Dr. Squatch Lip Balm and Other No Fuss Balms

Dr. Squatch Lip Balm and Other No Fuss Balms

A Dr. Squatch lip balm is the simplest kind of lip care: coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax in a stick. Here is how it stacks up, plus the repair balms and everyday balms I would put next to it.

Dr. Squatch began in 2013 when founder Jack Haldrup, who has psoriasis, found a cold process bar at a farmer's market that finally did not leave his skin tight and itchy. He started making his own natural soap in his garage, figuring other guys wanted better ingredients too. That story explains why a Dr. Squatch lip balm feels like the rest of the brand: plain, practical and not very precious.

The Natural Lip Balm 4-Pack is made with coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax, and Dr. Squatch says it moisturizes dry lips with a shine-free finish. The set includes Original Mint, Vanilla Bourbon, Coconut Cove and Wild Watermelon, and there is a limited Hot Choccy pack too. The Original Squatch Moisturizing Lip Balm is a 2-count pack that Dr. Squatch designed for men looking for dependable dryness defense.

Around them, Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 comes in Original and Lemon and Shea Butter, with grapefruit, ginger, shea butter and avocado oil. Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm has shea butter and tripeptide-1, and works alone or under lipstick. Kate McLeod The Everywhere Stick is a treatment balm with four plant butters for lips, heels and everything between. Dr. Barbara Sturm Lip Balm is colorless and gentle, and can add sheen to eyelids and cheekbones.

A simple test: keep one stick by the bed and one in your bag for a week. Notice which one you actually reach for.

Big numbers collage titled NO FUSS BALMS, six products numbered one to six with each product set beside its number: Dr. Squatch, Jack Black, Drunk Elephant, fresh and EADEM
Dr. Squatch Lip Balm

Dr. Squatch lip balm and other no-fuss balms

Repair balms for dry, chapped lips

When lips are properly chapped, I want a balm with a job. fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Balm in Translucent moisturizes extra dry lips for up to 24 hours, according to fresh, with hyaluronic acid spheres and sea fennel. Biossance Pro-Peptide Hydrating Lip Perfector Balm comes in a squeeze tube and promises 24 hour moisture with squalane. MARA Hydrating Sea Silk Lip Balm Treatment in Clear can also be worn as an overnight lip mask, with algae and seed butters.

Dr. Idriss Barrier Baste in Soft Mint is a clear balm with ceramide and squalane, and the brand says it is clinically shown to soothe chapped or peeling lips after one night. MAED Revive in Day + Night is a neutral clear balm built around barrier support, with raspberry seed oil and squalane. Moroccanoil Lip Balm in Vanilla Date has argan oil, peptides and hyaluronic acid, and reads as a sheer pinky nude. Fenty Beauty Lux Balm in Coconut is a clear, velvety balm with shea butter, mango butter, avocado oil and a creamy coconut scent. Augustinus Bader The Lip Balm uses candelilla wax as a vegan alternative to beeswax, along with TFC8.

How I use them: a thick layer at night, wiped gently off in the morning, and a lighter one over the day.

What I would skip: a tingling or plumping balm on cracked lips. Choose the plain, clear ones until they heal.

Repair balms for dry, chapped lips

Everyday balms, some with a hint of color

For daily wear I want a balm that feels good and looks like I did something. EADEM Le Chouchou in Boba Bounce is a soft rich brown, and Fig Sauce is a cool mauve, both from a peptide balm that EADEM says is clinically proven to soften dry, flaky lips. Augustinus Bader The Tinted Lip Balm in Shade 2 was made with director Sofia Coppola, who wanted a buildable wash of color on the clear balm she loved. Shade 2 is a bright red coral.

Clear options: Kosas Kosasport LipFuel in Baseline is a universal clear balm with hyaluronic acid and wild mint. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Vanilla is a sheer clear balm with shea and murumuru butters, and can be an overnight mask. Iris&Romeo Lip Cocoon in Nourish is clear, thick and buttery with peptides and Bulgarian rose oil, and the brand notes the tube may need an extra squeeze at first. Farmacy Lip Smoothie in Apple has peptides and vitamin C with a clear glossy finish. Glossier Balm Dotcom in Coconut is clear and untinted, with castor seed oil, beeswax and lanolin, and it works without the shine. It doubles as a skin salve for cuticles, elbows and knees.

Tip: dab a tinted balm on with your finger and blend it outward for a soft, blurred edge.

What I would skip: buying three tinted balms at once. Pick one shade, wear it, then decide.

Everyday balms, some with a hint of color

Choosing a balm and sticking with it

The best balm is the one you will actually put on. If you want the least fuss, a Dr. Squatch lip balm stick or the Glossier Balm Dotcom is easy to keep in a pocket. For dry, peeling lips, choose one of the repair balms from the second grid and use it at night. For a hint of color, EADEM in Boba Bounce or the Augustinus Bader tint is where I would go. Keep it simple, reapply through the day, and give any balm at least a week before deciding.