Found: 20 Lip Products with SPF That Really Work
Chapped lips are a bummer and all, but have you ever experienced the wild misfortune of sunburned lips? It happens more often than you’d think, and this weekend, after a long day at the beach where I feel sleep under our fort for like, barely an hour, my friends (who conveniently forget to reapply sunscreen if I’m not reminding them on an hourly basis) fell victim to a sunburn to the mouth. It’s not fun.
“The skin on the lips is among the thinnest on the body,” says Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. “Plus, there’s less protective pigment in your lips than the rest of your skin, so the lips are more susceptible to sun damage. The lower lip is especially at risk because it faces up toward the sun.”
And don’t think your lip balm with SPF 10 is gonna do the trick: Dermatologists recommend using at least SPF 30 everywhere—and that’s especially true for your lips.
“Plus, sheer, translucent glosses may actually increase your risk of a burn if they don’t have SPF in them because they can amplify the effects of sunlight,” Dr. Zeichner warns. Great. But because slathering chalky white facial sunscreen on your lips doesn’t exactly sound fun, either, we rounded up the best lip products—balms, tints, and even a lipstick—with enough sunscreen to keep your lips protected.
