It’s pretty well documented here on the HELLO! Shopping team that I’m embarrassingly obsessed with lip balms - blame it on perimenopause and my constantly dry, sensitive, itchy lips. I'm always on the lookout for gentle moisturizers for my pout.
After becoming a fan of Pamela Anderson's reinvention - she has famously swapped her super-glam Baywatch babe vibes for natural, pared-down beauty - I decided to track down the lip balm she wears, formulated to leave a shine on your lip like a gloss.
When I started my quest, all I knew was that she called it her "lifesaver" and "the cherry on top” of her simplified skincare and makeup approach.
- Pamela Anderson has traded in her over-the-top '90s glam for a simplified 'clean girl' beauty look.
- The 59-year-old swears by Sonsie Basic Balm, $22 / £22, a glossy balm formulated with bio-based squalane and hydrating peptide complex
- She has called the lip product a "lifesaver", adding "My lips are prone to chapping, and this stays on like no other—whether in dry, cold climates or in the heat."
Now, though, I'm adding the former Baywatch star’s minimalist fave - cruelty-free, vegan Sonsie Basic Balm to my running roster of celebrity favorites, especially since kissable lips are at a premium (just ask Meghan Markle).
© WireImageBut back to that glossy balm! While it's literally called 'Basic', a look at the formula tells me it's not that simple - it includes a 25% Bio-Based Squalane and 1% Hydrating Peptide Complex for a multi-tasking effect, from smoothing to long-lasting hydration.
Does the Sonsie lip balm actually work for dry, mature lips? What shoppers say
The star has given her own review of the Basic Balm, saying: "My lips are prone to chapping, and this stays on like no other... It provides a pleasant shine that you don't have to constantly reapply to achieve."
Full disclosure - I haven’t had the chance to try the lip balm myself, so I scoured the reviews to see what shoppers are saying. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that with scores of reviews, it has earned a 4.8-star average rating. It especially seems to be a hit with the over-45-year-old set, with many appreciating the non-sticky texture.
© Getty Images for Shopify"Love the hydration! What can I say, I’ve been looking for something that was hydrating and less sticky, nailed it!" raved an over-55 shopper.
“Perfection,” said an age 45+ reviewer. “Looks so naturally pretty, not sticky, no taste or scent." Another wrote, “My lips are so happy! Love the basic balm. It feels so good and it isn’t sticky!”
And it's not just older women who are loving the formula. One 25-34 year old opined: “Basic but amazing. It's the perfect texture and scent and works wonders! This will be a must-have in my purse.”
Why Pamela Anderson replaced her iconic '90s glam with clean beauty
Now nearly 60, Pamela has embraced a more restrained beauty approach which, as a fellow Gen-Xer, I can appreciate, as I’m embracing that, too. But the natural beauty icon has taken it a step further by fully embracing Sonsie both as her beauty routine and as co-owner of the brand.
© AFP via Getty Images"I think my beauty routine's gotten simpler and simpler… And then the Sonsie products are very simple. It's just the cleanser, the serum, and then the moisture cream, and the cherry on top is the lip balm," she told People. "That's all I've been wearing. If it's a red carpet, a magazine cover, or in my garden."
In the same interview she said of the balm, "[My lips] just feel more moisturized. I'm prone to dry lips because I travel so much, and so I am always reapplying lip balm. But with [this formula], it stays, which is really nice. I don't have to apply it as much."
Sonsie launched in 2023 about a year before Pamela revealed her role with the company.
