Most of us know the importance of slathering sunscreen on our faces and bodies, but we often forget about our lips. The result? Sunburned, chapped lips that sting, peel, or crack. Your lips are actually quite vulnerable to the elements, and they need protection just like the rest of your skin. Using a sun-protective lip balm is crucial to keep your pout healthy. Unlike normal skin, lips have almost no melanin and very thin skin, so they burn easily and can get extremely dry. If you’ve ever experienced your lips feeling scorched after a day outdoors or painfully cracked in the winter, you know how delicate they can be.
Why Lips Need Sun Protection
Our lips have unique characteristics that make them especially prone to sun damage and dryness. For starters, the skin of the lips is much thinner than the skin on the rest of your face, and it lacks the sweat and oil glands that normally help keep skin moisturized. Even more importantly, lips contain very little melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color and provides some natural sun protection. Because the skin on the lips is thin and lacks melanin, it’s highly vulnerable to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Unprotected UV exposure can lead to premature aging of the lips and even increase the risk of precancerous changes like actinic cheilitis and lip cancer. Your lips have almost no built-in defense against UV rays, so they can incur damage quickly if not shielded.
Think about how often your lips are exposed to environmental stressors: every time you step outside, they are hit by sunlight, wind, and dry air. Unlike the rest of your skin, which you might cover with clothing or regular sunscreen, your lips are usually bare. This constant exposure, combined with the lips’ structural fragility, means they need extra care. Using an SPF lip balm is the best way to give your lips the protection they lack naturally. SPF in a lip balm works just like it does in a face or body sunscreen. It absorbs or reflects UV radiation to prevent it from harming your skin. A broad-spectrum SPF lip product will guard against both UVB rays (which cause sunburn) and UVA rays (which cause deeper skin aging and can contribute to skin cancer). Lip care with SPF creates a protective shield on this delicate skin.
Beyond serious concerns like cancer, consider the immediate discomfort that sun exposure can cause your lips. The lips can get sunburned after even a short time outdoors if they’re not protected. A mild lip sunburn might make them a bit red or sensitive, but a more severe sunburn can lead to significant pain, swelling, and blistering. Sunburned lips often start peeling as they heal, leaving you with flaky, sore lips for days. Moreover, any time your lips get dried out or burned by the sun, they’ll be more prone to cracking and chapping. All of this can be avoided by simply wearing a sunscreen lip balm regularly.
Sunburn and Dryness: The Dangers of Unprotected Lips
What actually happens if you don’t protect your lips from the sun? In the short term, you can end up with sunburned lips and increased dryness. Chapped lips are often the result of environmental factors, and the sun is a big one. Chapping is frequently due to a combination of cold or dry weather, sun exposure, and habits like frequently licking your lips or not staying hydrated. In summer, the intense sun can directly burn the lip’s skin, but even in warm weather without obvious burning, UV rays sap moisture from the lips. The result is that your lips feel dry and tight, or they start to flake. Often, people who get a lot of sun notice their lips peeling afterward. That’s essentially a mild sunburn response combined with dehydration of the lip skin.
Dryness and sunburn work in a vicious cycle on your lips. When your lips are dried out, they’re actually even more susceptible to sunburn. And when they get sunburned, they will inevitably become drier and chapped as they heal. Unprotected lips can quickly go from feeling fine to feeling rough and tender. You might see redness or feel a raw sensation. In more severe cases, small blisters can form on the lips, which are quite painful.
Another often overlooked danger of sun-damaged lips is the potential for cold sores if you’re prone to them. If you carry the herpes simplex virus, a bout of sun exposure on the lips can trigger an outbreak of cold sores. The sun can burn already dry, chapped lips more easily, which in turn may trigger a cold sore flare-up. This is yet another reason to keep your lips protected. You’re not only warding off dryness and burns, but possibly preventing an uncomfortable cold sore episode as well.
Over the long term, repeated cycles of sun damage and dryness can cause lasting changes in your lips’ appearance and health. Chronic sun exposure without protection can lead to the development of actinic cheilitis, a precancerous condition marked by persistent dry, scaly patches on the lips. It can also cause the lips to develop uneven pigmentation and fine lines around the mouth. In extreme cases, years of sun exposure can contribute to the development of lip cancer. This all sounds scary, but the good news is it’s largely preventable. Simply using an SPF 50 lip balm daily cuts down these risks significantly. Remember that sunscreen lip balm isn’t just for summer. Neglecting your lips in any season can leave them dry or burned. Let’s talk about why protecting your lips is truly a year-round commitment.
Year-Round Lip Protection: Summer and Winter
It’s easy to remember lip balm with SPF during a hot summer at the beach, but protecting your lips year-round is just as important. UV radiation from the sun doesn’t disappear in the colder months. In fact, UVA rays remain relatively constant throughout the year, and they can age and damage your skin even on overcast days. During winter, lip SPF 50 or at least SPF 30 is a wise choice if you’re spending time outdoors, especially in snowy areas. Why? Snow and ice are extremely reflective. They can bounce up to 80% of UV rays back at you, effectively doubling your exposure. That means if you’re skiing, snowboarding, or even just walking on a bright, snowy day, your lips are getting hit by UV light from above and below. Many skiers have learned the hard way that you can get a sunburn in the middle of winter if you’re not careful. A high SPF lip balm is your best friend in those conditions, creating a strong barrier against intense UV.
Even in a regular winter, you should still swipe on sunscreen for lips each morning. Even in the winter, it’s important to protect your lips from the sun because dry, chapped lips will burn more easily, and that can trigger cold sores. Winter air is often cold and contains less humidity, which dries out the lips. We also spend a lot of time indoors, which further dehydrates our skin. This dryness makes your lips more fragile. So when any sunshine does hit them, the damage is compounded. A nourishing balm with SPF helps prevent the sun’s rays from worsening the dryness and stops the burn-before-you-know-it effect that can happen on a sunny ski slope or a crisp winter hike.
Summer is the time when most people think about sun protection, and your lips need it then as much as ever. In summer, the UV index is higher, and you’re likely outside more often, possibly sweating or swimming, which can wear off protection. Using a water-resistant SPF lip balm during summer outings will keep your lips from getting that dreaded sunburnt sting. It also keeps them from drying out in the heat and sun. Remember, the sun’s rays can also reflect off water and sand. Make it a habit to apply lip balm with sunscreen whenever you apply facial sunscreen. And don’t be fooled by cloudy days; up to 80% of UV rays can pass through clouds, so your lips still need shielding on overcast days in any season.
Think of SPF for your lips as a 365-day-a-year requirement. In daily lip care routine terms, that means applying an SPF lip product each morning and carrying it with you for touch-ups, whether it’s July or January. In summer, it prevents sunburn and moisture loss from the strong sun. In winter, it prevents cumulative UV damage and adds a protective layer against harsh, dry air. Your lips will thank you by staying smooth and healthy through every season.
Choosing the Best Lip Balm with SPF
Not all lip balms are created equal, and when it comes to sun protection, you’ll want to be picky about what you put on your lips. So how do you find the best lip balm with SPF for your needs? Here are some key factors and ingredients to look for:
- SPF Value and Broad-Spectrum Protection: Many basic lip balms have SPF 15, which is a minimum, but may not be enough if you’re in strong sun. Aim for SPF 30, and if you spend a lot of time outdoors, consider a higher number. The best lip sunscreen options will clearly say “broad-spectrum,” meaning they shield against both UVB and UVA rays. UVA protection is crucial for preventing long-term damage, so ingredients like zinc oxide or avobenzone (which cover UVA) are good to see on the label.
- Water Resistance: If you’ll be swimming, surfing, or sweating, choose a sunscreen lip balm that is water-resistant. This ensures the product stays on your lips longer and continues to protect even if you get wet. Typically, a water-resistant lip balm will advertise 40 minutes or 80 minutes of protection while in water. Reapplication is still important, but a water-resistant formula won’t wash off the minute you take a sip of water or jump in the pool.
- Moisturizing Ingredients: A great SPF lip balm doesn’t just shield you from sunburn; it should also keep your lips soft and hydrated. Look for balms that contain natural emollients and occlusives. Ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, almond oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil are excellent for nourishing the delicate skin on the lips. Best healing lip balm formulas often include these to repair and prevent dryness. One superstar ingredient is petrolatum, which is very effective at sealing in moisture.
- Avoid Potential Irritants: Minty fresh tingles might feel nice in a regular lip balm, but many added flavors and ingredients can irritate your lips. When selecting an SPF lip balm, it’s wise to avoid ingredients like menthol, camphor, phenol, eucalyptus, cinnamon, or peppermint flavoring, and artificial fragrances. These can cause stinging or further dryness. The same goes for chemical sunscreens that some people are sensitive to, such as oxybenzone or octinoxate. If you have sensitive skin, you might opt for formulas with physical sunscreens, which are less likely to cause a reaction. The goal is to protect and soothe your lips, so you don’t want any ingredient that undermines that by irritating.
When you buy SPF lip balm, read the label the same way you’d read a facial sunscreen’s label. Check that it says “broad spectrum” and has that SPF 30 or higher. Scan the ingredients for the hydrators and protectors mentioned above. If you see a bunch of plant oils, butters, plus zinc oxide, that’s a great sign. On the other hand, if a lip balm with SPF has a laundry list of flavor chemicals or not-so-great ingredients (like phenol, which actually can exfoliate and dry out lips), you might leave it on the shelf. The best lip sunscreen is one that strikes a balance between protection and comfort.
Healing Dry Lips
If your lips are already dry, cracked, or sunburned despite your best efforts, don’t worry. You can still fix them with some targeted care. The best healing lip balm and treatments will focus on two main things: hydration and protection. You want to flood your lips with moisture and keep it locked in, while also shielding them from any further damage as they heal.
Remember to continue using SPF on your lips once they heal, to prevent the cycle from starting again. It’s easy to lapse on lip care when they feel fine, but staying consistent will save you from future bouts of chapping. How to cure chapped lips comes down to treating them kindly: keep them moisturized day and night, shield them from the sun and harsh weather, and they’ll recover nicely.
Your lips play a vital role in your day-to-day comfort, so it’s worth giving them a little extra TLC. The key takeaways for keeping your lips smooth and sun-safe year-round are simple. Always protect lips from the sun with a lip balm with SPF daily, no matter the season. This prevents painful sunburns and guards against long-term damage. Keep your lips moisturized and avoid habits that dry them out. A good daily lip care routine with morning SPF application, frequent reapplication, and nightly nourishment will ensure your lips stay hydrated and healthy. When choosing lip products, opt for those that both heal and shield. Look for balms with rich moisturizing ingredients plus broad-spectrum SPF. And don’t forget that what’s good for your lips is often good for your overall skin health too.
Sources
- Barclay Family Dental – “Oral Cancer Awareness: Protect Your Lips from Sun Exposure.” (BarclayFamilyDental.com, April 15, 2025)
- Cleveland Clinic – “Chapped Lips (Cheilitis): Causes, Treatment & Prevention.” (ClevelandClinic.org, reviewed Feb 16, 2024)
- American Academy of Dermatology – “7 dermatologists’ tips for healing dry, chapped lips.” (AAD.org)
- Healthline – “What Causes Chapped Lips and How to Treat Them.” (Healthline.com, updated April 25, 2023)
