Best vegan lip balms
Why all lip balms aren't vegan | Ingredients | Homemade lip balm | How we chose | Our Picks
Why all lip balms aren't vegan
I was surprised that not all lip balms are vegan as I hadn't really looked at ingredients of all products too closely.
When I did look, I found that many (most) lip balms contained beeswax or lanolin which aren't acceptable products for a vegan lifestyle.
Which ingredients are acceptable?
If we don't want animal products in our lip balm, what are the alternatives?
Common alternative moisturising ingredients are coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, almond oil, olive oil, avocado oil, and candelilla wax.
As some people are allergic to some of these ingredients, I've tried to highlight where these are in the products that we'll be looking at.
Home made lip balm
It's quite easy to make your own lip balm - that way you know exactly what has gone in to it!
Basic ingredients are a plant based wax and oil and a fragrance of your choice. You could add some beetroot powder for a touch of colour and you'll also need a container to keep your home made lip balm in.
Here's a simple recipe with great advice, to get you started on your home made lip balm journey!
How we chose
There were some criteria that we wanted to stick to when we chose the products to test and include in this review:
- lanolin and beeswax free - as these aren't suitable for vegan lifestyle
- organic where possible
- cruelty free
- petroleum free
- natural ingredients as much as possible
- unscented where possible - to avoid allergens
- plastic free where possible
Hurraw! was the first vegan lip balms that we tried and probably still one of our favourites.
This one is scent free and Hurraw! Lip Balms are all natural, vegan and raw as well as cruelty-, palm oil-, petroleum-, soy-, shea- and gluten-free.
These are so smooth and moisturing and last a long time.
Our favourite flavour is Earl Grey but there's so many other flavours as well as a Sun Lip Balm:
Flavours: Almond, Apple, Banana, Black Cherry Tinted, Chai Spice, Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee Bean, Earl Grey, Grapefruit, Green Tea, Hazelnut Tinted, Huckleberry, Kapha (grapefruit ginger eucalyptus), Lemon, Licorice, Lime, Mint, Moon, Orange, Pineapple, Pitta (coconut mint lemongrass), Raspberry Tinted, Root Beer, Sun, Unscented, Vanilla Bean, Vata (almond cardamom rose), Watermelon, Wintermint
The tube is plastic with a twist up/down mechanism which works well.
This unscented one is great for anyone with allergies but the whole range is highly recommended.
Scence natural lip balm - Jojoba Pure is another fragrance free lip balm that we love.
This wonderful lip balm contains coconut oil, jojoba oil, illipe butter and mango butter - there's no fragrance so this is suitable for anyone with allergies.
The product is in a paper tube (which may darken with use) and the balm may soften in warmer weather, so it might be a good idea to pop this in the fridge overnight.
There are lots of other wonderful fragrances such as apple, apricot, berry, orange, black pepper, coconut, mint, passion fruit, pineapple as well as a SPF30 lip sunscreen.
All of Scence products are vegan and handmade with natural ingredients in Cornwall UK and highly recommended.
Scence deodorant was one of the products we reviewed when we were looking for deodorants suitable for sensitive skin.
Ethique are another family favourite and so is their unscented lip balm.
As well as the unscented version, there are some gorgeous flavours - pink grapefruit, peppermint and chocolate and a tinted version.
Amongst the ingredients are castor, jojoba and moringa oils and a good dollop of cocoa butter.
The product is in a cardboard tube and you just need to push the bottom of the tube up a little and when the tube is empty, it's fully compostable.
We're great fans of all ethique products - they are all vegan as well as plastic-, palm oil- and cruelty free, and there's hair, body, face, baby , pet products and trial packs in their ranges - definitely worth a look!
The Ilex Wood Store - Vegan Lemon Balm and Peppermint Lip Balm is really special.
It's 100% natural ingredients, plastic-, cruelty- and palm oil free and all products are handmade in the UK.
This is special as it contains lemon balm infused oil to treat and deter cold sores, so a great natural alternative to the OTC pharmacy products.
We haven't used this to treat cold sores but the reviews are amazing for this.
The ingredients are: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil), Glycine Max (Soy Wax), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm), Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree), Mentha Piperita (Peppermint), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon)
There is a version of this which contains beeswax so take care to select the correct one.
The lip balm comes in a small tin which is recyclable (I reuse these for holding small craft items though) and as this is quite soft, it might be a good idea to keep this in the fridge overnight during warm weather.
The Ilex Wood have other great products which are worth taking a look at - this is the vegan collection.
Eco Lips Bee Free Vegan Lip Balm is a natural based lip balm, containing sunflower seed oil, coconut oil and most of the ingredients are organic and 20% of the ingredients are Fairtrade.
It has lemon peel oil and rosemary leaf extract so it does have a scent which is quite pleasant.
The product is in a plastic tube with a 'twist' bottom and while this isn't at all a fancy product it is worth a try to see if it works for you.
Merry Hempsters have a great range of flavoured lip balms and we tried the unscented version.
There's also orange, cinnamon, vanilla, peppermint.
Some ingredients are organic and the products contain candelilla wax, hemp seed oil, sunflower oil, safflower seed oil, olive oil and the fragrance.
Not all of the lip balms are vegan, so chose your product carefully.
The hemp seed oil acts as a free radical scavenger and hemp balm has traditionally been used for treating dry skin.
The product is in a plastic twist up tube which works well.
We also love the smiley logo - it makes you happy just looking at it!
Highly recommended if you'd like to try something different (hemp).
Crazy Rumors have a great range of flavoured lip balms (as well as a tinted one) and we tried the unscented version.
There's also mixed packs which offer a good saving - Chocolate and Spice, Fruity Mix, Tropical Summer, Sweets & Treats and Adventurous Mix.
The lip balms are all 100% natural, vegan and cruelty free and the flavours are sourced from fruits, vegetable and spices.
Ingredients for the unscented version are:
Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Organic Olive) Fruit Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Organic Shea) Butter, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Glycine Soja (Non GMM Soybean) Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Copernicia Cerifera (Organic Carnauba) Wax, Tocopherol (Vit E)
Highly recommended if you'd like to try some great flavoured lip balms that really work.
Vegan Sports Lip Balm by Balmy Fox is (not surprisingly) aimed at sporty outdoor use but we don't think this is different to most of the other lip balms here.
As most of them are oil/butter based, they also have some water resistance.
Ingredients are:
Coconut Oil (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride), Almond Oil (Prunus Dulcis Oil), Berry Wax (Rhus verniciflua peel cera), Hemp Seed Oil (Cannabis sativa Seed Oil), Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao Seed Butter), Mango Seed Butter (Mangifera indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Borage Oil (Borrago Officianalis Oil), Arnica Oil (Infusion) (Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Arnica Montana Flower Extract), Dog Rose Hip Oil (Rosa Canina Fruit Oil), Kahai Oil (Caryodendron Orinocense Nut Oil), Lemon Essential Oil (Citrus Limon Peel Oil), Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Stevia Powder (Stevia Rebaudiana Extract)
Vegan Sports Lip Balm by Balmy Fox is 80% organic and 100% natural with a lemony scent.
The packaging is 100% recyclable, but I use the small tins for storing craft supplies. This is a great choice if you prefer your lip balm in a tin rather than a plastic tube.
Sun Bum are very much an 'outdoor brand' - they have SPF lip balms as well as the more usual flavoured lip balms.
There's also Sun Bum sun creams and lotions, baby/child sunscreen, moisturisers, shampoo and conditioner - most of which are vegan.
However, take care as the flavoured lip balms contain beeswax, so we tested the SPF lip balm as this is suitable for vegans.
There's different flavours of the SPF lip balm - coconut, banana, mango, pineapple, pomegranate and watermelon.
They also contain saccharin which you can taste.
Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 10%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 8%
Inactive Ingredients: aloe barbadensis leaf extract, argania spinosa kernel oil, bisabolol, camellia sinensis leaf extract, caprylic/capric triglyceride, calendula officinalis flower extract, cetyl alcohol, citrus grandis fruit extract, citrus limon peel extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, diisobutyl adipate, equisetum arvense extract, ethylhexyl palmitate, fragrance, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, hydrogenated ethylhexyl olivate, hydrogenated olive oil unsaponifiables, isostearyl linoleate, macrocystis pyrifera extract, mineral oil, ozokerite, panax ginseng root extract, PEG-8, polysorbate 80, propylene glycol, punica granatum extract, rosmarinus officinalis extract, saccharin, salix alba (willow) bark extract, salvia officinalis (sage) extract, silica, theobroma cacao seed butter, tocopheryl acetate, tocopheryl linoleate/oleate, water
These lip balms aren't as natural as the others that we tested but these claim to be 'very water resistant' so a good option for extended outdoor wear.
There's so many uses for Dr. PAWPAW Original Balm :
- Protects and soothes sensitive and sore skin
- Can relieve eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis
- Helps to heal burns and repair cuts
- Treat chapped skin
- Add to your face as a primer for a dewy finish
- Apply in the evening as a hydrating and soothing mask. Rub into cuticles and nails as an invigorating hand treatment
- Separate eyelashes and tame eyebrows
- Apply to short hair to style, tame frizz, seal ends and add texture
These balms are PETA approved, cruelty free with recyclable and biodegradable packaging - there's also a tinted version, a shea butter version and a multipack.
Ingredients are:
RICINUS COMMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL, HYDROXYSTEARIC ACID, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) CERA, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL, CARICA PAPAYA FRUIT EXTRACT, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT
It can be a little tricky to get the product out of the tube, so keep this somewhere warm or warm it in your hands before you need to use it.
A great all-purpose moisturiser.
Orientana - Natural Lip Balm Stick Coconut
Orientana offer 2 flavours of lip balm and 2 lip scrubs and all products are vegan, cruelty free and beautifully packaged.
Also in the Orientana range is facecare, bodycare and hair care with products created from Asian herbs and botanicals.
The lip balm is made of coconut oil, rice oil, apricot oil and shea butter and has a gentle fragrance.
These products work and look good and would be suitable for gifting.
Orientana - Natural Lip Balm Stick Coconut
Toddle Lip & Face Balm is great for babies and toddlers to protect chapped lips, sore cheeks or chilly Winter wind!
This balm contains plant oil complex and organic shea and jojoba oils and are vegan.
There's a useful strap to fasten it to a bag or pushchair.
The Toddle range includes hand sanitiser, balm, insect and sting relief and sun protection.
All of these products are highly recommended for the small ones in the family.
We hope these short reviews have helped you - we'll add more items as we try them - please let us know what else you'd like to see.
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