Lip Balm: La Mer, Omorovicza, Sisley, Nuxe, Suqqu, Hurraw!, Tata Harper,Fresh, Dr Hauschka + Random Brands Comparison

I was a Fresh Sugar Original Lip Balm lover for years until recently. It's a long story but in essence my dad got diagnosed with Lymphoma 3 months ago and for whatever reason it spurred me towards a more natural skincare research binge followed by a purge of what had ingredients I no longer wanted. I started looking up ingredients on the EWG(Environmental Working Group) website and swapped/sold many of my current items I thought I loved because of the ingredients. It probably was my way to cope. I also learned a whole lot about ingredients and skincare. Which I hope to post about those ingredients and make some more aware. I started with SPF, but moved into other ingredients.

I noticed Fresh Sugar uses an SPF Oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is the number one most controversial sunscreen ingredient as it's possible it has an effect on your hormones once absorbed. I notice many brands are starting to move away from it. And I did notice that new Fresh shades such as Petal have no oxybenzone so I feel it might be being phased out. Check out what the EWG says on Oxybenzone here. The second big no in Fresh was the Retinyl Palmitate in it. Retinyl Palmitate is a weak Vitamin A derivative. Sunscreens and skincare put this in to have an anti-aging effect/claim on their product. However, some research has shown when exposed to sunlight Retinyl Palmitate has the possibility of causing cancer. Something about the sunlight causes it to release free radicals that damage DNA. Retinyl Palmitate is OK for night products or when not in the sunlight, but in day products with exposure to sunlight it has issues with safety. Which is why it's stupid sunscreens put it in there. The weak form of vitamin A is so weak that the benefit doesn't put weight the risk. And it's in a lot of items. That was the hardest one ingredient to weed out for me. Check out the EWG's discussion about it here. I love the Fresh balm, it was my Holy Grail for many years. It was only once I learned about the ingredients I started to pay attention and search for a new lip balm similar in texture & moisturization. Fresh has an oilier less waxy feel, lemon scent. it's perfect except for the 2 ingredients. As an exception to the rule, Fresh's Advanced Therapy the newer non sunscreen version is missing these two ingredients. So I can use it but it just has this funky aftertaste I have a hard time with. If it had the same taste as the Original version it would be perfect too.

I tried La Mer Lip Balm many years ago probably 10 at least. Then got rid of it, and re bought it maybe 3 years ago. It has a slight menthol scent/taste. It's thin enough, moisturizing enough, I hate the pot style. I tend to just put my bottom lip in it and move it around(the pot is wide enough), then put my lips together so I don't have to use my fingers. However, it leaves edges that you eventually have to use your fingers for at the end of the pot to get it all. I think after all I have tried I will not be re-buying this one. It tastes minty very slightly and sweet. It has a non waxy feel and is not hugely long lasting. It's a touch less oily in feel than Fresh and a bit less moisturizing.

Omorovicza Perfecting Lip Balm is another high end balm. It's texture is thicker than La Mer. It has about the same mint smell/taste as La Mer but no sweet taste. It's a bit longer lasting than La Mer as it's a bit thicker. I do like this one and think I would re buy it over La Mer. I do hate the pot style. This doesn't feel oily or hugely waxy. It's in between. It is more moisturizing than La Mer.

Sisley is a really expensive balm. It's got a more oil based feel and isn't waxy. It doesn't have a discernible scent or taste. It's thick and long lasting and it moisturizes well. It's sticky a bit. It's in a pot which I hate but it's a good lip balm. I would re purchase it.

Dr Hauschka lip care stick is nice. It's a oil based non waxy formula. Faint scent nothing bothersome. It moisturizes well and for the price is better than some other sticks I will review in a bit. It's not quite as oil texture feeling as Fresh so not quite as moisturizing but not bad.

Nude Reve de Miel lip balm in a pot is my Holy Grail night balm. I no longer use anything else. It's thick, lasts a long time as long as you don't smear it off on your pillow, smells kind of like a honey scent and has that taste but it's faint. The texture is similar to the Omorovicza as far as wax and oil but is balanced well. I hate waxy Chapstick style lip balms and all I have here are not like that. I can just tell the Nuxe and Omorovicza have more wax than others but it's moisturizing and makes them thicker. For the price you can't go wrong with the Nuxe if you have dry lips. My only gripe with it is that there's a few small granules you can feel that slight grit of the honey when you put it on. It goes away after five minutes it gets absorbed or something. For that one drawback it's still worth it.

Tata Harper's Be Fierce lip balm is quite good as well. I find myself reaching for it the most to replace the Fresh. It has the same oil feel and texture, not waxy. Moisturizing and lasts about the same as Fresh. It's got a faint scent and taste but nothing bad. Some Tata Harper stuff their scent even though natural, can be way too overwhelming. It's close in price to the Fresh. I have not tried their Be True clear version yet but it's on my wish list to try it. I would definitely recommend this one and re purchase it.

Hurraw! Lip balms are made here in Montana to be vegan and are found in health food stores or their website. They have a non waxy feel and have more oils in them. They are moisturizing and best of all like $5 and for a balm this cheap they are great. They have an oval shape so they fit in a pocket well. They have fun favors and scents but the taste is not overpowering at all. These are just a touch less oily feeling than Fresh or Tata Harper, but they are really awesome and I highly recommend them, and you can't go wrong trying it for the price. They are a good substitute. I have their night balm I use when I wake up at night and am too lazy to put my Nuxe pot balm on in the dark. Hurraw!'s Sun Balm is my replacement for Fresh as a sunscreen version. They only use Zinc Oxide. It's not going to give you full UVA with just the zinc but I usually wear something else anyway like lipstick so this is a weekend balm or in my purse. Check them out.

Next up is the balms I've tried and don't use anymore or didn't like. I should have put the Suqqu in this picture instead as it's where it belongs in this category. Suqqu I bought to try. It's a clear balm similar in texture to the Sisley. It's sticky, has no scent or taste. It's not as thick as the Sisley and doesn't last as long. I also find it not quite as moisturizing. For the price I would not buy it again and just get the Sisley.

In order to try a stick to carry with me I tried the Nuxe stick version of the pot. It's not even close to as good. It's waxier and hard and not really that moisturizing. It doesn't last long. I would not re purchase.

Wedderspoon makes manuka honey that is fabulous for skin. They also have this Queen of the Hive lip care stick. It's minty, almost too much for my tastes, and waxy like Chapstick. I would not re purchase.

Caudalie lip conditioner is a stick that has a less waxy feel, it's got some oil texture to it. It's not long lasting and I had to reapply more often than others. Dr Hauschka, Hurraw! and Tata Harper all kick it's butt. Would not re purchase.

I have tried the Cle de Peau lip balm as well. That was disappointing for a $50 lip balm. It has no noticeable scent or taste. It doesn't last long and wasn't very moisturizing. I had to reapply every hour at least. It also has Retinyl Palmitate in it so it was a no for me. I no longer own it so I have no picture but thought I'd add it to compare.
Julie Hewett makes a Camellia Balm that you can use on lips, eyes, face & hands. It's got a nice slightly fruity kind of smell, it's not waxy, has that oil I love. It just for whatever reason dries my lips out. So I use it for my cuticles at night which it works great for.

Some samples I have tried recently are dr. dewy lip cure, Dr. Lipp nipple balm for lips and moa the green balm. Dr Lipp is thick and very petroleum feeling. It's very moisturizing and not waxy. Dr. dewy is thinner, it's OK, nothing special that would make me want to buy it. Moa has a minty scent/taste. It's not overpowering. Very similar texture to Omorovicza at first but thinner on application. It's thin and not long lasting I wouldn't buy a full size. It's cheap though, and can be used on dry areas on your whole body. So it could be worth buying for that purpose but not as a lip balm for me. Not sure if I like the mint idea on my face other than my lips though. The mint in this is the most minor of any balm listed it's barely noticeable.

Check out EWG here

Next to try is the ISUN lip balm I just ordered off Beautyhabit.

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