The Best Organic & Natural Lip Balms, Based on Their Ingredients

natural lip balm
4 min reading time

When it comes to lip balms, there are a surprising number of iffy ingredients. We took a deep look into 20+ organic and natural lip balms, and rated them based on their ingredients.

When making the switch to clean skincare, lip balm is a great place to start.

It’s simple and cheap to make the swap to a natural lip balm. Because it’s going right on the lips, you do ingest some amount of lip balm throughout the day from eating, drinking and licking your lips. For this reason, it’s very important to have a clean, natural and chemical-free lip balm in your skincare repertoire.

Lip balms are a great way to keep the lips hydrated and prevent them from getting chapped and dried out. However, like most skincare products, there are a lot of concerning ingredients that can be found in lip balms.

Thankfully, there are many great organic, natural and clean lip balms available and there’s no reason to use a petroleum-filled, skin-irritating lip balm when you can choose a clean, natural and organic balm.

Let’s take a dive into the world of natural lip balms and find out exactly what it means for a balm to be organic.

The Three Main Healthy Ingredients In a Natural Lip Balm

Generally, clean and natural lip balms will use these three types of ingredients to make up the base of the product.

Oils – Oils from coconut, jojoba, olive, castor, avocado and more. These oils can penetrate into the skin, offering deep hydration and helping to repair dry, chapped lips.

Butters – Natural butters like mango butter, cacao butter, and shea butter help add firmness to the balms as well as helping to nourish the skin.

Waxes – Beeswax (which makes a product non-vegan), candelilla and rice wax help keep the balm stay on your lips. Waxes also help protect the lips from irritation, too. In skincare, waxes are an occlusive, meaning that in this case, they seal moisture in the lips.

Iffy Ingredients To Avoid in Lip Balms

The following list of ingredients are common chemicals found in lip balms that have potential health issues, and therefore we believe you should avoid them.

Synthetic Fragrance – A very common reason for skin irritation, and a 2008 study found that 83% of drugstore creams contained fragrance or a fragrance-related allergen.

The term fragrance when used in products is an umbrella term, and there are currently 3059 chemical ingredients that can be used in fragrances. And what’s worse is that manufacturers can just list “fragrance” and not the individual ingredients that go into the fragrance.

Some of these 3059 ingredients have been linked to health effects like cancer, allergies, reproductive issues and more.

Read our full story on chemical fragrance here.

Parabens – These are toxic preservatives that have been linked to breast cancer, hormonal disruption and skin irritation. Anything ending in “-paraben” such as methylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben is included.

Parabens are not part of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) list, meaning they can be included in products labeled as organic—a trick you need to watch out for. Conversely, the European Union has banned products with parabens since 2012.

Chemical Sunscreens – Ingredients like oxybenzone, homosalate and octinoxate are chemical sunscreens also known as UV absorbers. These controversial chemicals have been linked to breast cancer and endocrine disruption and have no place in a lip balm. Read our full story on chemical sunscreens here.

Mineral Oil & Petroleum Jelly – Otherwise known as petroleum jelly, a petroleum-derived product that clogs skin pores. What’s worse is that due to improper refining, it’s sometimes contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are linked to cancer.

The Best Natural Lip Balms

These balms are all fully organic, have all natural ingredients, and are the best of the best in the world of natural and organic lip balms.

Kari Gran

Peppermint Lip Whip Treatment Balm
Price: $20 ($80 per oz)

This 100% organic balm is made from a base of castor seed oil, beeswax, camellia oil, avocado oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, and calendula oil. For it’s list of organic and natural ingredients, this balm gets a top rating.

Ingredients

  • Organic Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Organic Camellia Oil (Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil),
  • Organic Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima Oil),
  • Organic Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil),
  • Organic Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil),
  • Organic Calendula Flower Extract (Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract),
  • Organic Tocopherol,
  • Peppermint Oil (Mentha Piperita Oil)

Badger

Vanilla Madagascar Organic Lip Balm
Price: $3.49 ($23.27 per oz)

This lip balm from Badger is a 100% organic balm full of clean ingredients. Organic olive oil, beeswax, and castor oil are the key ingredients in this clean balm we give a “best” rating.

Ingredients

  • Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
  • Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Organic Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Organic Vanilla Extract (Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract),
  • Organic Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract),
  • Organic Rose Hip Fruit Extract (Rosa Canina Fruit Extract)*,
  • Organic Sea Buckthorn Fruit Extract (Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract),
  • Organic Aloe Leaf Extract (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract)

Alaffia

Everyday Coconut Vegan Lip Balm
Price: $2.99 ($29.9 per oz)

This organic coconut oil balm contains only four ingredients and gets a top rating.

Ingredients

  • Organic Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera),
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao Butter),
  • Natural Coconut Flavor

Dr. Bronner

Organic Lip Balm
Price: $3.49 ($23.27 per oz)

Dr. Bronner’s USDA-certified organic lip balm is made of 100% organic ingredients. With organic avocado oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, hemp oil, and peppermint, this is one of the best lip balms we looked at.

Ingredients

  • Organic Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima Oil),
  • Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Organic Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Organic Hemp Oil (Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil),
  • Organic Peppermint Oil (Mentha Piperita Oil)*,
  • Tocopherol

Booda Butter

Original Lip Balm
Price: $3.85 ($25.67 per oz)

With an excellent list of all-organic ingredients, this Non-GMO verified lip balm is one of the best we’ve seen.

For those with a tree nut allergy, this balm does contain almond oil.

Ingredients

  • Organic Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera),
  • Organic Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil)*,
  • Organic Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Organic Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil),
  • Organic Wildcrafted Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax)

Henné Organics

Luxury Lip Balm V2
Price: $19 ($111.76 per oz)

This USDA-certified organic lip balm (beeswax and various oils make up the balm) is fragrance-free and full of excellent ingredients. We give it a top rating.

Ingredients

  • Organic Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera),
  • Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Organic Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima Oil),
  • Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao Butter),
  • Organic Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Tocopherol

Good Natural Lip Balms

These lip balms are good, but not the best. Most of them are not fully organic—or not organic at all—and might have potential irritants or ingredients you may wish to avoid.

Alba Botanica

Nourishing Coconut Cream Hawaiian Lip Balm
Price: $7.05 ($47 per oz)

Organic coconut, castor seed, jojoba, soybean, apricot oils and beeswax, candelilla wax, and sunflower wax make up the base of this balm. This product does contain several potential allergens, so be aware of this if you have sensitive skin.

Ingredients

  • Organic Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera),
  • Organic Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Flavor (Flavor/Aroma),
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Organic Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Sunflower Seed Wax (Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax),
  • Aloe Leaf Extract (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract),
  • Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract),
  • Soybean Oil (Glycine Soja Oil),
  • Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil),
  • Wheat Germ Oil (Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil),
  • Allantoin,
  • Ammonium Glycyrrhizate,
  • Lecithin,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Tocopheryl Acetate*,
  • Citral*,
  • Limonene*,
  • Linalool*

Kosas

LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm
Price: $18 ($105.88 per oz)

While this balm does have a clean list of ingredients, none of them are organic. Tocopherol and rose hip oil can be potential allergens if you have sensitive skin or are prone to chapped lips.

Ingredients

  • Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2,
  • Silica,
  • Octyldodecanol,
  • Lanolin Oil,
  • Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate,
  • Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Wax),
  • Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Sunflower Seed Wax (Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax),
  • Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao Butter),
  • Camellia Oil (Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil),
  • Grape Seed Oil (Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil),
  • Sodium Hyaluronate,
  • Glucamannan,
  • Black Wattle Flower Wax (Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax),
  • Rose Hip Oil (Rosa Canina Oil)*,
  • Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima Oil),
  • Mango Seed Butter (Mangifera Indica Seed Butter),
  • Rice Extract (Oryza Sativa Extract),
  • Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Safflower Seed Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil),
  • Sunflower Extract (Helianthus Annuus Extract),
  • Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract),
  • Polyglycerin-3,
  • Trihydroxystearin,
  • Ethylhexylglycerin*,
  • Ethylhexyl Palmitate,
  • Caprylyl Glycol*,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Tocopheryl Acetate*,
  • Wild Mint Oil (Mentha Arvensis Oil)

Bite Beauty

Agave + Daytime Lip Balm
Price: $16 ($106.67 per oz)

While the list of ingredients in this balm is clean, there are balms with better and simpler ingredients.

Ingredients

  • Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate/Dimer Dilineolate Copolymer,
  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,
  • Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides,
  • Tricaprylin,
  • Cetearyl Candelillate,
  • Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Linoleic Polyglycerides,
  • Octyldodecyl Oleate,
  • Mongongo Kernel Oil (Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil),
  • Polyhydroxystearic Acid,
  • Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao Butter),
  • Coco-Caprylate/Caprate,
  • Disteardimonium Hectorite,
  • Silica,
  • Aroma (Flavor/Aroma),
  • Rice Wax (Oryza Sativa Bran Wax),
  • Triethyl Citrate,
  • Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate,
  • Allantoin,
  • Blue Agave Leaf Extract (Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract),
  • Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Momordica Grosvenorii Fruit Extract,
  • Limonene*,
  • Linalool*

Desert Essence

Lip Rescue Ultra Hydrating with Shea Butter
Price: $2.79 ($18.6 per oz)

Soybean oil, organic beeswax, organic shea butter, and candelila wax make up this main ingredients of this balm. With no ingredients of concern, we give it a good rating.

Ingredients

  • Soybean Oil (Glycine Soja Oil),
  • Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Natural Flavor (Essential Oil Blend),
  • Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Rosemary Oil (Rosmarinus Officinalis Oil),
  • Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Wax),
  • Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil),
  • Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract)

Biossance

Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm
Price: $14 ($26.92 per oz)

This balm from Biossance has a clean list of ingredients, although there are some balms with a more simple and natural ingredient list.

Ingredients

  • Diisostearyl Malate,
  • Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer,
  • Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2,
  • Glycerin,
  • Hydroxystearic/Linoleic/Oleic Polyglycerides,
  • Myristic/Palmitic/Stearic/Ricinoleic/Eicosanedioic Glycerides,
  • Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Squalane,
  • Glyceryl Caprylate,
  • Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters,
  • Grape Seed Oil (Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil),
  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,
  • Sodium Hyaluronate,
  • Jojoba Esters,
  • Ceramide NP,
  • Glyceryl Undecylenate,
  • Rose Wax (Rosa Damascena Flower Wax),
  • Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Water,
  • Dextrin Palmitate

Ilia

Lip Wrap Clean Hydrating Lip Mask
Price: $26 ($76.47 per oz)

Ilia’s lip balm has a clean list of ingredients, but we’ve looked at others that have a much more simple and organic list. While there’s nothing of major concern here, we’d recommend other balms over this one.

Ingredients

  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,
  • Mango Butter Dimer Dilinoleyl Esters/Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer,
  • Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer,
  • Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2,
  • Polyglyceryl-10 Decaoleate,
  • Polyglyceryl-10 Pentaoleate,
  • Polyglyceryl-10 Pentaisostearate,
  • C10-18 Triglycerides,
  • Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Glyceryl Stearate SE,
  • Hydroxystearic Acid,
  • Aroma (Flavor/Aroma),
  • Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera Oil),
  • Lactobacillus/Papaya Fruit Ferment Extract,
  • Silica,
  • Polyhydroxystearic Acid,
  • Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Papaya Seed Oil (Carica Papaya Seed Oil),
  • Sodium Hyaluronate,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Hydrogenated Castor Oil,
  • Stevia Extract (Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract),
  • Tahitian Gardenia Flower Extract (Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract),
  • Common Glasswort Extract (Salicornia Herbacea Extract),
  • Undaria Pinnatifida Extract,
  • Geraniol*,
  • Limonene*,
  • Linalool*,
  • Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

Bite Beauty

Agave + Nighttime Vegan Lip Therapy
Price: $25 ($50 per oz)

While the list of ingredients in this balm is clean, there are balms with better and simpler ingredients.

Ingredients

  • Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Triisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilineolate,
  • Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides,
  • Squalane,
  • Glyceryl Rosinate*,
  • Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil,
  • Chinese Lacquer Peel Wax (Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax),
  • Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil),
  • Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides,
  • Safflower Seed Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil),
  • Aroma (Flavor/Aroma),
  • Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Phospholipids,
  • Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate,
  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Pomegranate Extract (Punica Granatum Extract),
  • Ascorbyl Palmitate,
  • Blue Agave Leaf Extract (Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract),
  • Momordica Grosvenorii Fruit Extract,
  • Matricaria Extract (Chamomilla Recutita Extract),
  • Tocopheryl Acetate*,
  • Limonene*,
  • Linalool*

Crazy Rumors

Au Naturale Lip Balm
Price: $3.79 ($25.27 per oz)

This balm has an excellent list of ingredients, most of which are organic. If you have a tree nut allergy, do note that this main ingredient of this balm is macadamia nut oil.

Ingredients

  • Macadamia Gympie Nut Oil (Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil),
  • Organic Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil),
  • Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Soybean Wax (Glycine Soja Wax),
  • Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Organic Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Wax),
  • Tocopherol

Hurraw!

Moon Lip Balm
Price: $5 ($29.41 per oz)

This lip balm has a relatively good list of ingredients, but does include a few potential irritants. If you have sensitive skin, look for the ingredients marked with an asterisk (*).

Ingredients

  • Organic Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima Oil),
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Organic Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera),
  • Organic Safflower Seed Oil (Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil),
  • Organic Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil),
  • Organic Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis Seed Oil),
  • Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao Butter),
  • Meadowfoam Seed Oil (Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil),
  • Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil),
  • Sweet Briar / Rosehip Seed Oil (Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil)*,
  • Flavor (Flavor/Aroma),
  • Tocopherol,
  • Matricaria Flower Oil (Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil),
  • Balsam Peru (Myroxylon Pereirae Oil),
  • Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil),
  • Organic Vanilla Seed (Vanilla Planifolia Seed),
  • Benzyl Benzoate*,
  • Benzyl Cinnamate*,
  • Anise Alcohol*

Weleda

Everon Lip Balm
Price: $6.99 ($41.12 per oz)

This balm does have a clean list of ingredients, but it does have several potential irritants. If you have sensitive skin, you might wish to choose a balm with less irritants.

Ingredients

  • Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera Wax),
  • Rose Wax (Rosa Damascena Flower Wax),
  • Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Wax),
  • Fragrance (Essential Oil Blend)*,
  • Citronellol*,
  • Benzyl Alcohol*,
  • Geraniol*,
  • Citral*,
  • Eugenol*,
  • Farnesol*

eos

Sweet Mint Lip Balm
Price: $3.29 ($13.16 per oz)

This all-organic lip balm has an excellent clean list of ingredients. The only ingredients of concern are a few essential oil ingredients (linalool, limonene) that are known to be contact allergens. This shouldn’t be a concern unless you have sensitive skin.

Ingredients

  • Organic Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil),
  • Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba),
  • Organic Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera),
  • Organic Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Wax),
  • Organic Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil),
  • Flavor (Flavor/Aroma),
  • Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter),
  • Organic Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil),
  • Organic Peppermint Leaf Extract (Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract)*,
  • Tocopherol,
  • Organic Stevia Extract (Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract),
  • Beta-Sitosterol,
  • Squalene,
  • Linalool*,
  • Limonene*
 
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