9 Zero Waste Lip Balms For Your Plastic Free Puckering Up
Lip balm is lovely.
Lip balm in a plastic container? Ehh…not so much.
Plastic has all but taken over the beauty care aisles, and lip products are some of the worst offenders.
But since we’re zipping our lips to any single-use plastics, we started seeking zero waste lip balm alternatives here, too.
It may not seem like a game changer, but switching to a beauty brand that uses compostable or reusable lip balm packaging adds up.
In plain or tinted varieties, Tap Tap Organics‘ organic zero waste lip balm is filled with a simple list of entirely organic ingredients.
ATTITUDE makes some of the best zero waste lip balms for vegans – all sans beeswax.
For sustainable lip balm in nearly every rainbow color, Dab Herb is the pot of gold.
Head to the bottom of the article to see how we practiced sustainable smooching. Then pucker up and prepare to be wooed by these lip-smacking zero waste lip balm brands.
*This post contains affiliate links
QUICK LINKS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIP BALMS
1. ATTITUDE
ATTITUDE’s Coconut Zero Waste Lip Balms
For “kissably-soft lips,” ATTITUDE’s zero-waste vegan lip balms have you covered.
THE EWG-verified, plastic-free, vegan, and cruelty-free lip balm is available with or without SPF protection.
The SPF 15 Coconut Lip Balm features a biodegradable formula, sun protection against UVA and UVB rays, and non-nano zinc oxide to help reduce sunburn.
We love the ultra nourishing feeling of the plant and mineral ingredients combo, like coconut oil, castor oil, shea butter, and argan oil.
The non-SPF lip balm utilizes similar ingredients and is available in mint, coconut, watermelon, and unscented varieties.
Both are packaged in an innovative, plastic-free, FSC-certified biodegradable cardboard tube.
About ATTITUDE
Besides some of the best zero-waste lip balm and lipstick, ATTITUDE boasts a comprehensive catalog of products for beauty, home care, bath, and mom or baby needs.
Some of their products include palm oil, but ATTITUDE sources sustainable, RSPO-certified Mass Balance palm oil.
The Canadian brand is a member of PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies program and doesn’t text any products on animals.
All of the vegan products come from ethical factories, ensuring fair wages, comfortable working conditions, and zero forced child workers.
ATTITUDE also gives back—with every item you buy, they plant a tree with the help of organizations like One Tree Planted and Eden Reforestation.
Available: ATTITUDE
2. ECOROOTS
*Note: Most EcoRoots products (such as their sustainable lip balm) are palm oil free.
EcoRoots’ Natural Zero Waste Lip Balm USA
Pucker up for EcoRoots’ zero waste vegan lip balm.
Its combination of organic olive, coconut, jojoba, rosehip seed, and sunflower seed oils are designed to replenish chapped lips.
Instead of beeswax, vegan candelilla wax provides the shape and extends the longevity of the balm.
You can choose between an unscented natural or lightly tinted zero waste lip balm scented with lingonberry.
Both are free of synthetic fragrance, parabens phthalates, and gluten.
Though the same size as traditional chapstick tubes, these cardboard push tubes hold three times as much product.
About EcoRoots
Colorado’s EcoRoots has us feeling Rocky Mountain High about their selection of elevated home and beauty products.
In addition to selling a select line of ethical brands, EcoRoots creates an in-house collection (e.g. eco friendly laundry detergent) that is vegan, cruelty free, natural / organic, and packaged zero waste.
Most (lip balm included) are handmade in small batches in the USA and palm oil free, too.
This fellow 1% for the Planet member allocated their donations to Ocean Conservancy.
EcoRoots has featured in an article on zero waste face wash.
3. DAB HERB
Dab Herb’s Zero Waste Lip Balms
Dab Herb’s sustainable lip balm selection is sumptuous—Think: Lavender Vanilla to Hibiscus Grapefruit.
They also have food-grade lip toppers, tints, paints, and glosses for added shimmer and color, in oh-so-many colors.
You’ll find ingredients like hemp seed oil, avocado oil, and plant-based food pigments in all products.
Their zero waste lip balm containers typically consist of tin pots or glass containers, but they also use a recyclable metal tube for one of their lip balms.
About Dab Herb
Dab Herb was “founded on the basis of Nature to Nurture.” The brand combines a love of wellness and clean beauty with the intention to give.
In a world of chemical-ridden cosmetics, Dab Herb creates “medicinal makeup” by trading in harsh and toxic ingredients for natural, food-grade, organic, and vegan ingredients (just like their natural eyeshadow and zero waste mascara).
They’re invested in responsible sourcing and fair trade practices—which is why they don’t use palm oil and choose ethical mica in makeup that is mined and processed in the US.
To that end, they support the anti-human trafficking organization Made in the Free World.
They only use paper mailers and reuse materials from their suppliers for large orders. They also accept returned containers for reuse.
Available: Etsy
4. ETHIQUE
Ethique’s Zero Waste Lip Balm Cocoa Butter
“So good, you’ll never forget which jacket pocket you left it in,” Ethique’s eco friendly lip balms are described as “heavy-moisture-hitters”.
These cardboard push sticks balms combine fair trade, organic moringa oil and cocoa butter with vitamin e, jojoba oil, and castor oil to lock in moisture.
Several scents are available and each is certified cruelty free, vegan, and Orangutan Alliance palm oil free.
Ethique may not test on animals but they do test on plenty of people, 100% of which found them to soothe and soften dry lips.
They’ll also last about twice as long as standard lip balms, so arguably the most affordable plastic free lip balm around.
About Ethique
Ethique started in New Zealand, but they’re now a global ethical beauty brand.
Having gained fame from their then-innovative zero waste deodorant, shampoo, and conditioner bars, Ethique has been zero waste from day 1—though now they also use cardboard tubes for packaging.
As a Certified B Corp, Ethique lives up to its name.
The ingredients for their lips balms are sourced through fair, direct trade (meaning stable prices for suppliers) from predominantly women-owned sellers in Rwanda and Samoa.
They offset 120% of their emissions, donate 2% of all sales to animal rescues and rehab organizations, and plant a tree for every order.
Available: Ethique | Amazon | Holland & Barrett (UK)
5. TAP TAP ORGANICS
*Note: Their no plastic lip balm contains beeswax until Tap Tap Organics switches to a plant-based wax.
Tap Tap Organics’s Zero Waste Lip Balm Beeswax
Tap Tap Organics creates pocket-sized tins of organic zero waste lip balms that nourish, moisturize, and protect—just as sustainable skincare should.
Choose between vanilla and rose tinted, both subtly scented with organic essential oil. The latter can also be used to give a subtle tint to your cheeks.
Both contain organic or wild-harvested coconut oil, organic sunflower oil, organic cocoa butter, and organic beeswax.
While not vegan (yet—they are looking into plant-based replacements), these waste free lip balms are cruelty free.
About Tap Tap Organics
Costa Rican-based Tap Tap Organics takes the country’s motto of “Pura Vida” to new heights.
A pure life is exactly what they’re after….pure of parabens, petrolatum, plastic packaging, and inorganic ingredients.
In addition to zero waste lip balm, their zero waste skin care offerings include body butter and beauty oil. All are packaged in zero waste, returnable packaging.
Sourcing strictly organic or locally wild harvested (in the case of their coconut oil) ingredients before manufacturing in San Francisco, TTO keeps things small and controlled.
Supporting social equality beyond their supply chain, they donate to BLM and 5 Minute Foundation.
Available: Tap Tap Organics
6. RAINWATER BOTANICALS
Rainwater Botanicals’ Plastic Free Lip Balms
Rainwater Botanicals is one of the most popular Etsy beauty brands on the platform. They stick to mousturizing-basics with plain or tinted sustainable lip balms.
Whether you choose Anisette, Pink Grapefruit, or Iced Mocha, you’ll get natural ingredients like wild shea butter, organic castor oil, organic tamanu oil, essential oils, and mineral color.
All are waste free lip balms, as you’ll find the product is housed in a slide-lid tin container or compostable paperboard tube.
For winter spells, try their nourishing healing lip balms: Sweet Birch or Tangerine Grapefruit.
About Rainwater Botanicals
Rainwater Botanicals started with a simple healing salve and they’ve continued taking care of our bodies ever since.
From zero waste shampoo bars to smelling fine all the time à la sustainable perfumes, there isn’t much they don’t tend to.
RB’s products are all handmade and produced in small batches using local and/or organic ingredients.
They never test on animals (but rather test on themselves) and are a member of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
Available: Etsy
7. PLANT MAKEUP
Plant Makeup’s Zero Waste Lip Balm Beeswax
If cute and environmentally friendly lip balm is what you’re after, check out Plant Makeup’s plump range.
Like tinted Pink Puffy Cloud Shimmer Balm or Strawberry Dreamsicle Lip Balm Scrub.
Cute names aside, they’re serious about making quality natural zero waste lip balms out of real ingredients—like the strawberry lip tint featuring real organic strawberries.
Their zero waste lip balm packaging consists of compostable (and cute) paperboard tubes decorated with fun, flavor-related doodles.
Other options come in reusable tins or glass jars.
About Plant Makeup
Their name says it all. Plant Makeup produces eco friendly makeup and non-toxic perfume made with…plants.
Specifically, plant-based, local ingredients that are free of palm oil, GMOs, mineral mica tints, and oxides.
Plant Makeup queen Jess “discovered the language of plants in a medicinal herb greenhouse.” From there, her interests blossomed into a herbal tea shop and a line of beauty products and botanical fragrances.
Everything is cruelty-free and packaged plastic-free in upcycled, recycled, and compostable materials.
Available: Etsy
8. TRAIL BOTANICA
Trail Botanica’s Zero Waste Lip Balm with SPF
If you spend a lot of time outside, your lips probably need extra TLC.
“Adventure Skincare” expert Trail Botanica can hike to your rescue with three environmentally friendly lip balms.
Both the Epic and Herbal Warrior varieties obtain olive fruit wax, jojoba oil, and sunflower wax, combined with various other unique herbal extracts and oils.
The lemon-scented Skinny Dipper adds Illipe butter, which has a high fatty acid content and vitamin profile, making this ideal for severely chapped lips.
All ingredients are organic and some contain naturally sun-protective properties, making them zero waste lip balm with SPF but no minerals.
The zero waste lip balm packaging consists of a cardboard tube.
About Trail Botanica
From zero waste sunscreen to zero waste deodorant, Pennsylvania-based Apothecary Muse covers the outdoor enthusiast complete skincare needs.
This means bug balm, muscle salves, and more—all of which are vegan, cruelty free, palm oil free, and filled with ethically-sourced, (mostly) organic ingredients.
This female-founded brand is also zero waste, packaging products in tins, cardboard tubes, or plantable wildflower seed paper.
If you live in Pittsburg, founder Eren might even deliver your zero waste lip balm with SPF right to your door by bicycle.
Available: Etsy
9. BE. UNITY
Be. UNITY’s Zero Waste Lip Balm Australia
Designed for long-lasting wear and deep moisturization, Be. UNITY’s coconut zero waste lip balm
They’re available in several scents but all contain the same basic zero waste lip balm recipe.
Organic coconut oil avocado oil moisturizes while vegan candelilla wax protects from further damage and exposure.
Their zero plastic lip balm is handmade in Australia without synthetics, dyes, fillers, or otherwise “complicated ingredients”.
With a paper label and cardboard tube housing, the packaging is compostable.
About Be. UNITY
Be. UNITY is the in-house brand of personal care products created by zero waste online store Biome.
This Australian website puts in the “e” in “ethical shopping” by stocking the best sustainable brands.
Their Be. UNITY line—which offers things like cosmetics and palm oil free shampoo—is entirely natural, vegan, cruelty free, palm oil free, and plastic free.
Biome is also woman-founded, a Certified B Corp, and verified Net Zero.
Available: Biome
HOW WE FOUND THE BEST ZERO WASTE LIP BALM
While zero waste lip balm DIY style is usually the most eco friendly lip balm option, we know not everyone has time for that.
That’s why we welcome these zero waste lip balm brands that are stepping up to the kissing booth.
Essentially, our list of zero waste lip balm brands (and to an extent our eco-friendly lipstick brands list too) was based on the following sustainable beauty criteria:
- Non-toxic: We want to see none of the ingredients to avoid in skincare in that natural lip balm recipe.
- Cruelty free
- Vegan: We sometimes make exceptions to the vegan rule for things like beeswax, honey, and goat milk, so long as it’s sourced in an ethical way.
- Palm oil free: Or certified sustainably sourced (such as RSPO)
- Ethical ingredient sourcing policies – this requires supply chain transparency and ideally third-party sourcing certifications (like Fair Trade) so we know there’s no greenwashing.
- Thoughtful packaging – In the case of zero waste, that means compostable, reusable, or refillable.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON PLASTIC FREE LIP BALMS
Now pucker up, darling, because it’s time to smooch and save the planet, one zero waste lip balm at a time.
A plastic free lip balm tube might not seem like a big deal but with more than seven billion people on the planet, it can mean a world of difference.
It’s a good reminder that embracing even the smallest zero waste tip can end up having a big impact.
Help keep your loved ones’ lips looking sustainably supple by passing the eco-chapstick—AKA sharing this list of the best zero waste lip balm brands.
Hello – we’d love to be included in your next write up! My company, Stoked Goods, makes an organic lip and face balm which is made in a biodegradable tube!
Let us know your thoughts and thanks for spreading the good word about non-plastic lip balms!
Best,
Peter
Co-founder