Find the Best Lip Balm With SPF
Sunburned lips are no fun
Whether it's a picnic, a beach trip, or baseball game, if you're going to be outside this Memorial Day weekend don't forget to wear sunscreen and a lip balm with SPF. Lips are a commonly overlooked area when it comes to sun protection, even if you always put sunscreen on your face. But our lips are vulnerable to damage from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. Not only do they have a thinner protective top layer of cells compared with the rest of our skin but the bottom lip also tends to protrude slightly, so it can easily catch the sun's rays.
In our latest sunscreen tests, we tested five lip balms labeled SPF 30 or higher. All but one is claimed to have water resistance for 80 minutes. Though each received an Excellent UVA score, none of them met their SPF claim in our tests. Banana Boat Sport Performance Lip Balm SPF 50, $2.50, came closest to an SPF 30, providing an SPF 28 in our tests. Here's how the others performed.
- Coppertone Sport Lip Balm SPF 30 ($5): Tested SPF 22.
- Blistex Five Star Lip Protection SPF 30 ($2.30): Tested SPF 23
- Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect SPF 30 ($5): Tested SPF 23 (Did not claim water resistance.)
- Up & Up Sport Lip Balm SPF 50 ($2.80): Tested SPF 25
Is there a spot you always miss when using sunscreen?
Tell us by leaving a comment below.
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the July 2016 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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