The Best Lip Balms With SPF, and Why You Absolutely Need to Start Wearing One

Knowing it’s important to slather sunscreen on my face has been a given for most of my life. But there are times, even as a self-proclaimed beauty writer, when I rub the leftover sunscreen from my face onto my lips—if at all—and hope for the best. But it’s 2025, and countless better options exist, thanks to a growing market of lip products formulated with sun protection factor, commonly known as SPF.

Why do you need a lip balm with SPF?

“The skin on the lips is thinner than the rest of the face, and also has less melanin content than the rest of the facial skin,” Veena Vanchinathan, a board-certified dermatologist and member of the American Academy of Dermatology, told The Daily Beast. “Melanin pigment normally helps provide some natural defense against the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays.” Your lips do need sunscreen, and not just when it’s hot out. And while the sun may be more visible during the summer months, it’s important to use SPF year-round because “we are constantly getting exposed to the sun’s UV rays year-round, even during cloudy weather or winter,” Vanchinathan said.

You can technically use a sunscreen that’s formulated for the face on your lips, but Vanchinathan noted that a specialized product might be a more appealing option. “SPF-formulated lip balms are specifically made for the lip area, so they tend to stay put, feel better, and offer added hydration,” she said.

She recommends looking for lip products with broad-spectrum coverage (meaning they protect from UVA/UVB rays) and at least SPF 30, regardless of whether they use a mineral or chemical formula. Ultimately, the best sun protection for your lips is the one you’ll actually apply. “The best sun protection is the one you’ll use consistently, and lip-specific formulas tend to lend themselves very well to that kind of frequent usage,” Vanchinathan said. While not an absolute necessity, she suggests leaning towards lip balms formulated with hydrating ingredients like shea butter and ceramides.

Should you apply lip SPF before or after lipstick?

In terms of application, apply your SPF lip product before a lipstick or gloss so it forms a “protective base,” Vanchinathan said. If you wish to go full glam with your makeup, she suggested “layering a tinted SPF balm underneath or tapping one on top to refresh your protection without completely undoing your look.”

Similar to wearing sunscreen on your face, you’ll want to reapply on your lips every two hours when you’re out in the sun, but there are other instances where you might have to swipe some more on more often. Vanchinathan recommends replying if you’re eating or drinking, or if you tend to lick your lips.

The best lip balms with SPF

Finding an SPF-inclusive lip product is thankfully not difficult in 2025. You can find lip balms, oils, and glosses packed with SPF 30 or more. Currently, I’ve been loving Coola’s Original Liplux Lip Balm Sunscreen ($12, Amazon). It’s hard to believe this balm is packed with broad-spectrum SPF 30 protection because it does not have that distinctive sunscreen smell. The clear product is housed in a twist-up tube and glides onto the lips with ease, likely thanks to the long list of moisturizing and nourishing ingredients that includes cupuacu butter alongside coconut, jojoba, sunflower seed, raspberry seed, avocado, safflower, and castor oil.

Another star product I constantly keep in my bag was one of my first introductions to the SPF lip market: Naked Sundays Glow & Go Lip Oil ($22, Ulta Beauty). I discovered this product at a breakfast with the Australia-based brand’s owner and was wowed by the brand’s facial sunscreen and, more importantly, the lip oil. The beaver tail-like applicator makes swiping the clear substance feel nice on my full lips. The scent isn’t overpowering whatsoever, and it comes in two sweet shades: Salted Caramel and Watermelon.

On a tight budget? Aquaphor’s Lip Repair Lip Balm with SPF 30 ($10 for a pack of two, Amazon) makes for an easy drugstore find. Or, if you’re craving an utterly appetizing balm that protects and hydrates, you’ll love the Strawberry Jello Salad Lip Balm ($10 for a pack of three, Amazon) from retro-cool sun protection brand Vacation, which features a delectable scent and a water-resistant, softening formula.

There’s also the recently launched Beautystat C Lip Serum SPF 30 ($15, Ulta), a mineral lip serum with peptides that comes in soft pink and delicate peach shades.

Another few top picks in the tinted category include Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30, a high-shine, glossy balm ($16, Amazon); Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm SPF 45 ($13, Naturium), which offers a higher SPF and a smartly designed applicator tip; and Supergoop’s Glow Gloss SPF 40 Lip Balm ($22, Supergoop).