Noya lip balms

Left to right: Noya lip balm in Spearmint and Vanilla

According to Noya, their lip balms are “a kosher, all-natural formula that’s good inside and out, hydrates and conditions lips, and comes in four fun flavors that might fill you with the curious urge to take a bite out of your lip balm.” The four flavors are classic, which is unscented and unflavored; cherry; spearmint; and vanilla, the latter two of which I was provided for review.

Noya claims all their lip balms only include four to six ingredients, and that’s true for both vanilla—which has the five ingredients coconut oil, beeswax, olive oil, natural flavor, and organic stevia—and spearmint—which has the six ingredients coconut oil, beeswax, olive oil, spearmint oil, menthol, and organic stevia. They’re both all-natural, preservative-free, and not tested on animals, and come in a fairly typical white plastic tube. The similarities also continue to their appearance and consistency: Both balms are a yellowish color, like original ChapStick, and go on totally sheer, with a very slight shine.

Ultimately, these are fairly basic lip balms—but simplicity is one of the hardest things to do successfully. Noya gets it just right, though, and I found that both Spearmint and Vanilla, true to their claim, really smooth and soften. My lips get incredibly chapped as the weather starts changing, but I really liked the fragrance and consistency of the balm. The Spearmint has a refreshing and invigorating odor and on-lip sensation, and although it certainly has a spearmint flavor, I didn’t think it was too aggressive; more like a long-lasting stick of gum. I wasn’t as keen on the Vanilla—it has a very sweet odor and flavor, like a cookie or cupcake frosting, that I found a little much—but I didn’t have any problems with the texture or smoothing effect. These both worked great for me—not too heavy, not too slick. Instead, these felt simultaneously but like they were staying in place on my mouth, instead of slipping and sliding outside of my lipline.

Overall, these balms lasted for about two hours on me before I needed to reapply, so if these became your go-to balm (and for me, they very well might), I could see a tube getting used up in about two months or so. At $4 a tube, Noya is a bit more expensive than your typical drugstore options, but given how great these feel on my lips, I don’t see any problem in dropping an extra dollar or two. Having an all-natural lip balm like this is a great option for vegan and vegetarian makeup-lovers, and I think that’s a solid step forward for the industry.

VERDICT: A.

AVAILABILITY: $3.99 for each 0.15 oz. tube of Noya lip balm; available at NoyaBeauty.com.  Shipping is $3.99 for orders that are less than $10 and free for orders that are more than $10, so you might as well buy a couple for yourself and a couple as stocking stuffers for the holidays to take advantage of the free shipping offer. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

EDITORIAL NOTE: The products featured in this post were provided to Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog by the manufacturer or their public relations company for review. Chesapeake Family’s About Face blog posts are inspired by personal experience and opinion, and are not paid for or influenced by the manufacturer, PR company, or any other organization unless mentioned.

Photos by Roxana Hadadi.

In middle school, Roxana Hadadi was a cosmetics-scorning tomboy; in high school, a glitter eye shadow- and black nail polish-loving trend kid; in college, obsessively committed to dying her hair unruly colors that upset her mom. Now a bit older and a bit more mature, she’s trying to figure out what hair, body and cosmetics products will work for her, you and your family in About Face, Chesapeake Family’s new beauty blog — and she’ll leave the sparkle makeup and neon highlights in the past. Roxana also writes movie reviews for Chesapeake Family’s Popcorn Parents blog.