Lip Balm

Lip balm is a small stick, tube, tin or pot of wax blended with oils, often with butters, made to be rubbed onto the lips. The wax decides how firm it feels, and the label lists the main ingredients first, from most to least.

How to choose Lip Balm

  • Wax. Beeswax melts at a little over 140°F. Carnauba, a wax from a Brazilian palm's fronds, is valued for its hardness and melts near 185°F, so it is used for a firmer stick.
  • Ingredient order. The first few names on the list are the main ingredients. Anything at 1 percent or less may follow in any order.
  • Flavor. Flavor compounds can be declared with the single word "flavor," so look for an unflavored balm if you want a plain one.
  • Organic seal. The USDA seal means at least 95 percent of the ingredients, not counting water and salt, were grown organically.

About Lip Balm

Lip balm is a wax and oil blend, often with butters, and US law treats it as a cosmetic unless it makes a drug claim. Claims such as an SPF or protecting chapped lips make it a drug too, with a Drug Facts panel.

Beeswax is the classic base. Worker bees secrete it to build the cell walls of the honeycomb, and the same wax goes into candles and furniture polish. Carnauba comes from the fronds of a Brazilian palm, which coats its leaves with wax in the dry season. It is one of the hardest natural waxes and shows up in lipsticks and candy glazes too.

Keep tubes and tins at room temperature and out of direct sun. Dab a little on with a clean fingertip when using a tin, and cap it again right away.

At a glance

Made from
Wax and oils, often butters and flavor
Main types
Beeswax, plant wax, tinted, SPF
Common packing
Twist tubes, slim tins, small pots
Label terms
Flavor, fragrance, organic, Drug Facts

Lip Balm questions

Is beeswax lip balm vegan?

Not if beeswax is on the label, because it is an animal wax made by worker bees inside the hive. Vegan balms swap in a plant wax such as carnauba, which comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm. Carnauba melts at a higher temperature than beeswax, so a vegan stick usually feels a little firmer on the lips.

Why does an SPF lip balm have a Drug Facts label?

In the US, a product that claims sun protection is regulated as a drug, not only as a cosmetic. That is why an SPF balm carries a Drug Facts panel with its active ingredients and directions. The FDA suggests a broad spectrum product of SPF 15 or higher and names the lips as a spot people forget.

What happens if lip balm melts in a hot car?

A tube left on a sunny dashboard can soften or turn liquid. Stand it upright in a cool room and let it set again before use. A carnauba balm is often firmer, since carnauba melts near 185°F against a little over 140°F for beeswax, but any balm can soften in a hot car.

Sources: US Food and Drug Administration; USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

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