When lip balm alone doesn’t cut it, and your lips can use a little extra help, it’s time to invest in a lip scrub. Are you looking for a lip scrub that isn’t tested on animals? You’ve come to the right place. Below you find the 12 best cruelty-free lip scrubs that are on the market right now.
Why Lip Scrub?
Just like with the skin on our face and body, our lips will benefit from exfoliation too. Lip scrubs buff away excess dead skin cells and reveal the new. Especially when your lips are chapped and scaly, a two-weekly lip scrub is key to achieve smooth flake-free lips.
Lip scrub not only keeps your lips from getting chapped, exfoliated lips allows lip balm to penetrate deeper into the skin, making it work better.
Another perk of lip scrub? With exfoliated lips, lipstick will look smoother and stay on for longer.
Ahead, the 12 best cruelty-free lip scrubs for your softest lips ever.
Vegan Lip Scrub
In the beauty industry, ‘cruelty-free’ refers to animal testing. If you’re in the market for a cruelty-free and vegan lip scrub this list offers you 7 options.
12 Best Cruelty-Free Lip Scrubs
- Best Overall: Sara Happ – The Lip Scrub VEGAN
- Drugstore: E.l.f. – Lip Exfoliator VEGAN
- Best Gentle Lip Scrub: Buxom – Power-full Lip Scrub
- Another Gentle Lip Scrub: Burt’s Bees – Conditioning Lip Scrub
- Best Cruelty-Free + Vegan Lip Scrub: Bite Beauty – Agave+ Weekly Vegan Lip Scrub VEGAN
- Lip Scrub and Balm In One: MILK makeup – KUSH Lip Scrub VEGAN
- Best Overnight Lip Scrub: ILIA – Balmy Nights
- Natural Lip Scrub: French Girl – Rose Lip Polish Scrub VEGAN
- Best Multi-Tasker: Lanolips – Lemonaid Scrubba-Balm
- Rose Scented: Milani – Rose Sugar Lip Scrub VEGAN
- Clean Formula: Kopari – Exfoliating Lip Scrub VEGAN
- Best Minty Flavored: Tarte – Pout Prep Lip Exfoliant
The Best Cruelty-Free Lip Scrubs To Smooth Dry Chapped Lips
All products featured on beauty.beyond.cruelty are independently selected. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission (at no additional cost to you). See our affiliate disclosure for more information.
Price Guide
$ = 10 usd and under
$$ = 20 usd and under
$$$ = 30 usd and under
1/12
Best Overall:
Sara Happ – The Lip Scrub | Pink Grapefruit
Shop at Amazon | $$
This highly rated lip scrub is the brand’s bestselling product for a reason.
Along with brown sugar, it contains hydrating jojoba oil and moisture-trapping petrolatum, to leave lips polished and soothed. Available in 4 “flavors”, of which Pink Grapefruit is the original one.
Key Ingredients: sugar, petrolatum, jojoba oil, grape seed oil | Scent: grapefruit | Cruelty-Free: yes, Sara Happ is a PETA-certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, this is a vegan product | Free of: paraben, sulfates, gluten, animal (by)products | Packaging: plastic
2/12
Best Drugstore:
E.l.f. – Lip Exfoliator | Brown Sugar
Shop at Amazon | $
This sugar scrub removes dry chapped skin while simultaneously nourishing lips with ingredients such as shea butter, jojoba oil and avocado oil.
Made in lipstick form, it makes scrubbing your lips easy and way less messy since you don’t have to use your fingers. Best part? It only costs $4.
Good to know: there are 3 more “flavors”: coconut, sweet cherry and mint maniac.
Key Ingredients: brown sugar, grape seed oil, avocado oil, shea butter | Scent: sugary | Cruelty-Free: yes, E.l.f. is a PETA-certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, E.l.f. is a vegan brand | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, animal (by)products | Packaging: plastic
3/12
Best Gentle Lip Scrub:
Buxom – Power-full Lip Scrub
Shop at Amazon | $$
Buxom’s sugar-infused lip scrub gently smooths out dry winter lips without being harsh. It lifts off lip flakes while mango seed butter and papaya seed oil help condition your lips.
The dragonfruit scent and the convenient stick shape are just bonuses.
Key Ingredients: sugar, beeswax, mango seed butter, papaya seed oil | Scent: dragonfruit | Cruelty-Free: yes, Buxom is a cruelty-free brand. That said, Buxom is owned by Shiseido, which isn’t a cruelty-free company | Vegan: no | Free of: paraben, petroleum, mineral oil | Packaging: plastic
4/12
Another Gentle Lip Scrub:
Burt’s Bees – Conditioning Lip Scrub
Shop at Amazon | $
If you’re in need of a very gentle lip exfoliant that still gets the job done, reach for Burt’s Bees, which relies on honey crystals instead of sugar to slough away dead skin.
At the same time beeswax oil is making sure your lips are left soft and conditioned.
The 100% natural formula has the best honey-sweet scent.
Key Ingredients: honey, castor seed oil, lanolin | Scent: honey | Cruelty-Free: yes, Burt’s Bees is a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: no | Free of: paraben, sulfates | Packaging: plastic
5/12
Best Cruelty-Free + Vegan Lip Scrub:
Bite Beauty – Agave+ Weekly Lip Scrub
Shop at Amazon | $$$
This award-winning vanilla-flavored lip scrub is made with golden sugar and papaya enzymes to effectively remove dead skin without being abrasive, while agave and plant-based squalane are making sure your lips are left baby-soft. Plus, it comes with a little spatula so you don’t need to get in with your fingers.
Key Ingredients: golden sugar, plant-based squalane, papaya enzymes, agave nectar | Scent: vanilla | Cruelty-Free: yes, Bite Beauty is a cruelty-free brand, however Bite Beauty is owned by Kendo and LVMH, which aren’t cruelty-free | Vegan: yes, Bite Beauty is a vegan brand | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, gluten, animal (by)products | Packaging: glass + plastic
6/12
Best Cruelty-Free Lip Scrub and Balm In One:
MILK makeup – KUSH Lip Scrub
Shop at Amazon | $$$
If you’re looking for lip scrub and balm in one, this one is for you.
Housed in a convenient twist-up bullet the leave-on exfoliant makes buffing lips as quick and easy as it gets. Milk combined fine sugar and hemp stem powder to give your lips a gentle scrub. Whereas with most lip scrubs, you need to apply lip balm after, this cannabis- and jojoba oil formula keeps your lips hydrated all day long.
Key Ingredients: sugar, hemp stem powder, castor seed oil, cannabis oil, jojoba oil | Scent: mint | Cruelty-Free: yes | Vegan: yes | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, gluten, animal (by)products | Packaging: metal
7/12
Best Overnight Lip Scrub:
ILIA – Balmy Nights
Shop at Amazon | $$$
This overnight lip scrub is made with volcanic stone powder as its exfoliant agent, unlike many lip scrubs that use sugar. The tiny particles make for a super gentle exfoliation while you sleep. Wipe away in the morning and say hello soft lips. Bonus points for the handy stick packaging and clean ingredients.
Key Ingredients: sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, volcanic stone powder, jojoba seed powder, shea butter | Scent: earthy | Cruelty-Free: yes, ILIA is a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: no, this lip scrub contains beeswax | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, petroleum, mineral oil, gluten | Packaging: recyclable plastic
8/12
Best Natural Lip Scrub:
French Girl – Rose Lip Polish Scrub
Shop at Amazon | $$
Containing only natural and plant-based ingredients, this gentle lip scrub you could actually eat. It’s made with the exfoliating powers of sugar along with always-moisturizing cocoa- and shea butter and coconut oil. The scent is a mix of rose and mint.
Key Ingredients: sugar, shea butter, coconut oil, cacao seed butter | Scent: rose + mint | Cruelty-Free: yes, French Girl is a brand that does not test on animals | Vegan: yes, French Girl is a vegan brand | Free of: paraben, sulfates, silicones, gluten, animal (by)products | Packaging: glass + plastic
9/12
Best Multi-Tasker:
Lanolips – Lemonaid Scrubba-Balm
Shop at Lanolips | $$
It only takes a few swipes of this tube-sized exfoliator/balm hybrid to keep chapped lips at bay. At work are extra-fine sugar crystals, lemon oil and orange peel to gently buff away dead skin, while hydrating lanolil balm leaves lips soft and protected.
Key Ingredients: lanolin, orange peel powder, castor seed oil, beeswax | Scent: lemon popsicles | Cruelty-Free: yes, Lanolips is a cruelty-free brand | Vegan: no | Free of: paraben | Packaging: plastic
10/12
Best Cruelty-Free Lip Scrub That Smells Like Roses:
Milani – Rose Sugar Lip Scrub
Shop at Amazon | $$
If you don’t mind going in with your fingers, you can’t go wrong with Milani’s Rose Sugar Lip Scrub. The rosy- scented formula removes flakes with its sugar crystals and keeps lips hydrated with rosehip oil, argan oil and coconut oil.
Key Ingredients: sugar, rosehip oil, argan oil, coconut oil | Scent: roses | Cruelty-Free: yes, Milani is a PETA-certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, this product is vegan | Free of: paraben, animal (by)products | Packaging: plastic
11/12
Best Clean Formula:
Kopari – Exfoliating Lip Scrub
Shop at Kopari | $$
Kopari combines volcanic sand with brown sugar and coconut shells to gently remove dry chapped skin, while coconut oil restores moisture and leave lips butter soft and perfectly primed. We love the clean formula and natural vanilla flavor.
Key Ingredients: sugar, volcanic sand, coconut oil, shea butter | Scent: vanilla | Cruelty-Free: yes, Kopari is a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes this is a vegan product | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, silicones, fragrance, animal (by)products | Packaging: recyclable plastic
12/12
Best Minty Flavored:
Tarte – Pout Prep Lip Exfoliant
Shop at Amazon | $$$
If you like your lips minty, then this is the perfect lip scrub for you.
With micro-fine bits of sugar, Tarte’s lip scrub brushes off dead skin while delivering a nourishing mix of maracuja, shea butter and vitamin E (to name a few). Plus, it comes with an applicator so there’s no need to get your nails dirty.
Key Ingredients: sugar, sunflower seed oil, maracuja, shea butter | Scent: mint | Cruelty-Free: yes, Tarte is cruelty-free, but they are owned by Kose, a company that does test on animals | Vegan: no | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, gluten | Packaging: plastic
FAQ
How To Apply Lip Balm?
- Start with clean, makeup-free lips
- Apply the lip scrub and gently buff in circular motions
- Wipe or rinse off (unless you use a leave-on lip scrub)
- Follow with your favorite lip balm to seal and lock in moisture
How Often Should I Apply Lip Balm?
It depends on how dry and chapped your lips are as well as on how abrassive the lip scrub is you use. Generally speaking, a lip scrub would be good to use once or twice a week.
6 Other Things To Heal Dry Chapped Lips
Besides using a lip scrub and balm or mask, there are a few other things you can do to sooth and prevent lips from chapping.
- Stay hydrated and drink loads of water
- Don’t bite or pick your lips
- Don’t lick your lips (this may feel like temporary relief, but it actually causes more dryness)
- Use a humidifier in your home to moisten the air
- Breath through your nose
- Wear a lip balm with SPF when you’re out in the sun
How Did We Selected The 12 Best Cruelty-Free Lip Scrubs?
We’ve selected the cruelty-free lip scrubs in this article after a lot of review and ingredients research and testing. We at Beauty.Beyond.Cruelty are constantly searching for the best cruelty-free beauty products, so you don’t have to. We make it a 100% sure that all the products on our site are cruelty-free, meaning that they are never tested on animals, not during the production nor beyond. They also aren’t sold in China, where animal testing on imported cosmetics is required by law. If a brand is owned by a company that does test on animals, we will always mention this in the product description.
What Is The Difference Between Vegan And Cruelty-Free?
Cruelty-free means a product and its ingredients haven’t been tested on animals. Vegan means a product doesn’t contain animal-derived ingredients. A product can be cruelty-free and not vegan as well a product can be vegan and not cruelty-free.
