When I was choosing balms from The Gnarly Whale, I found a coupon for a free peppermint balm on top of the three I was ordering. Honestly, I'm not the world's hugest peppermint person, but I was so into their strawberry balm, I really wanted to try the most flavors I could, so I went for it!
Peppermint: This smells just like candy canes. That's all you need! (Since the first lip balm I ever used was Bonne Bell peppermint that I got in my stocking for Christmas, I have a strong association with the classic red and white packaging of it, but I probably haven't used peppermint lip balm since.) This is a really strong scent that lingers. Mint can be a scent you associate with everything from ice cream and candy to toothpaste, and in my opinion this is very strong like fresh mint, but has a candy-esque note to it after the initial strong mint smell hits you. Peppermint's not my fave, but I would definitely put this in any candy cane lover's stocking. It is like a candy cane in balm form.
Spearmint: Yum. Like the peppermint, this scent is perfectly present and identifiable. To me, spearmint smells softer than peppermint, and because I prefer spearmint to peppermint in general, I prefer this balm to the peppermint one! They're both exactly what you would want them to be, though. This spearmint balm reminds me of any number of spearmint chewing gums (like Wrigley's), and I find it really great to put on right after I brush my teeth, especially before bed. It makes everything feel so fresh and clean.
Lip balm-wise, I've always loved the more green mint/spearmint flavors. I used up many Blistex Medicated Mint and EOS Sweet Mint balms. Finding a great replacement for them is invaluable to me.
Both of these balms are perfectly smooth in texture and have nice staying power. I use the spearmint one pretty much every night (it's the balm I keep on my bedside bookshelf currently) and I have yet to run into any graininess in the tube. Smooth, minty sailing.
The Gnarly Whale's balms go for $3.50 each, but if you Google, you might have luck finding a coupon, like I did. I'm very pleased with 3 out of the 4 balms I've tried from The Gnarly Whale. More on that fourth one later!
TL;DR: The Gnarly Whale is great and their mint scents are spot-on! Spearmint's my jam, but the peppermint seems perfect too, if that's your jam!
