Green People Cool Lips
£2.99 for 10ml from www.greenpeople.co.uk
Our favourite. Goes on easily and stays on. A fresh minty taste courtesy of fairly traded peppermint oil. And it does more than just soften. It is mildly antiseptic, contains SPF8 and works over lipstick giving a subtle gloss effect. Also available in ‘No scent’.

Boots Botanics Organic Lip Balm
£3.99 for 10ml from Boots stores
Contains only four ingredients, all of which are natural and only five per cent is not organic (we’re guessing it’s the lanolin which also rules it out for vegans). The shea butter does a good job of moisturising and it lasts well. It is very thick though so coaxing it out of the squeezy tube was quite exhausting. Fragrance free.

Origins Soothing Lip Balm
£11 for 4g from www.origins.co.uk and John Lewis stores
We couldn’t detect the ‘delicious vanilla flavour’ cited in the blurb but this 97 per cent organic lip balm certainly fortified our lips against the elements. Did not go on easily but, once there, it wasn’t going anywhere.

Natural Eve Pukka Pout Lip Balm with lemon myrtle
£4.99 for 7ml from Boots stores
We always feel reassured when we see a Soil Association logo and this was the only one of the five that obliged and managed 100 per cent organic to boot. It slicked on in an instant. The lemon myrtle was too much for us but could be a hit with sweet-toothed sherbert fans. Also available in vanilla.

Bellingham Soap Company Paraben Free Lip Food
£4.00 for 15ml from www.bellinghamsoapcompany.co.uk
Made by a small producer local to Daisy Green that has thought about every little detail of its product. The tin is wrapped in biodegradable natural cellophane and even the tape used to secure the package is cellulose and natural. The balm left our lips soft and wonderfully nourished.