Comparative Review: Lip Balms for Dry/Chapped Lips

The products pictured are:
Alba Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly
Blistex Revive & Restore
Carmex Original Formula
Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Eucerin Aquaphor Lip Treatment
Maybelline Baby Lips - Quenched
Neosporin Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy

I recently had an issue with my lips being so dry they cracked at the corners, and I tried so many things to fix it. These are my experiences/results.

Alba Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly:
As the name states, this product can be used for a lot of different things from moisturizing to removing makeup. I like to use it to moisturize my hands and feet at night. This product is the most comfortable to apply on the lips when they're so dry that they hurt, and it's also the most likely to protect and moisturize at the same time because instead of being petroleum or petrolatum, it's beeswax and oils (no mineral oil). I find it most useful at night because while this product is effective, it lacks SPF, and I find that when my lips are chapped, being in the sun doesn't help. Being a jelly, it can be annoying to have slathered on the lips, so I found it easiest and most comfortable to apply a tiny bit of this to the corners where I was experiencing the most dryness/pain. Of all the things I tried, this is probably the most effective. It can be a little pricey (7 or 8 USD for 100 g), but even using it on my feet I hardly use any of it, so one tube will last a long time. No scent or flavor.

Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment:
This used to be my go-to product for severely dry skin and lips. I've also used this on my feet, too. Aquaphor is a petrolatum jelly with mineral oil and such added to it. It can be effective in protecting chapped lips and preventing further drying, but it's extremely thick, and it doesn't really moisturize at all. It is definitely the least comfortable to apply to the lips, and it also lacks SPF. It's best for night treatment, and I use it the same as I use the Alba jelly. This lasts at least through the night. No scent or flavor.

Eucerin Aquaphor Lip Repair:
This is NOT the same as the Aquaphor ointment. It has more ingredients, and it's less heavy feeling. This one also lacks SPF, so I personally wouldn't choose to wear it outside during the day, but it is a pretty good lip treatment. It's in a handy tube, so it's not obnoxious to carry with you, and because it's still similar to Aquaphor in texture, it lasts on the lips a long time. It moisturizes somewhat well, but I prefer its protective properties. No scent or flavor.

Blistex Revive & Restore:
This is a lip balm duo that includes Revive which is supposed to smooth and protect the lips (with SPF 15) and Restore which is supposed to soften the lips. Revive has a light minty scent, and it has a smoother, softer texture. Restore has the scent/flavor that a lot of Blistex lip balms have, and I hate that scent. Revive is more waxy than Restore, but they both moisturize the lips equally well. The packaging of these is interesting because they are made to be stacked together, so you can revive and restore your lips at the same time; I guess. If the scent/flavor of Restore isn't bothersome, this is a good duo. For me I got one lip balm I like and one I won't use, so the 6 USD could have been better spent elsewhere.

Carmex Original Formula:
Also a waxy texture with an odd scent of which I am not particularly fond, Carmex works pretty well. It's designed to protect and heal cold sores, so in theory it should work well to protect and heal dryness and chapped lips. I found that it didn't really help with the dryness, but it certainly didn't make anything worse. My lips felt better using this, but the really dry, cracked parts of my mouth felt the same. No SPF.

Maybelline Baby Lips - Quenched:
I have already reviewed these balms, but for the purposes of this review I thought it should be included. I chose Quenched because it's flavor-less and scentless. This one does moisturize very well, and it makes my lips feel protected (SPF 20), but I didn't get enough moisturization to help with the cracking.

Neosporin Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy SPF 20:
This has a nice texture, and it initially makes my lips feel moisturized, but after half an hour or so my lips feel dry again. I like that this has SPF, but the SPF means nothing to me if my lips feel dry anyway. The texture does make my lips feel protected though. I wouldn't recommend this product.

Products I would recommend for severely chapped/dry lips:
Alba Un-Petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly
Aquaphor Lip Repair
Blistex Revive from Revive & Restore Duo

Maybelline Baby Lips Repairing Lip Balm SPF 20 Photos + Review

I received five tubes of the new Maybelline Baby Lips Repairing Lip Balm, but while I was waiting to receive the products, I bought one in "Peach Kiss" as well. I received Pink Punch, Peppermint, Cherry Me, Quenched, and Peach Kiss. I gave Cherry Me and Peach Kiss to friends, and they both love them!I have provided a photo of "Peppermint" on my lips above.

First things first! What's in it?
Shea Butter - repairs and leaves lips feeling soft
Vitamin Complex - Aids in the prevention of oxidation of lip molecules and the restoration of damaged cells
Centella - this small, herbaceous Asian plant delivers plumpness and hydration while replenishing elasticity and stimulating natural production for a line-free look

What Maybelline Claims:
- renews lips to their natural condition in four weeks
- combines eight hours of hydration with an optional color tint
- available in two clear varieties and four tinted varieties
- clinically proven to provide comfort and relief to stressed, dry skin
- protects against UVA/UVB damage
- available at mass retailers for 3.99 USD

My experience:
I used Peach Kiss first because I bought it before I even got my BzzKit*, and I like the color and moisturization, but I dislike the scent/taste. The balm itself looks really good on my skin, and it seems to just add a little bit of shimmer to my lips more than color, and I found my lips felt really smooth and moisturized throughout the day. It smells peachy, but once it is on the lips it smells different and has an odd taste. Soft peach/nude type color with subtle shimmer

Peppermint: Perfect peppermint scent. It doesn't burn like other minty balms I've tried, and to be honest I normally hate peppermint anything, but this one is subtle and nice. It is one of the clear ones, so it only adds a glossy shine to the lips. I find this one to be the most moisturizing out of all the ones I have tried, and I would definitely call it a favorite. It applies more smoothly than the others, and it feels lighter while still moisturizing exceptionally well.

Quenched: This one feels heavy and has a weird taste. It's not supposed to have any tint or scent to it, and tint it lacks, but on the lips it has an odd taste. It moisturizes well, but I suppose I just don't like the lack of scent/flavor to the balm. It feels like it's missing something.

Pink Punch: SUPER pigmented. It's supposed to be a tinted balm, but I find it applies more like a gloss in color. It's a very bright, cool-toned pink, and while it does go onto the lips very sheer, I can see it being a disastrous color for some people. I like bright lip colors, and I don't find this one a problem on myself, so I like it. It simply should be known, however, that this one seems a little more than tinted. The scent is nice. It's very true to its name: fruity and punch-like. This one moisturizes very well.

Overall:
I found little difference in moisturization levels for each balm that I tried, but I definitely favor the Peppermint both for scent and moisturization. I do not understand what Maybelline means by claiming the balm "renews lips to their natural condition", and that's the only comment I have on that aspect of these balms. My lips haven't been sun burned since I've been using them, but I have never had an issue with my lips being sun burned or anything, and that's not something I'm going to test, so I'll trust that the SPF is there. As for eight hours of hydration, no. I would say Peppermint keeps my lips moisturized for the longest period of time, and that's about four and a half to five hours but certainly no more than that. Also, it must be noted that when I say it keeps my lips moisturized, I don't mean they feel glossy and like I just applied a balm. They feel hydrated, like I don't need to apply a balm. That's something I have difficulty finding in all lip balms regardless of price, but considering that these are really inexpensive, that's a huge, huge plus. My lips look and feel better with this balm, so I would recommend these to others.

*I did receive these products as part of a BzzCampaign from BzzAgent.