Is zinc oxide good for lips?

It is important to wear daily sunscreen and we should always include our lips too. Check your lip balm ingredients, it might not be protecting you from UV rays. As you’re avoiding petrochemicals in sunscreen, double check you don’t have any chemical additives in your lip balm either. Zinc oxide is a great ingredient to look for when you’re searching for a new lip balm.

Zinc oxide has been used in skincare for 1000s of years and is non-comedogenic and easy on sensitive skin. It’s often found in diaper creams, calamine lotion, and toothpastes. Plus, zinc is a critical mineral nutrient that keeps us healthy. It is the only active sunscreen ingredient that’s FDA-approved for use on babies less than 6 months old.

Advantages of Zinc Oxide on Lips

Zinc oxide can improve mild skin irritations likes rashes or cuts on your lips. Other people find it improves acne around the mouth. The biggest advantage to having zinc oxide in your lip balm is the sunscreen component. Zinc oxide is the only active sunscreen ingredient that covers the entire UVA/UVB spectrum by itself, giving your lips true broad-spectrum protection. Non-nano zinc oxide is safe for reefs and marine life.

Disadvantages of Zinc Oxide Lip Balm

The biggest disadvantage of using zinc oxide lip balm is cosmetic. Because non-nano zinc oxide has fairly large particles, it can leave a white residue on lips. Just make sure to rub your lips together or use your fingers to rub the lip balm into your skin. Some people find zinc oxide products to be drying to skin, so choose a lip balm with moisturizing ingredients like Vitamin E and Shea Butter.

NEXT STEPS

1. Know your ingredients — Flip over your sunscreen and read the ingredients. We want everyone to know what good ingredients are, regardless of whether they use our products or not. Your health is worth it.

2. Buy safe sunscreen — Waxhead is dedicated to using only the healthiest, safest, most effective ingredients in our sunscreens. Shop Safe Sunscreen here.

3. Teach a friend — If you know someone who might still be buying sunscreen with questionable ingredients, please share this post with him/her.