No one 'best' lip balm, experts say: Here is what to look for

In a dry climate such as Utah, lip balm seems to be a go-to product. For many, they cannot go a day without lathering on some kind of lip product.

However, with this craze comes a question: Which lip balm is the best?

Different people have different answers. Brigham Young University student Lindsey Nelson said she is not even sure what the brand of her favorite lip balm is called.

If you get a free one at some event, those ones are the best ones randomly, Nelson said.

Utah Valley University student Gavin Roper previously stuck to using the Chapstick brand. But wanting to find the best lip balm, he started asking friends for recommendations.

Literally today I just went and bought Burts Bees, Roper said.

He was curious to see how well it would work.

With way too many options to test them all, what do experts say? Is there a specific brand that tops all the rest?

Skin researcher K.C. Holley does not seem to think that the specific brand matters too much.

The argument is almost more about philosophy than what's the best for the actual skin, Holley said.

She said what matters is finding a formulation that is waxy and occlusive.

And you want that because that occlusion is what's going to provide protection to the lips and create that moisture barrier that is lacking and has become even more compromised when your lips get chapped, Holley said.

She explained that when your moisture barrier or top skin layer has been compromised, you are losing moisture more quickly, which gives that chapped feeling.

If you are using a product that is staying on your lips, it will help protect that layer of moisture.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, the best ingredients to heal chapped lips are castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone, hemp seed oil, mineral oil, petrolatum, shea butter, titanium or zinc oxide and white petroleum jelly.

As for ingredients to avoid, the list includes camphor, eucalyptus, fragrance, strong flavorings, lanolin, menthol, octinoxate, phenol, propyl gallate and salicylic acid.

Holley also recommended using a lip balm that contains sunscreen.

Because if you don't have a sunscreen in it, you're opening your lips up for damage, right? Holley said.

She explained that the best chapsticks also contain antioxidants, which she said protect the skin even more.

Overall, she concluded that it would be best to have an array of lip products.

Maybe someone has a lip balm to wear in class, and then a lip mask they like and then at night they lather on some petroleum jelly before going to bed.

I don't think there's one great one, but there are different things that you can add. Have a lip regimen ... so that you're taking care of and nourishing your lips throughout the day in the best way possible, Holley said.

There may not be one specific balm that takes the cake, but there are certain ingredients that will give you better results than others.