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9 best lip balms with SPF to moisturise, nourish and protect your pout

From unscented and tinted to plumping formulas, these are the summer elixirs to know

Amy Sedghi
Tuesday 02 April 2024 08:09 EDT
We looked for staying power, scent and how well they applied
We looked for staying power, scent and how well they applied (iStock/ The Independent)
Our Top Picks

While we might slap suncream onto our faces and rub it into our bodies, one part that often gets forgotten about are the lips.

The skin on our lips is actually thinner and more delicate than on the rest of the body, yet many of us are guilty of leaving it unprotected in the sun.

Step in SPF lip balm, the product to chuck into your beach bag alongside a bottle of your favourite sunscreen. Just like the SPF creams, sprays and oils that we use elsewhere on our body, this type of lip balm is designed to protect the skin on our lips against UVA and UVB rays.

SPF lip balms often contain a host of moisturising ingredients too, so that they can address any chapping and dryness alongside the much-needed sun protection.

Whether you’re partial to a hint of colour or prefer something simple and unscented, then luckily there is a wide range of options on offer. Here’s our list of the SPF lip balms worth a space in your bag or pocket this summer.

How we tested

Over a number of months, we tried a range of SPF lip balms to see which delivered the best experience while still offering protection. From the scent, application and formula to the packaging, price and sun care performance, we looked at the full offering of each product.

All of those selected were tried in various situations – under lipstick, on the beach, on day-to-day errands – and the staying power and ease of reapplication of each was also noted.

The best SPF lip balms for 2024 are:

  • Best SPF lip balm overall – Soltan Active lip suncare stick SPF 30, 5g: £6.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best luxury SPF lip balm – Trish McEvoy beauty booster lip balm SPF 15, 5.67g: £24, Libertylondon.com
  • Best budget SPF lip balm – Palmer’s cocoa butter formula original ultra moisturising lip balm with SPF 15, 4g: £2.25, Boots.com
  • Best tinted SPF lip balm – Perricone MD no makeup lipstick SPF 15, 4.2g: £30, Lookfantastic.com

Soltan Active lip suncare stick SPF 30, 5g

Soltan Active lip suncare stick SPF30, 5g.jpg
  • Best: SPF lip balm overall
  • Size: 5g
  • Protection level: UVA rating
  • Tinted: No
  • Scent: Unscented
  • Why we love it
    • High protection level
    • Affordable

When looking for a trusty SPF lip balm to tick the boxes, you can’t go far wrong by turning to a well-loved suncare brand. This Soltan suncare stick might not be the fanciest option on our roundup and it doesn’t promise anything extra, but it certainly does deliver the goods. It also has a five-star UVA rating – the highest-level protection a suncare product can have.

The stick is easy to use, non-messy and lightweight to transport. The formula slicks on easily, leaving lips lightly hydrated without any greasiness or gloopiness. Used on the beach, day to day and during exercise, our lips felt nourished and protected. Chuck a stick of this in your pocket or bag and you won’t regret it.

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Trish McEvoy beauty booster lip balm SPF 15, 5.67g

Trish McEvoy beauty booster lip balm SPF 15, 5.67g.jpg
  • Best: Luxury SPF lip balm
  • Size: 5.67g
  • Protection level: SPF 15
  • Tinted: No
  • Scent: Unscented
  • Why we love it
    • Skin-boosting ingredients
    • Easy to apply

Founded by renowned make-up artist Trish McEvoy, the products from her eponymous brand are always dreamily luxurious. This beauty booster lip balm with SPF 15 is one such example. The vitamin E-enriched formula is softening, hydrating and leaves lips feeling nourished. It is also paraben, fragrance and gluten free.

As well as enjoying the feel of the formula, we also found it super easy to distribute on the lips, thanks to the squeezy tube applicator. It’s also a good size for having on the go, making it simple to top up throughout the day. If you want an SPF lip product that looks stylish and high-end, then this is the option for you.

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Palmer’s cocoa butter formula original ultra moisturising lip balm with SPF 15, 4g

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula original ultra moisturising lip balm with SPF 15, 4g.jpg
  • Best: Budget SPF lip balm
  • Size: 4g
  • Protection level: SPF 15
  • Tint: No
  • Scent: Cocoa butter
  • Why we love it
    • Affordable
    • Highly moisturising

This coconut loving brand is well-known for having some of the yummiest smelling products on the market. Luckily, its ultra moisturising lip balm with SPF 15 does not disappoint. Trust us, you’ll love applying this over and over again to your lips – it smells good enough to eat. As well as having a delicious scent, Palmer’s products are also highly regarded for their soothing moisture hit – again, the lip balm didn’t let us down on this front.

Although it’s a great choice for the sunny summer months, the SPF 15 lip balm is enriched with vitamin E to make it a perfect choice for preventing cracked and chapped lips in cooler, windier weather too. At £2.25, it’s also an absolute bargain.

  1.  £2 from Boots.com
Prices may vary
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Perricone MD no makeup lipstick SPF 15, 4.2g

Perricone MD no makeup lipstick SPF 15, 4.2g.jpg
  • Best: Tinted SPF lip balm
  • Size: 4.2g
  • Protection level: SPF 15
  • Tinted: Yes, 5 shades
  • Scent: Vanilla
  • Why we love it
    • Skin-boosting ingredients
    • Easy to apply

Technically this product by Perricone MD is a lipstick but, in practice, it acts more like a tinted lip balm. Giving a natural flush of colour to the lips, the hydrating formula glides on easily for a healthy-looking sheen that works equally well on its own or underneath a heavier lipstick.

Including hyaluronic acid, jojoba seed oil and neuropeptides, the SPF 15 product has a silky solid-to-serum formula that leaves lips feeling moisturised. It also comes in a range of shades, with our favourites being the “original pink” for an understated sheen, and the “wine” tint for something with a bit more depth. Coming in a silver lipstick case, it’s easy to apply and slots in perfectly in any make-up bag.

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Sol De Ibiza lip balm SPF 15, 5g

Sol De Ibiza lip balm SPF 15, 5g.jpg
  • Best: Plastic free SPF lip balm
  • Size: 5g
  • Protection level: SPF 15
  • Tinted: No
  • Scent: Unscented
  • Why we love it
    • Organic
    • Plastic-free

After an SPF lip balm but without any plastic packaging? Don’t worry, Sol De Ibiza has you covered. Its certified organic mineral sunscreen lip balm is housed in a tube made from biodegradable paper and cardboard. It makes use of zinc oxide in its vegan and cruelty-free SPF 15 formula, to offer broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays, as well as blue light.

A couple of things to keep in mind though: given the packaging is plastic-free and designed to biodegrade eventually, you’ll want to keep it away from water and stored in a cool dry place when not in use. We found the balm applied well, but it did leave a little bit of a white cast, which can be common with mineral sunscreen products.

We love the fact Sol De Ibiza is part of 1% for the Planet and is committed to giving one per cent of their gross sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.

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Moo Goo edible lip balm SPF 15, 5g

Moo Goo edible lip balm SPF 15.jpg
  • Best: Mineral SPF lip balm
  • Size: 5g
  • Protection level: SPF 15
  • Tint: No
  • Scent: Unscented
  • Why we love it
    • Natural ingredients
    • Affordable

Running with the idea that everything you put on your lips ends up making its way into your body, Moo Goo has crafted its “edible” lip balm from natural ingredients, including almond oil, jojoba seed oil, raspberry seed extract, shea butter and beeswax. The product shuns any petroleum ingredients or chemical UV filters – instead, like many mineral sunscreen products – it uses zinc oxide to reflect the sun’s rays and protect the skin.

In terms of style, the packaging is quite basic and simple, although we did think the milk carton style outer box was cute. Priced at £3.90, this is an SPF lip balm packed full of moisturising ingredients, but at a very budget-friendly price. Simply put, it delivers and at a price that won’t make your eyes water.

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SunSense lip balm SPF 50+, 15g

SunSense lip balm SPF 50+, 15g.jpg
  • Best: SPF lip balm with high SPF
  • Size: 15g
  • Protection level: SPF 50+
  • Tint: No
  • Scented: No
  • Why we love it
    • Skin-boosting ingredients
    • Water-resistant

Coming in at under a fiver for a 15g tube, this lip balm by SunSense is great value for money. But wait, there’s more. It offers UVA and UVB broad-spectrum protection (SPF 50+), is fragrance-free and contains both vitamins B3 and E. The vegan formula is easy to distribute, thanks to its consistency and the fact that it’s housed in a squeezy tube with a slanted glide-on applicator.

It also contains cocoa butter to aid with moisturisation. We were big fans of having this stashed in our beach bag and think the larger size, along with the high sun protection factor, makes it a handy choice for families with young children. SunSense also say that the lip balm is water resistant for up to four hours, although we preferred a quick top up after a dip in the sea or pool.

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Dr Organic aloe vera SPF 15 lip balm, 5.7ml

Dr Organic aloe vera SPF15 lip balm, 5.7ml.jpg
  • Best: Soothing SPF lip balm
  • Size: 5.7ml
  • Protection level: SPF 15
  • Tinted: No
  • Scented : No
  • Why we love it
    • Organic
    • Affordable

Aloe vera: is there an ingredient that sums up the excesses of summer sun more? It’s a key ingredient in aftersun products, thanks to its cooling and soothing properties. It’s no surprise then that it makes for a great addition to this SPF 15 lip balm from Dr Organic. The brand also proudly states the lip balm is made using only the purest organic aloe vera.

The solid stick format of this lip balm makes it easy to distribute the product, plus it makes it easy to transport (no oozing liquids or squished tubes). At £3.99, it’s also a real bargain, as the lip balm lasts a long time, even with copious top-ups. Snap one up and thank us later.

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Skin in Motion plump it SPF 30 tinted lip balm, 15ml

Lip plump.jpg
  • Best: Plumping SPF lip balm
  • Size: 15ml
  • Protection level: SPF 30
  • Tinted: Yes, 2 shades
  • Scented: No
  • Why we love it
    • Tinted
    • Minty fresh taste

For those who love a tingling, lip plumping product, then this tinted balm from Skin in Motion, with broad spectrum SPF 30, is sure to hit the right notes. Sliding on like a gloss, it leaves lips with a cooling minty freshness and gives a plumped looking pout. The formula, enriched with shea butter and natural oils, is both lightweight and moisturising – a great combo.

The SPF 30 lip balm comes in a sheer berry shade, which gives a subtle yet noticeable boost of colour to the lips and left ours with a glamorous looking shine.

The tube, with a narrowed opening through which you can squeeze out just the right amount of product, makes it easy to use on the go. It’s even accompanied with a clip, making it simple to attach it to a bag or a loop so you can take it everywhere with you.

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Do you need to use lip balm with SPF all year round?

Ask any skincare fan, dermatologist or beauty editor, and they’ll always stress the importance of wearing SPF year-round on your face. UVA and UVB rays are also present in winter, you know. Although, when it comes to your lips, we doubt anyone will be whipping out the SPF-filled chapstick come wintertime. So, you’ll see this product becoming most popular in the warmer months, especially when on holiday and the rays are even stronger.

The verdict: Lip balms with SPF

For an SPF lip balm that ticks all the boxes, you can’t go wrong with the Soltan Active lip suncare stick SPF 30. For something with added creamy moisturisation, and a bargain to boot, we can’t fault Palmer’s ultra moisturising SPF 15 lip balm. For something with a higher protection factor, SunSense’s SPF 50+ lip balm is worth getting your hands on.

Trying to correct some of that sun damage? read our round-up of the best anti-ageing day creams that help reduce wrinkles

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