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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm versus Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 .

Last updated on July 14, 2023. Published on March 08, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both lip moisturizers. They have a total of 10 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain SPF

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin and sensitive skin

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances and oils

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Lip Moisturizer German Brand Germany
Lip Moisturizer German Brand Germany

Lip Moisturizer

Lip moisturizers help add moisture to the lips. They may come in the form of balms, gloss, scrubs, or oils.

Lip Moisturizer

Lip moisturizers help add moisture to the lips. They may come in the form of balms, gloss, scrubs, or oils.

Price

Shop

Buy Smoothness Lip Balm

Starts at $3.49
Shop

Buy Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Starts at $3.99

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
spf rating
30

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Chemical UV Filter

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Brightening

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (4)
Acne Trigger (2)
Rosacea
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

Chemical UV Filter (5)
Vitamin E

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Reduces Irritation
Brightening (2)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (4)
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: UV Absorber, UV Filter
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Octocrylene protects skin from sun damage. It absorbs UV-B with peak absorption of 304 nm. It is a common sunscreen ingredient and often paired with avobenzone, a UVA filter. This is because octocrylene stabilizes other sunscreen ingredients by protecting them from degradation when exposed to sunlight. Octocrylene is a photostable ingredient and loses about 10% of SPF in 95 minutes.

Octocrylene also acts as an emollient, meaning it helps skin retain moisture and softens skin. It is oil-soluble and hydrophobic, enhancing water-resistant properties in a product.

Those who are using ketoprofen, a topical anti-inflammatory drug, may experience an allergic reaction when using octocrylene. It is best to speak with a healthcare professional about using sunscreens with octocrylene.

The EU allows a maximum of these concentrations:

Learn more about Octocrylene

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 1.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 5.

2
What it does: Emollient, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Octyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol. It is primarily used to enhance the texture of products.

As an emulsifier, Octyldodecanol helps prevent the oils and waters from separating. It also prevents ingredients from creating foam when shaken.

Octyldodecanol is created by reducing fatty acid to an alcohol.

Due to its high molecular weight, it does not get absorbed into the skin.

Learn more about Octyldodecanol

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 2.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 8.

3
What it does: Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Mixed

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.

Within a product, Caprylic Triglyceride can thicken the product and make spreadability easier by dissolving clumping compounds. An added benefit of Caprylic Triglyceride is its antioxidant properties.

Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Caprylic Triglyceride has not been found to be toxic for human use in concentrations under 50%.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this.

Learn more about Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 4.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 11.

4
What it does: Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Disliked

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil is the INCI name for castor oil.

Castor Oil helps moisturize the skin. It is rich in a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. This fatty acid helps prevent moisture loss on the skin. This helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. Ricinoleic acid also has anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties.

Besides hydrating the skin, castor oil is also used to hydrate hair. By keeping the hair shaft moisturized, breakage is decreased. More studies are needed to show castor oil's effective on stimulating hair growth.

Castor oil is created by cold-pressing castor seeds and then purifying the oil with heat. It was used in Ancient Egypt as fuel in lamps and to help treat eye irritation.

The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.

Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 5.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 10.

5
What it does: Emulsifying
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate is an emulsifer and emollient. It comes from Isostearic Acid and Polyglycerin-3.

As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize products by preventing oils and water from separating.

This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 8.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 14.

6
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 9.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 13.

7
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 10.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 9.

8
What it does: Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter is a plant lipid from the fruit of the Shea Tree. It is an effective skin hydrator and emollient.

Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. It does this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.

Shea butter is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may harm the body. It is also full of fatty acids including stearic acid and linoleic acid. These acids help replenish the skin and keep skin moisturized.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

Shea butter may not be fungal acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 13.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 15.

9
What it does: Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for C20-40 Alkyl Stearate.

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 16.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 19.

10
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising, Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Beeswax is natural wax produced by honey bees and can be synthetically created. It consists mainly of fatty acid esters and long-chain alcohols.

In cosmetics, beeswax is a emollient. Due to its waxy structure, it creates a protective barrier. This barrier prevents water from evaporating off the skin.

This may not be a good ingredient for oily skin. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.

Beeswax cannot be removed with water, but can be taken off with an oil cleanser.

Beeswax is also antiseptic and contains vitamin A.

Learn more about Beeswax

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm contains this as ingredient number 17.

Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 contains this as ingredient number 18.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

22% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
67% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet
18% are loved or liked
5% have mixed ratings
64% are disliked or very disliked
14% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Nivea Smoothness Lip Balm 18 ingredients

Smoothness Lip Balm hasn't been rated yet.
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Aquaphor Lip Repair + Protect Broad Spectrum SPF 30 22 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 2 ratings

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