Best Lip Balm for Chapped Lips: Ointments, Lanolin and SPF Picks Checked Against the AAD

The best lip balms for chapped lips are Vaseline Lip Therapy Advanced Healing, CeraVe Healing Ointment and, for daytime, Sun Bum Mineral SPF 30 Lip Balm. Vaseline is best overall because its only active ingredient is white petrolatum, the kind of thick ointment the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests for very dry, cracked lips, with no flavor, fragrance, menthol or camphor. Lanolips 101 Ointment is the pick if you prefer lanolin and know you tolerate it, and Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick SPF 30 is a chemical-filter option without octinoxate or oxybenzone.

Before you buy, you can scan a lip balm's barcode or photograph its label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check it against your skin type and flag menthol, camphor or fragrance. Pori reads the label for you; it does not diagnose.

Quick picks

• Best overall: Vaseline Lip Therapy Advanced Healing Fragrance Free ($4.49 for two 0.35 oz tubes, Target): 100% white petrolatum as the active, nothing to sting.
• Best for overnight and badly cracked lips: CeraVe Healing Ointment ($7.99 for 1.89 oz, Target): 46.5% petrolatum with ceramides, made without lanolin or fragrance.
• Best lanolin balm: Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm ($16.95 for 15 g, Lanolips): a dense lanolin ointment with the National Eczema Association seal.
• Best mineral SPF: Sun Bum Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen Lip Balm ($3.99, Sun Bum): 8% zinc oxide, fragrance-free and water resistant for 80 minutes.
• Best chemical SPF: Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick + Sunscreen SPF 30 ($6.99 for two 0.17 oz sticks, Target): no octinoxate, oxybenzone, flavor or fragrance on the label.
• Best multi-use jar: Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($6.29 for 1.75 oz, Target): 41% petrolatum for lips, hands and cracked skin, with one ingredient to know about.

We compared published ingredient lists, drug labels, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on lips. Prices are US prices as of November 2026, with the retailer named, and they change often.

How do the best lip balms for chapped lips compare?

What do dermatologists say helps chapped lips?

The AAD's advice for dry, chapped lips comes down to three things: use a non-irritating balm several times a day and before bed, protect lips from the sun, and stop the habits that keep them raw. Its list of helpful ingredients includes:

• Petrolatum and white petroleum jelly
• Castor seed oil, hemp seed oil and shea butter
• Ceramides, dimethicone and mineral oil
• Sun filters such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide

For very dry, cracked lips, the AAD suggests a thick ointment such as white petroleum jelly. Outdoors, it recommends a non-irritating lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every 2 hours, even in winter. It also says to stop licking, biting and picking your lips, and to run a humidifier at home if you breathe through your mouth at night.

Which lip balm ingredients make chapped lips worse?

The AAD lists these as ingredients to avoid while your lips are chapped:

• Camphor, eucalyptus and menthol
• Flavorings, especially cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint
• Fragrance
• Lanolin
• Octinoxate or oxybenzone
• Phenol (or phenyl), propyl gallate and salicylic acid

Its simplest test: if a product burns, stings or feels uncomfortable on your lips, it is irritating them, and you should stop using it. That tingle many people read as "it's working" is the warning sign.

Two of the best-known medicated balms show why the list matters. The US label for Carmex Classic Lip Balm Medicated lists camphor 1.7% and white petrolatum as actives, with menthol, salicylic acid, phenol, lanolin, vanillin and flavor among the inactive ingredients. Blistex Medicated lists camphor, menthol and phenol as actives, with flavors and lanolin. Both labels name relief of cold sore or chapped lip symptoms as uses, and both contain several AAD avoid-list ingredients. Save them for when your lips are not already cracked, or skip them.

Which lip balms are best for chapped lips?

Vaseline Lip Therapy Advanced Healing: best overall

The US drug label for Vaseline Lip Therapy Advanced Healing lists white petrolatum USP (100%) as its active ingredient, for temporary protection and relief of chapped or cracked skin and lips. There is no flavor, fragrance, menthol or camphor on it. Target sells the fragrance-free twin pack at $4.49 for two 0.35 oz tubes. A review of petroleum jelly in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology explains how its properties make it a great moisturizer and addresses common myths about its safety.

Who it suits: almost everyone with chapped lips, including sensitive or allergy-prone people. Who should skip it: people who dislike a glossy, slick feel. The catch: it has no SPF, so add a sun-protective balm when you're outdoors. Vaseline also sells flavored and tinted Lip Therapy versions; those add flavor or fragrance, so check that the tube says fragrance free.

CeraVe Healing Ointment: best for overnight and badly cracked lips

CeraVe Healing Ointment is 46.5% petrolatum, with mineral oil, paraffin, dimethicone and three ceramides, and CeraVe names chapped lips among the areas to use it on. The brand says it is made without lanolin, dyes, preservatives and fragrance. Target lists the 1.89 oz tube at $7.99. The texture is less sticky than plain petroleum jelly, which makes it easier to use as a thick night layer on lips and on cracked corners of the mouth.

Who it suits: very dry or split lips, and anyone who needs one tube for lips, hands and the skin around the nose. Who should skip it: people who want a pocket stick. The catch: it is a tube of ointment, so you'll be applying it with a fingertip. If the cracks at the corners keep coming back, read our guide to angular cheilitis, which can need treatment.

Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm: best lanolin balm

Lanolin is a rich occlusive from sheep's wool, and the Lanolips 101 Ointment is built on it. Lanolips lists the 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm at $16.95 for 15 g, made with ultra-pure lanolin, and says it holds the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance and contains no petroleum.

The honest catch is that the AAD lists lanolin among ingredients to avoid while lips are chapped, because some people are sensitive to it. If you've used lanolin before with no reaction, it is a thick, effective option. If you're not sure, try petrolatum first.

Who it suits: people who prefer a petroleum-free balm and know lanolin agrees with them. Who should skip it: anyone with a known wool or lanolin allergy, or lips that sting after it. The catch: Lanolips sells many flavored 101 versions; flavor is on the AAD avoid list too, so pick the plain one.

Sun Bum Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen Lip Balm: best mineral SPF

The US label for Sun Bum's mineral lip balm lists zinc oxide 8% as the only active, with sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, beeswax, candelilla and carnauba wax, argan oil and vitamin E. No flavor or fragrance appears on the label, and it is water resistant for 80 minutes. Sun Bum lists it at $3.99 and calls it fragrance free.

Who it suits: outdoor days, skiing, the beach, and anyone who reacts to chemical filters. Who should skip it: people with a tree nut or soy allergy, since it contains sweet almond and soybean oil. The catch: zinc can leave a faint white tint on the lips.

Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick + Sunscreen SPF 30: best chemical SPF

This stick's US label lists avobenzone 3%, homosalate 9%, octisalate 4.5% and octocrylene 9%, so it avoids the octinoxate and oxybenzone on the AAD's list. The base includes castor seed oil and shea butter, both on the AAD's helpful list, with beeswax, jojoba oil and dimethicone. No flavor or fragrance is listed. Target sells a two-pack for $6.99.

Who it suits: people who want daily SPF that goes on clear. Who should skip it: anyone who stings with chemical filters; choose the Sun Bum instead. The catch: Aquaphor also sells a Lip Protectant + Sunscreen whose label lists octinoxate and oxybenzone. Check which one you're buying.

Aquaphor Healing Ointment: best multi-use jar

Aquaphor Healing Ointment's label lists petrolatum 41% with mineral oil, ceresin, lanolin alcohols, glycerin, panthenol and bisabolol, and Aquaphor says it is fragrance free. Target lists the 1.75 oz tube at $6.29. It works well on lips and doubles for cracked hands and heels.

Who it suits: people who already use it and have never reacted. Who should skip it: anyone sensitive to lanolin, since lanolin alcohols are on the label. The catch: if your lips stay irritated on Aquaphor, swap to plain petrolatum or CeraVe Healing Ointment before trying anything stronger.

What is the best lip care routine for chapped lips?

1. Apply a plain ointment or balm several times a day, after meals and after drinking.
2. Before going outside, switch to an SPF 30 lip balm and reapply every 2 hours.
3. At night, put on a thick layer of petrolatum or CeraVe Healing Ointment.
4. Stop licking, biting and peeling. The AAD says these habits make chapped lips worse.
5. Run a humidifier if your home is dry or you breathe through your mouth while sleeping.

If your lips are dry because of isotretinoin, the routine is the same but more frequent; our Accutane skincare routine covers lip care on that medicine. The AAD says most chapped lips improve in 2 to 3 weeks with this kind of care. If yours don't, or you see swelling, crusting or sores that keep returning, see a board-certified dermatologist. Our dermatologist directory can help you find one.

How we chose

We started from the AAD's lists of helpful and irritating lip ingredients and kept US products whose labels avoid camphor, menthol, phenol, flavor, fragrance, octinoxate and oxybenzone. Where a balm includes something on the avoid list, such as lanolin, we say so. We read each product's US drug label on DailyMed or the brand's ingredient list, and checked prices on the retailer or brand site named, in November 2026. We did not test any product. Our product catalogue does not include lip balms yet, so there are no product cards on this page.