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After making the case for hand cream as a winter grooming essential, consider this a companion piece on why, especially during the colder months, you also need the best lip balm, gents. As Dr. Alexis Granite, MD, explains, “Lip balm is especially important in winter because lips don’t have the same defenses as the rest of your skin. They don’t naturally produce surface oil, the barrier is thinner and cold air, wind and indoor heating all increase moisture loss, causing lips to dry out, crack and become irritated if they’re not protected.” Keeping the best lip balm handy not only helps you avoid cracked, dry lips (which feel terrible and aren’t a great look), but, above all, that small swiping effort keeps your lips healthy, hydrated and protected.
You Need a Stellar Hand Cream in Your Cold Weather Routine
Get on board with this seasonal skincare essentialThankfully, lip balms have come a long way from a battered tube of cherry ChapStick rattling around the bottom of a gym bag. Today’s formulas hydrate, repair, protect, nourish and soothe, often with little-to-no gloss or sheen. Finding the right one is more personal than you might think, and keeping a few in rotation, whether for overnight repair, daytime protection or SPF coverage, is the smartest move. Below, eight of the best lip balms, along with what to look for and answers to a few common lip care questions from Dr. Granite.
The Best Lip Balms at a Glance:
Best Overall Lip Balm: Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm
Why we love it: Housed in that signature cobalt tube, the men’s grooming staple that helped elevate lip care still delivers one of the most reliable balms you can buy. It is a clear step up from basic ChapStick and far more effective for daily use without punishing your wallet. Enriched with shea butter and vitamin E, this smooth emollient balm goes on clean with a light occlusive layer that calms dry, chapped or irritated lips, while SPF 25 adds everyday protection against sun, wind and cold. Skip the novelty flavors and stick with the mint or the classic Intense Therapy for the formula that made it a mainstay.
Key Ingredients: Petrolatum seals in moisture and protects, avobenzone and octinoxate provide broad-spectrum UV defense, shea butter conditions, green tea extract delivers antioxidant protection, avocado oil nourishes and softens and vitamin E helps repair and defend.
Best Lip Balm for Very Dry Lips: La Roche-Posay Nutritic Lip Balm
Why we love it: All lip balms hydrate, but this one from one of our favorite elevated, derm-recommended heavy hitters, La Roche-Posay, goes further and rehabilitates. Designed for seriously dry, sensitive lips, it pairs rich shea butter to calm and cushion, glycerin to restore moisture and ceramide 5 to reinforce the skin barrier so hydration stays put. It reads more like a nourishing treatment than a basic balm, delivering immediate relief for cracked, weather-worn lips and with consistent use, leaving them softer, smoother and overall healthier.
Key Ingredients: Ceramide 5 helps retain moisture and support the skin barrier, shea butter restores and soothes, glycerin draws in hydration and vitamin E provides antioxidant protection against environmental stress.
Best Lip Balm with SPF: Malin + Goetz SPF Lip Balm
Why we love it: Your lips need SPF protection too, and this lip balm from the men’s grooming OGs functions as a hydrating sunscreen in stick form. The SPF 30, 100 percent mineral formula uses titanium dioxide for dependable broad-spectrum protection, backed by vitamin E and a nourishing emollient complex that keeps lips smooth and comfortable. A subtle spearmint note adds cooling freshness, and 40-minute water resistance helps it stay put through sweat, short swims and showers.
Key Ingredients: Titanium dioxide delivers mineral UV protection, vitamin E provides antioxidant defense, emollient fatty acids condition and soften.
Best Overnight Nourishing Lip Balm: Origins Drink Up Avocado Lip Butter
Why we love it: Consider this a nourishing night mask for your lips. Origins pack this treatment with a nutrient rich blend of eight plant oils and butters that melt on contact, coating lips in slow-release moisture while you sleep. Emollients like apricot oil soften, while avocado butter and mango seed butter deeply condition and help repair dryness, so you wake up to lips that feel smoother, calmer, and renewed. You could use it on the coldest days to lock in moisture, but it really shines as a hydrating overnight treatment.
Key Ingredients: Avocado oil and avocado butter deeply nourish and repair, mango seed butter conditions and softens, apricot oil smooths and replenishes, evening primrose and sunflower oils restore lipids and rice bran and safflower oils seal in moisture.
Best Lip Balm for Barrier Repair: G.M. Collin Repair Lip Balm
Why we love it: When your lips move past simple dryness and into damage control territory, this reparative balm from G.M. Collin is the one to reach for. It sits on the pricier side, but this treatment style formula is one of the most instantly hydrating balms I have used when lips are compromised. Emollients soften and soothe cracks, conditioning agents calm irritation and smooth roughness, and a protective layer seals everything in while lips recover. Save it for harsh, cold conditions as it leaves a slightly glossy shield, but your lips will thank you.
Key Ingredients: Botanical emollients soften and restore, conditioning lipids smooth and reinforce, protective occlusives lock in hydration, soothing agents calm irritation and antioxidant compounds support repair and recovery.
Best Value Lip Balm: Aquaphor Lip Repair Ointment
Why we love it: Sometimes the drugstore mainstay is one of the most dependable, effective options, and with Aquaphor, that is often the case. This Lip Repair Balm still rings in under five bucks and quickly quenches dry lips with a simple but effective blend of vitamins, shea butter and soothing chamomile. If it is trusted to keep fresh tattoos protected, soothed and properly moisturized, you can bet it will do the same for your lips.
Key Ingredients: Petrolatum forms a protective moisture seal, shea butter nourishes and softens, chamomile soothes irritation and antioxidant vitamins help skin support.
Best Serious Skincare Lip Balm: Nécessaire The Lip Balm
Why We Love It: Nécessaire is known for its skincare-first approach to haircare, and it brings that same energy to this very luxe, award-winning lip balm. Holy skincare, Batman, it runs on a plush shea butter base packed with niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and omega fatty acids to strengthen the lip barrier, lock in moisture, calm and smooth. Less a basic balm and more a mega, skincare-centric moisturizer for your lips, it delivers serious hydration, protection and rejuvenation, while the cool metal applicator tip elevates the experience.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter hydrates and softens, ceramides strengthen the lip barrier, hyaluronic acid locks in moisture, niacinamide smooths and refines, omega fatty acids replenish lipids and centella asiatica soothes and supports repair.
Best Everyday Heritage Lip Balm: C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm No. 303
Why we love it: C.O. Bigelow, one of America’s oldest apothecaries, is known for its no-nonsense, old-school formulas. While the Overnight Repair Balm is stellar, Lip Balm No. 303 wears like a classic, simple, comforting and reliably effective lip balm. The texture is cushiony and protective, coating lips in lasting moisture, while a light minty tingle refreshes. It does leave a very subtle sheen, but the staying power is impressive, making it the kind of tube you keep on your desk, in your coat and always within reach.
Key Ingredients: Petrolatum seals in moisture and protects, squalane softens and smooths, shea butter nourishes, sweet almond oils replenish and condition, oat kernel oil soothes irritation, aloe calms and vitamins A and E provide antioxidant support.
FAQ
First and foremost, the best thing to look out for in a lip balm is hydration. The best lip balms prevent water loss, keeping lips nourished, healthy and soft. Look for proven hydrators like shea butter, ceramides and glycerin, along with petrolatum, still one of the most effective moisture sealants. A good balm should also form a protective layer against wind, cold and dry air, with SPF for extended daytime wear. Texture matters too. The best formulas glide on smoothly, absorb well and feel comfortably cushiony. For daily use, a lighter, low-shine balm with barrier support works best, while cracked or damaged lips benefit from a richer, more occlusive repair formula at night. In colder months, that often means keeping a dependable daytime balm alongside a heavier overnight option. Here, Dr. Alexis Granite graciously shares her expertise to answer a few common lip care questions and what to look for in the best lip balm.
InsideHook: At a functional level, how does lip balm work?
Granite: At a functional level, the most effective lip formulas seal moisture in, soothe irritation, support repair and protect against ongoing exposure to cold, wind and friction. Locking in moisture is key because when water escapes from the lips, they dry out quickly. Soothing and barrier-supporting ingredients calm inflammation and discomfort and keep lip skin resilient.
What ingredients should men look for in a good lip balm, and why?
For men, the best lip balms are about performance, not shine. Ingredients like petrolatum, dimethicone and shea butter lock in moisture and help prevent water loss, while glycerin or hyaluronic acid pull hydration into the skin. Panthenol and niacinamide help calm irritation, especially when lips are stressed by cold weather or habits like licking or biting, and ceramides help strengthen the barrier over time. Also, antioxidants like vitamin E help defend against environmental stress, while soothing ingredients such as aloe calm irritation.
Why do some lip balms feel greasy or waxy and how can guys avoid that texture issue?
Some lip balms feel greasy or overly waxy because they lean too heavily on thick waxes or heavy oils without enough balance. Too much wax can feel stiff and sit on the surface, while too many heavy oils can feel slick. Look for formulas that absorb well and feel cushiony rather than shiny, often described as balm or ointment textures instead of glosses.
How often should men apply lip balm, and is there such a thing as overdoing it?
Most men do well applying lip balm two to four times a day, especially before heading out into cold or windy weather. A slightly thicker layer before bed can also help lips recover overnight. You can overdo it, but it is usually about the formula, not how often you apply. Constant use of balms with fragrance, menthol or flavorings can irritate lips and keep them stuck in a dryness cycle, while a simple, well-formulated balm should improve how your lips feel over time.
About the Expert:
Dr. Alexis Granite is a world-renowned dermatologist with nearly 20 years of experience across the U.K. and the U.S., holding a rare dual medical license in both countries. Based in London, she is known for her compassionate, hyper-personalized approach to aesthetic dermatology and her expertise in injectables, delivering natural, undetectable results. A trusted media expert featured in leading luxury titles, Dr. Alexis is a member of the BAD, BCDG and AAD, serves on the British Beauty Council Advisory Board and is a leading advocate for safety in aesthetics. She is also the founder of Joonbyrd, the first dermatologist-led body care brand that unites clinically proven formulations with neuroscience and well-being — transforming not just skin health but self-care rituals, too.
Why You Should Trust Us
In addition to writing for InsideHook I’ve covered topics ranging from grooming, fragrances, and style for GQ, Robb Report, Men’s Journal, Business Insider, Esquire, and Men’s Health. I served as the Market Editor at Esquire for several years, scouring the industry for the best items that were not only worth the investment but also made for compelling stories and good advice for our readers. I also conceptualized and wrote many grooming & fragrance stories for Esquire. I have always tried to add a timeless element to whatever I have written, as although trends are interesting and relevant to a degree, my heart has always been drawn to more perennial guidance and themes. My obsessive-compulsive tendencies are both a blessing and a curse, and while I often delve into researching items to the point of exhaustion, it’s this approach that often positions me as a go-to person for advice. Whether it’s about colognes, creams or coats, people recognize that I’ve done the legwork. I enjoy inspiring others to seek out their unique interests in things that might improve their lives.
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