We Searched for the Very Best SPF Lip Balms. Our 6 Faves Feel Hydrating, Plumping, and Protective All Year Long

You probably already know that you should apply face SPF every day to protect your skin from sunburns and cell damage, but there’s one part of your face that you might be missing: your lips! “The face and lips are important areas to use SPF as they are not covered by clothing and get more UVR than the rest of the skin,” explains board-certified dermatologist Purvisha Patel, MD. But the skin on your lips is particularly sensitive, says Patel, since your lips “do not have oil glands and are thinner than the rest of the skin, making them more susceptible to UVR damage.”

Luckily, there’s an elegant solution: Before you head out the door, be sure to pucker up for some SPF lip balm — and then keep it in your tote bag as you make your way around campus so you can reapply as needed. After searching around for the most highly rated and recommended options, Dorm Therapy editors tested several SPF lip balms (we purchased some and were sent some) to uncover six of our faves. 

While testing these lip balms, we discovered that it’s surprisingly tricky to find one that doesn’t have a funky taste and that feels pleasant on the lips. When selecting our favorites and scoring them, we took note of the following factors to give each lip balm a rating out of five (we didn’t score the specific factors, but rather took them into account for the final rating):

• Sun protection: Does it have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30?
• Application: Does it apply easily?
• Appearance: How does it look on the lips? Glossy? Tinted? Undetectable? 
• Scent/taste: Does it have a noticeable scent or taste?
• Wearability: How does it feel on the lips, and how does it wear throughout the day? Do we find ourselves wanting to reapply?

• SPF: 30
• Price: $13.99 for a 0.34-ounce tube
• Shades available: Clear, Rosedust, Nude, Mahogany, Blush, Berry

I am not being dramatic when I say that this SPF lip balm changed my getting-ready routine. I’m a *makeup girl* and I love that this lip balm comes in so many pretty shades, so I don’t have to choose between sun protection and showing my personality. I’m already almost finished with my tube of Rosedust, and can’t wait to try more colors. The lip balm left my lips feeling hydrated and refreshed after a long flight, and the minty flavor is also sooo nice. — Rachel Otero, Audience Engagement Director

Our score: 5/5

• SPF: 30
• Price: $6.99 for a 2-pack of 0.17-ounce tubes
• Shades available: Untinted

When I want a reliable lip SPF that feels moisturizing, and that I can easily layer a non-SPF color on top of or wear on its own for a natural look, this is my winner. It’s fragrance-free (which I personally love) and does leave a slight white cast, but in a kind of sheen-y way I don’t mind. —Alison Goldman, Editor-in-Chief

Our score: 4.5/5

• SPF: 50
• Price: $22 for a 0.5-ounce tube
• Shades available: Bejewelled, Dusk, Last Bite, Silk Pillow

This sunscreen lip balm goes on like butter — probably thanks to lanolin and cocoa butter — and has a thicker texture that feels really nice when you rub your lips together to apply. I tried the shade Bejewelled, and the pale, shimmery pink doesn’t show up as a very strong tint on my lips, but it does give them a wonderfully glossy coat that I honestly prefer to some of my standard lip glosses that don’t have SPF. —Sofia Rivera, Senior Editor

Our score: 4.5/5

• SPF: 30
• Price: $21 for a 0.28-ounce tube
• Shades available: Untinted

This lip balm goes on more like a lotion than a gloss, and it feels instantly moisturizing, to the point that I found myself putting it on at all times of day. It comes out of the tube white, and, though it uses transparent zinc oxide, it does leave a slight white cast — but it absorbs and mostly goes away after a few minutes. It also has a lightly minty taste (without being tingly to the lips), which I personally like! —Sofia Rivera, Senior Editor

Our score: 4/5

• SPF: 40
• Price: $22 for a 0.5-ounce tube
• Shades available: Vanilla Soft Serve, Pink Peppermint, Strawberry Spritz, Caramel Glaze

Supergoop calls this product a “high-shine glossy lip balm,” and it definitely leans more into the gloss part. My ideal lip gloss texture is not too gloopy or sticky, more smooth and shiny. Glow Gloss feels like exactly that. I’ve been using it in Pink Peppermint, and heads up that the flavor is yummy but pretty strong (and leaves my lips just slightlyyy tingly). I love the idea of a tinted lip SPF, and this bright peony pink shade doesn’t show up as much as I’d hoped, though my natural lips lean more red than pink, so that could totally be a me thing. —Alison Goldman, Editor-in-Chief

Our score: 4/5

• SPF: 30
• Price: $29 for a 0.22-ounce tube
• Shades available: Dawn (Pinky Nude), Camelia (Rose), Suede (Butterscotch), Carob (Rosy Brown), Cameo (Peachy Nude), Iconic (Burgundy)

This isn’t my daily lip product; I reach for it when I want more pigmented lip color with sun protection. It comes with a wand applicator that’s more reminiscent of a gloss, but it’s thick like a cream. (And the container is glass — so fancy!) I purchased it in pinky-rose Camellia, and I learned the hard way that a little goes a long way. Since I’ve adjusted my application, I’ve seriously appreciated the strong color. Full disclosure: I’m not at all a fan of the scent, but I’m willing to mostly overlook it. —Alison Goldman, Editor-in-Chief

Our score: 4/5