A good lip balm is a handbag essential, but not all lip balms are good for you.
At GMB we like our lip balm the same way we like our food: Natural, tasty, and with an ingredients list that doesn’t sound like it’s come from a lab! It also needs to be cruelty-free, so before we give any skincare product the A-OK, we always make a point of checking it hasn ’t been tested on animals.
Here’s a list of our go-to, GMB-approved lip balms. You’ll find these at the health food store and at selective department stores. Pucker up!
Burt’s Bees Lip Balm
Image @burtsbeesaus
“What goes on to your body goes in to your body”, is Burt’s Bees’ motto, so you won’t find chemical nasties like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), petrochemicals, parabens or phthalates here. Animal testing is also a big NO at Burt’s Bees, who is certified by CCIC – the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics. Brands with CCIC certification stick to a long list of specific, stringent standards put in place by the international Leaping Bunny program – the only internationally recognised program for cruelty-free cosmetics and skincare… look for the leaping bunny logo!
Inside the April GoodnessMe Box you'll find the Burt's Bees All-Weather SPF15 Moisturising Lip Balm which is one of our all-time faves, and the 100% natural tint is my go-to when I want a little lip colour, but without that tacky feel you can get with lipstick or gloss. It claims to provide eight hours of moisture, and they aint lying! I keep my Burt’s Bees Hibiscus Lip Tint in my handbag, pop it on on my way to wherever I’m going, and I never feel the need to reapply…must have something to do with the long-lasting and nourishing botanical waxes and shea butter. We’ve tried all six shades and each one really can be worn at any time of the day, and work with any skin tone.
Jane Iredale LipDrink
Image @janeiredale
With broad spectrum SPF15 protection, this premium tinted lip balm comes in four shades, and is a handy one to have when you’re at the beach or by the pool. We like that the hydration factor comes from natural ingredients like soothing, smoothing carrot seed oil, and moisturising avocado oil – antioxidant-rich ingredients, these can also keep lips less lined and looking youthful.
We like that Jane Iredale creates her products with her customers’ diets in mind. Her website states that ‘None of these shades contain wheat’, and that ‘All shades are vegan.’ She’s also PETA and CCIC-certified.
Hurraw!
Image @dutchess.of.jetlag
I’ve been hooked on Hurraw! since it hit the health food stores several years back. The ingredients have been carefully selected to meet the brand’s strict quality criteria, including ‘long lasting, not sweet, never grainy’. Long lasting indeed, I have a handful of Hurraw! lip balms that I’ve been using for years, and they still haven’t gone bad.
Another CCIC-certified lip balm, the Hurraw! range is also all-natural and certified organic, GMO-free, vegan, and even (Hur)raw! Base ingredients include cold-pressed argan oil and expeller-pressed almond oil, which retain their conditioning and moisturising properties because they haven’t been exposed to heat.
I also like that the flavours are real, coming from ingredients like pure essential oils…so none of them taste fake. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy store when it comes to choosing a flavour from the extensive range… from Vanilla Bean and Chai Spice, to Lemon, Mint, or Black Cherry Tinted, and everything between.
INIKA Natural Lip Balm
Image @boutiquedebeaute
82% of the ingredients in here are certified organic, and we’re super impressed by the short and sweet ingredients list; there’s no funny chemically names, only natural ingredients we recognise. Coconut oil, peppermint oil and shea butter are the star ingredients, locking in moisture while providing a summer holiday scent.
The Environmental Working Group have awarded INIKA with one of the highest safety ratings internationally. Their ‘Ingredients Promise’ gives peace of mind that their products are free from everything you don’t want on your skin, from parabens and petrochemicals, to artificial colours and fragrances. Like all the other brands we’ve included, INIKA is also CCIC-certified, so you won’t find animal-derived ingredients in here.
KORA Vitamin Enhanced Lip Balm
Image @koraorganics
Miranda Kerr, the brains behind the brand, knows how to look after her lips…so there’s a lot of goodness packed into this little turquoise tub! Premium jojoba, avocado and rosehip oil nourish and moisturise, while naturally derived Vitamins C and E provide antioxidants to protect the lips from environmental damage…I’m all for antioxidants in my skincare products - they’re key for slowing the signs of ageing. There’s a subtle but lovely, almost tropical taste too, thanks to ingredients like coconut oil and lime oil.
99% of the ingredients in here are naturally derived, with over 87% of them coming from organic farms. You’ll also see the PETA logo on every KORA product. “These products are not tested on animals – they are tested on me”, says Kerr.
What’s your favourite natural lip balm? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to add more to our list ☺