Top 10 Lip Balms For Men
Moisturized lips look healthy and kissable; that's why well-groomed men keep a good lip balm in their pocket at all times.
Types of Lip Balms for Men
There's a few kinds of lip balms for men:
- Everyday use lip balm
- Outdoor/sports lip balms
- Medicated lip balms
Everyday use lip balms are the common variety of lip balms that are good to meet your day-to-day hydration needs; many of these balms come flavored.
Outdoor/sports lip balms are designed for individuals who tend to weather the elements, thus the formulations are high-endurance and usually feature SPF. If you play sports or live in a cold climate, you definitely want to look into one of these balms.
Then, there's medicated lip balms. These are for men who suffer from chapped lips and cold sores. Most of these balms use menthol to aid in the healing process, thus most of these balms have a eucalyptus smell.
Matte & Non-Matte Finish
Regardless what category of balm you're looking for, you'll always want to check to see if the formula is non-greasy or not. Greasy formula's will add shine to your lips (and if that's what you want, then ok). However. most men prefer a matte finish to their lips. However, you buy a greasy formula lip balm, you can just apply a small amount to achieve a matte finish--it's an easy fix.
The list below covers a wide variety of balms across the categories that have been carefully-curated based on their unique benefits and flavors.
Top 10 Lip Balms For Men
1. Jack Black Natural Mint Lip Balm
At almost 200 positive reviews on Amazon, Jack Black Natural Mint Lip Balm, is the #1 best selling lip balm made for men.
This line comes in many other exotic flavors, including "Black Tea & Berry," "Grapefruit & Ginger," "Lemon & Chamomile," "Lavender & Vanilla," and "Shea Butter & Vitamin E."
The formula is non-greasy and offers SPF 25 protection.
2. L'Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm
The L'Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm is one of my personal favorites. L'Occitane is a French cosmetics brand, known for their soaps and other skin care products.
This lip balm is very moisturizing (made form 10% shea butter), and great for cold weather; I think the shea butter scent makes it a great pick for men--it's light and neutral.
Of all the lip balms on the market, this one probably has one of the most loyal followers I've seen--people who love this stuff swear that it's the best balm ever. I'm not sure it's the best, but definitely among the top.
This lip balm retails for $10 on Amazon.
3. Tokyo Milk Dark Clove Cigarette Lip Balm
If you're looking for something truly exotic and unique, you should check out the Tokyo Milk lip elixirs. These are some of the most interesting and exotic lip balms on the market.
Some of their more interesting flavors that I think work well for guys are Clove Cigarette, Absinthe, and Cherry Bourbon. Consumers rave about how awesome these smell. Aside from the amazing scents, they are also hydrating and non-greasy--so they won't add any gloss to your lips (a plus for most men).
Tokyo Milk retails for $7 at Sephora.
4. J.R. Watkins Medicated Lip Balm
If you're in search of a medicated lip balm because you've got chapped, cracked, or wind-burned lips, then you may want to check out J.R. Watkins Medicated Lip Balm; this stuff is definitely a step above Chapstick Medicated Lip Balm.
This formula is 100% all natural and made with menthol and camphor to help hydrate severely chapped lips. With menthol camphor, the scent is somewhat like eucalpytus--great for clearing your sinuses.
J.R. Watkins Medicated Lip Balm retails for about $3 on Amazon.
5. Ora's Earl Grey Lip Balm
The taste of black tea and bergamot in this earl grey formulation creates a rich and enchanting flavor on the lips.
Earl grey is a very neutral scent, so works perfectly for guys. It's a non-greasy formula and provides the perfect amount of hydration.
Ora's Amazing Herbal line offers a number of lip balms--another good one for guys is the vanilla flavor.
This lip balm retails for about $4 on Amazon.
6. Prada Shielding SPF 15 Lip Balm
For you men out there that love your labels, you might enjoy the Prada Shielding SPF 15 Lip Balm.
Actually this lip balm is more than just a label--it's a pretty good product and has quite a cult following.
What's really unique about this product is that it comes in monodoses. So, you get a box of 8 small tubes that you can open up as you need them--ensuring that your lip balm is always fresh. Plus for you guys that like to carry lip balms in your pocket, but don't like the size of normal tubes and tins, then this product is perfect--very small.
Made from shea butter, this balm is hydrating, yet non-greasy. The scent is very light, something like a lemon. The formulation is very thick, so a little goes a long way. One small tube will last you about a month with regular use. Plus, for you guys that spend any time outdoors, this product is going to provide you SPF 15 protection.
You get 8 tubes in one box for $18 on Amazon.
7. C.O. Bigelow Lemon Lip Balm
C.O. Bigelow makes some really good skin care products for men, and guys love their lemon lip balm--hailed for being addictively tasty.
This balm is made with lemon oil and shea butter, so it's very nourishing to the lips; you get a little bit of vitamin C with this product too. This balm however does not provide a matte finish, so you need to only apply a little if you want to avoid too much sheen.
This product is great for guys who are into sports and spend time outdoors (especially in cold climates); you'll find that it does an exceptional job of keep your lips moisturized.
C.O. Bigelow Lemon Lip Balm retails for about $11 on Amazon.
8. Dermatone SPF 23 Lip Balm
I like to think of Dermatone as the official lip balm of sportsmen, adventure seekers, and outdoorsmen.
Not only does Dermatone provide protection from the sun with SPF 23, it's specially formulated to hold up in harsh environment. People who climb Mount Everest use this stuff.
Technically, this is a medicated lip balm; it does a great job at healing cracked lips (with menthol and phenol), plus it also helps heal cold sores too.
Dermatone retails for about $7 on Amazon.
9. Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm
Bring a party to those lips with a mojito flavored lip balm from Malin + Goetz.
If you're expecting a hot makeout session, you might want to pick-up a tube of this stuff; the taste of sweet lime and mint is sure to stimulate some comments about how well you taste.
Only drawback on this one is that it's not a matte finish, so you do need to use just a small amount to keep the shine down.
Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm retails for $12 on Amazon.
10. Sephora Collection Super Nourishing Lip Balm
Sephora's Nourishing Lip Balm is another one of my personal favorites.
Aside from the lipstick tube applicator, this is an wonderfully nourishing lip balm and that tastes great and leaves your lips super soft with a matte, non-greasy finish.
The formulation provides a soft creamy texture with a light vanilla scent--it's great for guys. Don't forget, vanilla is also a natural aphrodisiac, so it's something that's like to arouse your partner too.
This product retails for about $10 on Amazon.
Honorable Mentions
No top 10 list would be complete without a couple honorable mentions.
La Mer Lip Balm
La Mer Lip Balm is the Rolls-Royce of lip balms, and another product with a cult following.
Made from the same "miracle broth" of the rare and expensive $1,900 Creme de La Mer moisturizer, this lip balm is the best you can buy. The formulation was made by Dr. Max Huber, an aerospace physicist (who has a very interesting story that I'll save for another article).
The balm is mint flavored, hydrating, and leaves a matte finish. La Mer is really an anti-aging product line, and I like to think of this lip balm in the same category, as the formulation is hailed for its restorative properties. However, men of all ages use La Mer lip balm.
La Mer Lip Balm retails for $52 on Amazon.
HerpecinL
No list would be complete without the acknowledgement of a lip balm that helps in the healing of herpes and cold sores
Cold sores are quite common, and sadly some men suffer from them quite regularly. If this is you, you may wan to check out HerpecenL.
HerpecinL is probably the most popular cold sore treatment/lip balm on the market. It's also provide protection from the sun with SPF 30--which is a huge plus, as exposure to too much sunlight can sometimes trigger outbreaks.
Compared to Abreva, it's less expensive, and according to users, it's far more effective in helping heal cold sores.
HerpecinL retails for about $3 on Amazon.
Lip Balm Comparison Chart
Brand
| Container
| Flavor
| Finish
| SPF
| Price
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Black Natural Mint Lip Balm
| Tube
| Mint
| Matte
| SPF 25
| $7
|
L'Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm
| Stick
| Shea Butter
| Non-Matte
| None
| $10
|
Tokyo Milk Dark Lip Elixir
| Tub
| Clove Cigarette
| Matte
| None
| $7
|
J.R. Watkins Medicated Lip Balm
| Stick
| Eucalyptus
| Matte
| None
| $3
|
Ora's Earl Grey Lip Balm
| Stick
| Earl Grey
| Matte
| None
| $4
|
Prada Shielding SPF 15 Lip Balm
| Tube
| Lemon
| Matte
| SPF 15
| $18
|
C.O. Bigelow Lemon Lip Balm
| Stick
| Lemon
| Non-Matte
| None
| $11
|
Dermatone SPF 23 Lip Balm
| Stick
| Eucalyptus
| Matte
| SPF 23
| $7
|
Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm
| Tube
| Mojito
| Non-Matte
| None
| $12
|
Sephora Nourshing Lip Balm
| Stick
| Vanilla
| Matte
| None
| $10
|
La Mer Lip Balm
| Tub
| Mint
| Matte
| None
| $52
|
HerpecinL Lip Balm
| Stick
| Vanilla
| Matte
| SPF 30
| $3
|