If you don’t use an SPF lip balm, you probably should

You’re killing it on the wear-sunscreen-on-your-face-everyday front (we feel like proud parents), but there’s one thing you’re probably forgetting to protect – your lips. Are you applying SPF on these guys, too? Did we hear a ‘no’? Shame on you. Only kidding, it’s easy to forget. But we’re not going to let you off easy – because it is actually super important to start slathering SPF on your lips.

“Lips can get a sunburn, too. Our lips have a thinner top layer of skin (epidermis), and less melanin (our bodies’ natural protective colouring) than the rest of our skin. So UV can penetrate deeper,” says clinical researcher Hannah English. The skin on our lips is particularly sensitive, and like the skin on our bodies, it is also susceptible to hyperpigmentation and skin cancers, which makes a SPF lip balm crucial to anyone concerned about sun protection (read: everyone).

Not only this, but not protecting your lips basically speeds up the whole ageing process around this area. “UV exposure contributes to the breakdown of structural proteins like collagen and elastin, so lip lines begin to appear more prominent and volume can be lost as we age. Because we move our mouths all the time, talking and eating, the area is quite prone to lines anyway. Elastin is what helps our skin bounce back, and lines begin to appear as it degrades,” explains English.

The good news is that protecting your lips is pretty simple. You don’t have to walk around with zinc plastered all over your lips à la Shane Warne, you just need to apply a quality SPF lip balm every couple of hours. “Wearing an SPF lip balm will keep lips looking fuller for longer,” says English. “It has been found to help prevent cold sores, too, if you’re prone.”

Wondering what kind of SPF lip balm is best? English says, “Honestly, the most important thing is to find one that’s comfortable, SPF 30 or above, and that you will use regularly. If it’s marketed in Australia, then it’s met our strict (but fantastic) regulatory requirements. I found a small study that suggested women who apply lip sunscreen more than once per day had half the risk of lip cancer compared to women who apply once per day or less. So, it’s easy to reduce your risk!”

Put one of these in your bag, desk, pocket, car, vanity and bedside table. Obsess over them. Love them. Collect them. Your lips will thank you for it.