Ditch EOS for Good With These 10 Fantastic Lip Balms

Keep those lips looking hydrated and luscious. | Shutterstock.

In case you haven’t heard, several people are suing EOS Lip Balm on the grounds that it made their chapped lips worse (best-case scenario), even causing blistering, bleeding, and cracking (worst-case scenario). Jezebel also reports multiple complaints about mold growing inside the egg-shaped capsule. Gross.

To shake that squeamish feeling we’ve suddenly come down with, we found some awesome alternatives that will leave your lips moisturized, nourished and mold-free. (Sorry.) These products range from all-natural at-home remedies to imported splurge-worthy products. While some may not come in the prettiest of packaging, they are the products we turn to when we need our lips cured STAT. 

• ChapStick Classic Original: The OG of all lip balms. Chapstick ($1.49) is so universal, it’s become one of the most genericized products around, on par with Kleenex or Band Aid.

• Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm: Perfect for when you want moisture with a natural twist. Just be sure you don’t give this product ($3.30) to a vegan friend – they’ll be appalled to find there’s real honey in there.

• Cococare Cocoa Butter Lip Balm: This product ($1.29) is tough to track down, but, with its buttery-smooth texture and tropical smell,  it’s so worth the hunt. (Shopping tip: We’ve found it at the CVS at 11th and Market.)

• Organic Coconut Oil: For the ingredient-obsessed. Not only does coconut oil offer amazing all-day moisture, but it’s a healthy cooking alternative to butter and oil. Plus, this jar is huge so you’ll have more than plenty to go around ($8.12).

• Sierra Sage Citrus Zest with SPF: For the kid inside all of us. This lip balm  ($3.95) seriously tastes and smells like orange Tic-Tacs (in the best way), but unlike those neon-orange candies, it’s all-natural.

• Aquaphor Lip Repair and SPF: In the world of chapped lips, this is akin to bringing in the big guns. Get past the slimy texture (no, it never quite soaks in all the way), and this fragrance-free product ($4.99) will heal your cracked lips.

• Blistex Medicated Lip Balm: Carries all the healing powers of Aquaphor without the viscous texture ($3.69).

•  Smith’s Rosebud Salve: This throwback product has been getting the job done since 1892. Rose extract helps soothe your irritated smackers, and the retro tin packaging fits into pockets better than those EOS balls ($6).

• Kaufmann’s Haut-und Kinder-creme: Like the Porsche of lip balms, this German import has been described to me as “the best stuff on earth.” It better be for $11.27.

• Carmex Lip Balm Jar: Great for overnight repair. This medicated formula ($1.30) smells, well, medicinal, but it provides a cooling tingle that lets you know it’s working.