Your lips are one of the most sensitive parts of your entire body.

In fact, they’re 100 times more sensitive than your fingertips. How insane is that?

Because they’re so sensitive, it’s important that you’re taking good care of them—we all know what it feels like to have chapped and split lips. 

Not. Good.

Lip balm is the product to reach for when it comes to nourishing, moisturizing, and protecting your lips. But, because most lip balms on the market use beeswax (which isn’t vegan, ethical, or sustainable), it can be a little difficult to find solid vegan options.

Today, we’re looking at why beeswax shouldn’t be on your ingredients list, and some of the best vegan lip balms to add to your makeup bag!

Why you should avoid beeswax in beauty products

The hardest part of finding a good vegan lip balm is finding one that doesn’t use beeswax. 

There are a lot of people out there making claims that beeswax and honey are totally fine to harvest—but this is definitely not true. In fact, commercial honey and beeswax harvesting are very harmful to bee populations.

Beeswax is in extremely high demand since it’s used in tons of beauty and self-care products like lip balm, mascara, lotion, and soap. Not to mention the other various uses, like candles and reusable food wraps.

Because the demand for beeswax only continues to grow, bees are bred on factory farms for the sole purpose of creating honey and beeswax, which is later stolen from their hive. 

But bees need their wax. They use it to protect their babies, preserve their honey, and create the honeycomb structure of their hives. By taking their wax, farmers are taking their source of shelter and safety, and leaving them with no way to protect their food.

Although there are beekeepers out there that take care of their bees and make an effort to harvest wax and honey somewhat ethically, beeswax/honey harvesting cannot be considered ethical or sustainable. 

We need bees to survive. They’re master pollinators and are responsible for keeping most of our crops alive and growing. So, by robbing them of the things they need to survive, we put ourselves in danger.

Bottom line: if you see beeswax or “cera alba”  (as beeswax is also called) on the ingredients list, put the product back on the shelf. 

But don’t worry! There are awesome substitutes for beeswax like soy wax, synthetic beeswax, candelilla wax, and carnauba wax that work just as well. Or better, if you consider all of the little bee lives you’re saving by purchasing substitutes! 

Best vegan lip balms for chapped lips

Three Ships Lip Treatment Kit

This pampering kit is the ultimate duo for fighting dry and chapped lips by exfoliating and hydrating. The vanilla-scented scrub gently lifts away dead skin while the delicious buttercream mask locks luscious moisture into your pucker. Use daily and you’ll be giving smooches as soft as flower petals.

This kit was featured in Kinder Beauty’s March 2022 boxes!

SuperGoop PLAY Lip Balm SPF 30 with Acai

This SPF 30 lip balm is a great option for daily use. 

Your lips are very sensitive, especially to the sun, so getting a lip balm with SPF is highly recommended, especially in the summer. 

The Play Lip Balm is made with açai and shea butter to provide ample hydration while also protecting you from the sun. Plus, with this balm, you get the SPF without that nasty SPF taste!

Biossance SQUALANE + ROSE VEGAN LIP BALM

An amazing fragrance-free option, this gloss-like balm glides on like a dream.

The ingredients list features hyaluronic acid and squalane for lightweight yet intense moisturizing. The use of wakame algae in addition to the hyaluronic acid also helps to improve the appearance of your lips by plumping, contouring, and deeply nourishing them.

Bonus: this balm comes in eco-conscious packaging!

Pacifica NAKED QUENCH Coconut Cherry Lip Balm

If you want more of a traditional lip balm, go for the Naked Quench.

Completely sheer and insanely moisturizing, this lip balm uses coconut oil, cocoa butter, and vitamin E to moisturize, nourish, and treat your lips. And the coconut flavor is the yummy cherry on top.

Tarte Sugar Rush Lip Sip Vegan Lip Balm

This balm smells so good, you might just be tempted to take a bite.

With a delicious Creamsicle flavor, this lip balm is jampacked with jojoba oil, hazelnut oil orange peel oil, and vitamin E to create an ultra-nourishing, protective treatment that provides long-lasting results.

With tinted options and a high-shine formula, your pout will be irresistible.

River Organics Vegan Lip Balm

Go from day to night with this balm’s broad range of tints.

Another fragrance-free option, these balms are made with cacao and mango butters which intensely hydrate and protect your lips. Plus, the thicker formula provides long-lasting wear, so you won’t have to reapply as frequently.

This is another option that comes in eco-friendly packaging. The paper tube is 100% compostable and sustainable, making this a completely zero-waste product!

Jane Iredale LipDrink Lip Balm SPF 15

Let’s just say this balm lives up to its name.

Save your lips with this insanely moisturizing formula. With SPF 15 and seven gorgeous shades to choose from, this balm is the perfect go-to for instant hydration, protection, and a little pop of color.

This lippie is also reef safe!

Soothing Touch Vegan Lip Balms

For a simple, straight-to-the-point vegan lip balm, try Soothing Touch.

Choose from eight mouth-watering scents (there’s an unscented option, too!) to find your perfect match. Soothing, nourishing, and moisturizing, these lip balms are a great option if you’re looking for a simple chapstick with a yummy kick.

Facetheory Lipabalm Bioactive Lip Balm LP1

Chapped lips, step aside.

This shea butter and raspberry seed oil-infused lip balm provides hydrating relief for dry, chapped lips. Not only is it super soothing, but it also aids in the healing of your lips and provides protection from future dryness and/or cracking.

E.l.f Calm Balm

Say hello to your new lip savior.

Infused with hemp seed oil and sunflower oil, Calm Balm deeply nourishes and soothes dry lips for better lip health overall. With a neutral shade and a natural-looking, satiny finish, this balm is great for all skin types and tones.

Final thoughts

With any (or all!) of these vegan lip balms in your drawers, the words “chapped lips” won’t even be in your vocabulary anymore! From SPF to intense hydration, there are so many vegan lip balms to choose from. So explore and enjoy! 

Please note: A product appearing in our blog is not an official Kinder Beauty endorsement. While every product we feature in an article is cruelty-free and vegan, these products do not necessarily meet all of our strict brand standards for curation in one of our boxes. 

Ashley Webb is a professional copywriter for the clean, vegan, and cruelty-free beauty industry. Using SEO and consumer research, she writes blogs, webpage copy, product descriptions, and emails for beauty brands that are committed to making a difference. Adopting her two kitties, Ivy and Binx, started her journey to advocacy for animal rights, and even led her to go vegan! Learn more about her and her work at ashleywebbagency.com