At first glance, Sebamed Lip Defense SPF 30 is the perfect lip balm for every season and climate.
In winter, it protects you from chapped lips.
In summer, it keeps your lips safe from UV harm.
That’s what it promises anyway. Can it really deliver? Let’s find out:
What’s In Sebamed Lip Defense SPF 30?
CASTOR OIL TO MOISTURISE LIPS
The formula is pretty standard. The base is made of waxes that give the lip balm its shape – WITHOUT the stickiness.
The key ingredient is Castor Oil. This oil is made of 90% ricinoleic acid, a powerful moisturizer with skin soothing properties. It keeps lips soft and kissable, treats rough patches, and calms down inflammations.
It’s not groundbreaking, but why reinvent the wheel if it works?
P.S. Sebamed claims it also provides “intensive care with Jojoba Oil.” But, there’s barely a drop of that here.
Struggling to care for your dry skin? Download the “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” cheatsheet below. It feature product recommendations + the right application order:
UV FILTERS TO PROTECT SKIN FROM UV RAYS
After dryness, the main danger that threatens your lips is sun damage. This lip balm has a SPF 30 that helps you prevent a lot of that. Here’s how:
- Isoamyl p-Methoxycinnamate: Belonging to the new generation of chemical sunscreens, it protects from UVB rays without irritating skin. It’s available in Europe, but not in the US (the FDA takes sooo long to approve new UV filters).
- Ethylhexyl Salicylate: A weak UVB filter that helps its colleagues enhance sun protection.
- Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane: A.k.a. avobenzone, an UVA filter that’s very unstable (i.e. stops working quickly when exposed to light) on its own. It’s absorbed by the body (and expelled quickly through urine), so it’s not recommended during pregnancy.
I don’t doubt this lip balm has SPF 30. But SPF only measures how well it protects you from UVB rays. While this lip balm also has a UVA filter, it’s so far down the ingredient list, I wonder if it can really provide adequate broad spectrum protection…
Still, so few lip balms come with SPF at all. You know what they say: even a little sun protection is better than no sun protection at all.
Related: Is Avobenzone In Sunscreen Really As Dangerous As They Say?
Texture
Smooth. Waxy. Glides easily on the lips.
Fragrance
Waxy. Subtle.
How To Use It
Apply on your lips in the morning. Reapply frequently to top up sun protection.
Performance & Personal Opinion
Sebamed Lip Defense SPF 30 has a waxy textures that dries to a nice sheen, but never fully absorbs. You always feel like you have a thin layer on your lips – a total dealbreaker for some people.
I’m not one of those people. If it works, I’ll put up with it. Does it work? It’s definitely moisturising. It leaves my lips softer and smoother for a few hours.
Unlike most lip balms, I don’t feel like I need to reapply this every couple of hours. But if my lips were chapped, I might. Because used twice a day, it’s not moisturising enough for very dry lips. But used a few times a day, it can help your chapped lips heal faster.
For me, this is more of a spring lip balm. It takes too long to heal chapped lips with it in winter and I’m not convinced it provides adequate protection from UVA rays on scorching summer days. But for the fall and spring season, its sun protection is better than no protection at all.
The lip balm doesn’t taste like anything. A plus for me. If it did, I’d be eating it up… and then complain it does nothing for me.
Who Is This For?
If your lips are in good condition, and you need something to keep them way that also has some added SPF, you’ll like this.
Who Is This NOT For?
If you have very dry, chapped lips, this may not be moisturising enough for you.
Packaging
A simple, white twist-up tube. It’s practical and you can easily carry it around with you everywhere.
Does Sebamed Lip Defense SPF 30 Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| Defending against the irritating, drying effects of environmental influences and UV rays, it leaves lips soft and tender. | It’s true, to an extent. It protects from them, but not completely. |
| Regenerates dry and chapped lips quickly and effectively, alleviating irritation by care formula with Vitamin E and Bisabolol. | It helps with regular use, but it does NOT do this quickly. |
| Nurtures delicate lips with nourishing plant oils and protects them from dehydration. | True. |
| Defends the tender lip tissue with UVA and UVB filters against sun burn and its consequences. | True, but I’m not sure it provides adequate protection from UVA rays. |
Price & Availability
£2.99 at Sebamed
Do You Need It?
If you’re looking for a cheap lip balm to keep your lips in good condition, you’ll like this.
Dupes & Alternatives
- CeraVe Healing Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 30Â ($4.97)
- Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm Shea Butter & Vitamin E SPF 25 ($8.00)
Ingredients
Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Cera alba, Isoamyl p-Methoxycinnamate, Ricinus communis seed oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Oryza sativa bran wax, Simmondsia chinensis seed oil, Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Bisabolol, Parfum.
