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Reviews > Health & Safety > Sunscreens and Skin Protection > Green Beaver Certified Organic lip balm > Owner Review by Andrea Murland

Green Beaver Certified Organic SPF 15 Lip Balm
Owner Review by Andrea Murland
November 28, 2013

Tester Information

Name: Andrea Murland
Email: amurland AT shaw DOT ca
Age: 28
Location: Elkford & Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Weight: 130 lb (59 kg)

I began hiking frequently in 2006 and have since hiked in Western Canada, Australia, and spent 2 months backpacking in the Alps. I spend most weekends either day-hiking or on 2-3 day backpacking trips, with some longer trips when I can manage them. I also snowshoe and ski in the winter, but don’t have a lot of experience with winter in the backcountry yet. Elevation is typically 500-3,000 m (1,600-10,000 ft), in the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirk, Purcell, and Monashee ranges. I try for a light pack, but I don’t consider myself a lightweight backpacker.

Image Courtesy of Green Beaver
Green Beaver SPR 15 Lip Balm

Product Information

Manufacturer: Green Beaver
Manufacturer's URL: www.greenbeaver.com
Year of Manufacture: 2013
Model: Certified Organic SPF 15 Lip Balm
MSRP: CAD 7.69
Listed Weight: None
Measured Weight: 10 g (0.35 oz)


Ingredients (from manufacturer):
Active Ingredient (W/W): Zinc Oxide 11%
Non-Medicinal Ingredients: Castor Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Isostearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Candelilla Wax, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Carnauba Wax, Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower Seed Wax/ Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Esters, Sorbitan Olivate, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Aqua (Water), d-alpha Tocopheryl acetate

Description

The Green Beaver SPF 15 Lip Balm is an organic lip balm with sun protection. The sun protection is provided by the active ingredient, which is 11% (w/w) Zinc Oxide. The manufacturer specifies that the lip balm is certified organic and approved by Health Canada. They also say that it is non-whitening, waterproof, fragrance-free, non-nano (that’s referring to the zinc particles), and non-silicone coated. In addition, the packaging indicates that it’s gluten-free, vegan, and biodegradable. Whew!

Field Conditions

I purchased my first tube of Green Beaver SPF 15 Lip Balm in the winter of 2013 and it has become my go-to outdoor lip balm since then. It got used on about 5 days of backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, including one overnight ski, before I took it on a week-long hut-based skiing trip in early May. After that trip, I continued to use it throughout the spring and summer on all of my hiking trips, and I have a tube that lives in my Search & Rescue pack full-time. In total, I have used this lip balm on about 25 days of outdoor activity.

Review

Performance:
The Green Beaver SPF 15 Lip Balm does a good job of keeping my lips moist. I have a bad habit of chewing on them if they’re dry and chapped, and if I consistently use this lip balm when I’m outside, that doesn’t happen. I breathe through my mouth when I’m huffing and puffing up a mountain, which contributes to dryness. I usually find that I re-apply the lip balm about once an hour on a long hike, which coincides with a water/nose blowing/catch breath break.

The sun protection performance of the lip balm got a big test on my week-long ski trip last spring. It was sunny and just above freezing, and we were hiking on snow and glaciers, so sun protection was a big deal! I was the only one of 14 people to not have sunburnt lips on that trip. I also used it to try and protect the inside of my nose. The sun reflecting up off the snow gave me a burn inside my nostrils, despite my attempts. In general, I was applying the lip balm to my lips, the area between my lips and nose, and the bottom of my nose about every 20 minutes. The problem with my nose was that I’d apply it, my nose would run, and then I’d wipe my nose…wiping off all of the lip balm. I can’t really fault Green Beaver for a product that’s not designed for use inside my nose though!

No sunburt lips here! (in the helicopter on the way out from skiing)
Green Beaver SPR 15 Lip Balm

Texture, Taste, Smell, Cosmetics, etc.:
The lip balm has no noticeable taste, and no real smell either, as advertised. The texture I find to be slightly gritty when applied, but that quickly goes away once on the lips. The balm is quite thick. Also as advertised, I never noticed any white streaks or white residue from the lip balm.

Melted!I first used the lip balm in the winter & spring, and it was thick but a good texture. I was so happy with it that a tube of the lip balm gained a place in the hip pocket of my Search & Rescue pack. Unfortunately, this pack never leaves my car, and it spent the summer baking in there. It obviously melted at some point, as I now have a deformed mass of lip balm (that still works great, it’s just a bit messier). Using another tube of the balm in the summer, I found that while hiking in warm temperatures the lip balm was slightly less thick than in the winter, but a good consistency for spreading.

Summary

The Green Beaver SPF 15 Lip Balm is an organic sun-protecting lip balm that has earned a place in my pocket due to its function and also for being fragrance and taste free.

Thumbs Up:
Good sun protection
Keeps lips moist
No fragrance or taste
No white streaks

Thumbs Down:
Slightly gritty texture when first applied
Melted in the summer…my own fault!



Read more reviews of Green Beaver gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrea Murland

Reviews > Health & Safety > Sunscreens and Skin Protection > Green Beaver Certified Organic lip balm > Owner Review by Andrea Murland



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