegan SPF lip balm has broad spectrum coverage to protect your lips when you plan to be in the direct sun for over 15 minutes. It comes in sheer and in various tints.
Pavise Lip Defense is a new marine safe tinted lip balm with SPF 30. It is all mineral sunscreen, so it is safe in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It is also vegan. It may be too shiny for men, but for women the colors are beautiful. There are 3 colors to choose from. If you have a history of allergic reactions to sunscreen lip balms- you will most likely be ok using this because it used iron oxide pigments, not carmine, red dyes, and other ingredients that cause allergic reactions. I have very sensitive skin and I have no problems wit this SPF lip oil.
Lip Gloss with SPF
This Colorescience Lip Shine lip gloss has sunscreen of SPF35. It also has antiaging ingredients such as peptides and hyaluronic acid to help keep lips from wrinkling. It does not have chemical sunscreens and uses zinc oxide and iron oxides to give lips protection from the sun. It comes in clear and several colors. Note that some of the pink and red colors may contain carmine which can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive skin types.
Untinted Lip Balms with SPF
If you do not want a l color in your lip SPF, you can use a colorless lip sunscreen. The problem with many lip sunscreens is that they have a bad taste. Here are some colorless lip sunscreens that my patients and I like.
This SPF 15 lip balm with sunscreen has avocado oil and carrot seed oil which have antioxidants to help protect the lips from sun exposure. It comes in sheer and in other colors.
Tizo Tinted Lip SPF 45 is reef friendly lip sunscreen that is also water resistant. It has a light color added so it will not look white on the lips. Note that is preservative-free but contains aluminum. It is in a stick form which makes it easy to carry i your pocket. It does not degrade with sun exposure like many chemical sunscreens do.
Untinted Lip Balms with SPF for Men
If you need sun protection for the lips for golf, skiing, and other outdoor sports and you do not wan t it to have color or be too shiny, then a lip sunscreen is a good choice. These are the lip sunscreens that my male patients prefer.
Elta MD makes a SPF 36 water resistant broad spectrum lip sunscreen with octinoxate and zinc oxide. It has a white cast to it. It is an effective way to protect your lips in dry weather because it also has hydrating humectants.
Looking for skincare products? Take our skin type quiz to find out which Baumann Skin Type you are and get product recommendations based on your skin type.
Dr. Leslie Baumann MD, FAAD
Best References and Scientific Publications on Lip Sunscreen:
- Baumann L. Ch.46 Sunscreens of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
- Baumann, L. Ch. Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)
- Lundeen, R. C., Langlais, R. P., & Terezhalmy, G. T. (1985). Sunscreen protection for lip mucosa: a review and update. Journal of the American Dental Association (1939), 111(4), 617-621.
- Gabard, B., & Ademola, J. (2001). Lip sun protection factor of a lipstick sunscreen. Dermatology, 203(3), 244-247.
- Pogoda, J. M., & Preston-Martin, S. (1996). Solar radiation, lip protection, and lip cancer risk in Los Angeles County women (California, United States). Cancer Causes & Control, 7(4), 458-463.
- Li, H., Colantonio, S., Dawson, A., Lin, X., & Beecker, J. (2019). Sunscreen application, safety, and sun protection: the evidence. Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery, 23(4), 357-369.
- Dreno, B., Alexis, A., Chuberre, B., & Marinovich, M. (2019). Safety of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in cosmetics. Journal of the European academy of dermatology and venereology, 33, 34-46.
