The lip balm junkie in me has started stocking up again, this time on balms with sunscreen for spring and summer. I bought a tube of Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45 in Vanilla Mint last year and liked it so I bought another one and its sister scent in Tropical this year. I won't use it in the house but it's a good one to use when I'm outdoors. It smells great and hydrates while protecting my lips from the sun's harmful rays.

Packaging

This balm comes carded and hanging in the lip balm aisle but also is sometimes in with the sunscreens and sun blocks. The card is bright yellow with mint green writing boldly proclaiming its SPF 45 rating.  The card also informs us that this balm is water resistant. The tube is a very typical cylindrical one (think Chapstick) with .14 ounce of product. It is primarily white with a pull off cap and a screw up from the bottom mechanism. The balm is a white-ish color but doesn't apply white on the lips. The vanilla mint scent is quite true to its name. I can smell both of these in the balm. The taste is not wonderful but it isn't awful either. It doesn't taste like vanilla or mint though. 

My Experience

I picked up both the Tropical and Vanilla Mint scents of Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45. I do like the Tropical scent better but the Vanilla Mint is a nice combo as well. The mint is very slightly tingly but nothing like other minty balms I have.

The balm is fairly thick and smooths on nicely. I was worried that it would make my lips look white but it didn't. If I apply very heavily, I will see a bit of white residue but that goes away with a bit of smoothing with my finger.

My lips feel hydrated and soft when they have this balm on them and they have a slight bit of sheen. The sunscreen is high which is good but it also almost forces the balm to taste kind of nasty. Sunscreen never tastes good, in my experience. The scent doesn't carry over to the flavor but the balm really tastes more like just an oily mixture and not too bitter or problematic. I just don't lick my lips when I am wearing this - or try not to.

Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45 Vanilla Mint last at least an hour to an hour and a half on my lips before beginning to fade. I keep a tube in my bag and reapply often when in the sun. We haven't had much sun yet this year but, when we do, I will reapply this balm often to protect my lips from wrinkling, drying, and burning.

I haven't had any issues with the sunscreen causing stinging or burning and it does appear that my lips are protected from the sun. I never really had a sunburn on my lips that I recall but constant exposure can't be healthy considering all of the cases of skin cancer being reported from people who sunbathe or otherwise are in the sun unprotected. Better safe than sorry!

This balm imparts no color and leaves lips looking natural but moist and just a touch shiny. I like it but wish it tasted better. i was hoping it tasted like vanilla and mint but it doesn't. Still, it's a good choice for superior sun protection.

Active Ingredients

This balm has three sun screens in it:

Avobenzone: 1%, Octocrylene: 10%, Oxybenzone: 6%

You can find a full list of ingredients on just about any website that sells it or on the actual packaging.

Buying Info 

You can purchase Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45 in Vanilla Mint and its sister scent, Tropical, at drugstores and mass-market stores on and offline. The price varies but it is about $3.00 or under per tube.

The Verdict

I like Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45. It isn't my favorite lip balm but the sun protection it gives me is great and it is water resistant so it hangs in there even after it feels it is fading away. I love the scent but wish the taste were better. I also like that my lips don't turn weirdly white when I use this balm. This is a good one to toss into a beach bag or to use whenever you're out in the sun for more than a few minutes. 4 stars

Recommended: Yes