Aquaphor Lip Repair Ointment - Long-lasting Moisture to Soothe Dry Chapped Lips - .35 fl. oz. Tube

Why it's worth it

This is the ointment dermatologists point to first, and it's mostly petrolatum — the ingredient with the most evidence behind it for sealing a damaged lip barrier. There's no fragrance and no flavor, so nothing in the tube stings a raw crack or tempts you to lick.

Petrolatum is the closest thing lip care has to a sure thing. Aquaphor Lip Repair is 41% white petrolatum, the highest concentration among the drugstore names, and petrolatum is exactly what the American Academy of Dermatology points people toward for a compromised lip barrier. It doesn't add moisture so much as refuse to let yours leave. On a lip that's already split, that's the entire job.

The rest of the formula is quietly smart. Glycerin pulls a little water into the surface, and bisabolol takes the edge off inflammation. There's no added fragrance or flavoring, which matters more than it sounds — a mint balm will sting an open crack, and flavor is what makes you lick your lips in the first place. Nothing here encourages that.

From our review of 8 lip balms, by Sarah Wright, Editorial Associate

What we like

• +Petrolatum is the closest thing lip care has to a sure thing
• +The rest of the formula is quietly smart
• +The squeeze tube is better than it looks
• +It isn't doing anything clever, and that's why it works

What to know

• –It's shiny and it's slick
• –Petrolatum is a hard no for shoppers who want plant-based ingredients