The first step of any impressive lip makeup collection is a lip exfoliator, and ours is a favorite for your smoothest pout ever. Lip Exfoliator is a makeup and bedside table must-have for anyone looking to keep their lips soft, smooth, and perfectly prepped for any lip product. This gentle, sugar-based exfoliator works wonders by buffing away dry, flaky skin, revealing a fresh and supple pout underneath. Its nourishing formula is infused with vitamin E, shea butter, and jojoba oil, providing essential hydration and soothing benefits, while the natural exfoliants work to improve texture.
With competitive price and timely delivery, Doriff sincerely hope to be your supplier and partner.
Unlike traditional lip scrubs, the lipstick-style tube makes swiping it on a breeze—no messy fingers here! Just blend into lips and let the exfoliator do its magic. With regular use, it helps your lips feel smoother and look healthier, making it an ideal first step before applying your favorite lipstick, balm, or gloss. And the bonus: it comes in seven yummy scents.
If ultra hydrated, smooth soft lips are your thing, these hydrating, lip-loving essentials are not to be missed. First up is Squeeze Me Sheer Lip Balm, our moisturizing lip balm in a simple squeeze tube. A best seller for a reason, this ultra-nourishing formula is enriched with ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil, and it provides instant relief for dry lips while leaving a subtle hint of color. At only $5, it delivers on a really glossy, highly moisturizing payoff without breaking the bank. For those who are already obsessed with Squeeze Me (we see you!), the Squeeze Me More Lip Balm Duo is for you.
To wake up with supple, super soft and moisturized lips by morning, go for the Holy Hydration! Lip Mask. This hydrating leave-on lip mask is infused with hyaluronic acid, squalane, and castor seed oil to treat and soothe dryness. The silky, non-sticky formula melts onto lips with a sweet berry flavor and scent. If you like a subtle pop of color with your hydration, then Hydrating Core Lip Shine is a must-have for your makeup bag. This melting lip balm features a heart shaped core that’s packed with moisturizing vitamin E while adding a sheer tint of color to your pout.
Is it just us or have lip liners been have a *really big* moment the last couple of years? Lip liners are a great way to start any lip makeup look because they help define and enhance the natural shape of your lips, giving you a more polished look. We love throwing on a lip liner to give a sort of dramatic finish to any look, plus it’s easy to achieve a very subtle, naturally enhanced lip with a liner, or a full out glam moment with liner. One of our go-to liners in our makeup bag is Love Triangle Lip Filler Liner). It does double duty by both lining and filling in your lips with its unique triangle-shaped tip, making it easier to achieve precise application.
Another reason why we love these liners? They’re $5 and $3, respectively. For a bolder look, we reach for Cream Glide Lip Liner. This creamy lip pencil glides on like a dream (no tugging here!) to precisely line, define and sculpt your lips with a smooth-as-e.l.f. application. The ultra-pigmented formula delivers rich color and a semi-matte finish to your lips that wears beautifully alone or under lipstick.
No lip look is complete without a lip plumping booster! Which is where Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen and our classic Lip Plumping Gloss enter the scene. A true lip triple threat, Pout Clout is an all-in-one lip plumper, gloss and balm that drenches lips in a sheer wash of color and shine while plumping the appearance of lips with an invigorating tingle. The juicy, non-sticky formula is infused with blueberry, watermelon and pomegranate extracts to refresh and nourish, and it comes in eight chic shades.
Looking for a classic, high-shine gloss that also packs lip-plumping power? Lip Plumping Gloss is your match! Available in 12 versatile shades, this moisturizing, lip plumper enhances lips for a fuller, pillowy pout. Just swipe on for a sheer wash of color, high-octane shine and a tingly cooling sensation that wears beautifully alone or on top of a favorite lipstick. Perfect to add to your lip makeup routine!
We can’t mention glossy staples without talking about our Glow Reviver Tinted Lip Oil that recently went viral on Tik Tok. This non-sticky, hydrating lip oil drenches your pout in a blend of squalane, avocado, apricot, jojoba, and pomegranate oil for a nourishing and revitalizing wash of ultra-glossy color.
If you’re out and about or in the sun often, our innovative Sun Boss Lip Gloss formulated with SPF 25 is a staple for protecting and nourishing your pout. Available in five soft shades, this tinted lip gloss is infused with moisturizing Vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and broad spectrum zinc oxide SPF 25 sun protection, and delivers buildable color with a high-shine finish. If a no-fuss, pop-it-in-your-purse, classic gloss is what you’re after, Lip Lacquer is your bff. Our high-pigment, high-shine lip gloss that is vitamin infused leaves your lips feeling pillowy soft and hydrated without the sticky, tacky feel.
Here we are, the stars of the lip show: lipsticks and lip stains! If exfoliators, liners, and glosses are the supporting acts, lipsticks and lip stains are the main show. With rich pigments, different textures and finishes, and varying color pay-offs, finding the right lipstick or stain for your look can be a project. Here’s our rundown on all the lipstick and stain essentials in the e.l.f. lip family.
A longtime best seller, O FACE Satin Lipstick offers rich, velvety color with a smooth satin finish and delivers high-pigment payoff in just one swipe. It boasts a creamy, long-lasting formula that’s infused with hydrating ingredients like marula oil, ensuring your lips stay soft and comfortable (aka no streaking and cracking!) all day. With a range of 20 bold and neutral shades, it’s perfect for adding a luxurious pop of color to any lip makeup look.
For a lipstick look that’s not too glossy and not too matte, Sheer Slick Lipstick in Black Cherry is a must-try. This fan-favorite has a silky, nourishing formula that gives lips a subtle hint of color and gorgeous sheen. And for our lip stain obsessives out there, Glossy Lip Stain is it. Our unique gloss-to-stain finish melts into lips effortlessly and locks rich color into place but still has a sheer pop of color and subtle gloss effect. This long-lasting, buildable formula won’t transfer and leaves lips looking and feeling fresh.
Our lip bundles are a game-changer for anyone looking to upgrade their lip routine. Bundles offer an easy and cost-effective way to get all your lip essentials in one go. Instead of buying products individually, you get a curated set of essentials meant to compliment one another perfectly—saving you money (and setting you up with everything you need for a full lip look!).
Whether you're new to lip products or just want to refresh your collection, everything in our bundles play well together, giving you a flawless look from start to finish. The Glow Up Lip Bundle is our easy, 3-piece lip kit for achieving a defined and glossy pout and features our Tinted Lip Oil, Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen, and Cream Glide Lip Liner. Another favorite bundle for highly nourished lips? The Lip Oil Obsessed Bundle, which features five (!) shades of our high-shine, nutrient-rich packed lip oils.
Get ready to shine with the TikTok disco lips trend! To achieve this makeup look, start by lining your lips with the Cream Glide Lip Liner in a vibrant shade. The creamy texture glides on smoothly, creating a perfect base. Then, apply the Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer for that dazzling disco effect. The glossy finish catches the light, giving your lips that mesmerizing sparkle. Mix and match shades for a customized disco pout that's sure to turn heads! Check out our disco lips bundle to get the look.
Elevate your fall lip game with e.l.f. Cosmetics' Ultimate Lip Duo, featuring the perfect combination of our Cream Glide Lip Liner and Glow Reviver Lip Oil. For a stunning autumnal look, we recommend pairing the lip liner in the shade "Pinky Swear," a beautiful beige pink, with the lip oil in "Jam Session," a luscious deep black cherry hue. This dynamic duo is designed to create the viral glossy lip look that's taking the beauty world by storm.
The Cream Glide Lip Liner glides on smoothly, defining and shaping your lips with precision, while the Glow Reviver Lip Oil adds a burst of hydrating color and a glossy finish. Together, they create a multi-dimensional, plump lip effect that's both on-trend and seasonally appropriate. Whether you're heading to a pumpkin patch or a cozy coffee date, this e.l.f. lip combo will ensure your pout is perfectly primed for all your fall adventures.
For such a tiny tube, lip balm can cause some oversized reactions. Recall the last time you dug into your bag or pocket looking for some chapped-lip relief, only to realize that your favorite balm had vanished. Agony.
When we solicited testers to help us uncover the best balms out there, many on staff clamored to volunteer, confirming what we already knew very well: People are passionate about lip balm.
Since , we’ve tested more than 80 lip balms—the greasy and goopy, the ill-tasting, the smelly, and the fiendishly expensive. In our most recent round of testing, six favorites surfaced: a simple, exceptional everyday lip balm for under $5, a high-gloss moisturizer, an invisible sun protector, a soothing medicated option, a near-perfect splurge, and cool tinted balm in five flattering shades. Each one is unique, from their level of hydration to their finish and fragrance. The common denominator: Each one makes our lips feel amazing.
This solid, unscented blend of avocado oil and beeswax glides on smoothly, absorbs readily, and isn’t too shiny. It leaves lips supple, not slick.
Dr. Bronner’s Naked Organic Lip Balm has a no-fuss, stick formula that disappears into lips while making them feel healthy and happy. It’s the balm we want within arm’s reach at all times, and at about $4 a pop, that’s a pretty achievable dream. In contrast to many of the other balms we recommend, which you can find only online or in beauty stores, it’s easy to pick up a tube of Dr. Bronner’s balm at any drugstore or grocery store, so there’s no excuse to be caught without. We tested and recommend the “naked” unscented formula, but it also comes in three varieties scented with botanical oils.
The formula is no-nonsense. The five ingredients in the Dr. Bronner’s balm—avocado, jojoba, and hemp-seed oils, plus beeswax and tocopherol, aka vitamin E—are elegant in their simplicity. And the stout cylindrical packaging, with its pop-off top and twist-up base, is also straightforward, like an old-school tube of ChapStick. Only ChapStick has 18 ingredients, including possible irritants, such as lanolin, a common allergen, and petrolatum, which some people avoid for ethical reasons. For those who have sensitive skin or are mindful of sourcing, Dr. Bronner’s unfussy formulation makes it easy to know what you’re getting.
It’s truly scent- and taste-free. Of the nine balms our panelists tried, the Dr. Bronner’s balm got the highest combined rankings for smell and taste—or more accurately, its lack thereof. Our testers found other everyday formulas we tested, such as Badger Creamy Cocoa Butter Lip Balm and Ilia Lip Wrap Reviving Balm, “medicinal,” “industrial,” and “distracting.” Amazingly, the Dr. Bronner’s balm offended no one. “This was totally neutral, which I love. No accidental upsetting flavor,” one panelist wrote.
It has a smooth texture and a lustrous but not glossy finish. The Dr. Bronner’s balm goes on silky and slippery, yet it doesn’t leave behind greasiness or residue, as Vaseline or ChapStick tend to do. One tester wrote, “Loved the texture. It slides on smoothly and it’s very hydrating, but not gooey.” The combo of beeswax and botanical oils lends a muted sheen that looks polished but not distracting, glazed, or overly makeup-y.
It’s moisturizing enough. Lip balms can often be uncomfortably heavy or too slippery to last long enough to relieve dryness, but the Dr. Bronner’s balm is both softening and lightweight. “It did the trick,” said one of our testers. Another found the balm neutral enough to dab on a dry spot under her nose.
The formula is thin, though, and no match for profoundly damaged skin. Truly chapped lips would benefit from a heavy-duty option like Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm.
Dr. Bronner’s Naked Organic Lip Balm also comes in peppermint, orange ginger, and lemon lime.
For people who favor a thick, glazed look and feel, this creamy, squeeze-tube formula provides a lot of moisture and shine.
Thick, shiny balms in squeezy tubes are divisive—and so are influencer-backed beauty brands—but Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment is a standout. It’s smooth, shiny, and hydrating, and it lasts.
Some of our panelists didn’t love this balm. But all of them also admitted they didn’t like glossy formulations at all. When we sent it to a couple of testers who favored slick tube formulas (a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old), they were thoroughly wowed. And long after our official testing concluded, a few formerly critical wearers found that the Rhode balm was the one they reached for most often. In short, Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment may change your mind about lacquered balms.
The formula is glossy and hydrating. At first squeeze, Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment feels and looks like lip gloss rather than balm—shiny, thick, and viscous. And although the rather long ingredients list may seem like a jumble of unrecognizable compounds, the Rhode balm is well formulated with a blend of studied, time-tested skin softeners, emollients, and conditioners, some synthetic, others plant-derived. Ultimately, the moisturizing impact impressed us. One tester loved the way the “thick and rich” balm felt on their “eczema/extra-chapped lips.”
It’s as smooth as silk. Even testers who didn’t favor the glassy, reflective finish agreed that the Rhode balm was “really, really smooth.” If you’re looking for that fluid sensation, you can’t do better. One small caveat: Two testers found that dried balm granules on the applicator tip left a sandy texture on their lips; wiping the tube clear took care of that easily. Other testers had no such issue. As of March , several Wirecutter staffers who have owned and used this balm for over a year reported there were no changes in the balm’s texture.
It has no chemical smell, and it tastes good. Because the Rhode formula is viscous, some transfer to the mouth and tongue is inevitable. And maybe because the finished look is artificial—no one’s lips are naturally that shiny—we were prepared for a nasty smell or taste. But panelists agreed unanimously on two things: First, it was truly scent-free, and second, its subtly sweet taste was downright pleasant.
It’s relatively long-lasting. There’s no way around it: The Rhode balm goes on thick. But then it absorbs, leaving lips gleaming, supple, and maybe just a tad tacky. The other squeezy balms our panelists tried—Ilia Lip Wrap Reviving Balm, Lancome Juicy Tubes, and Laneige Lip Glowy Balm—were gone in a poof. The Rhode balm stays on through gabbing and sipping, but like every lip balm, it needs reapplication after meals. Lips stay soft long after the slickness is gone.
Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment comes in an unscented version as well as scented watermelon, caramel, and vanilla.
Transparent chemical sunscreens deliver broad-spectrum protection in a lightweight, moisturizing stick that’s surprisingly luxe for the price.
Most SPF lip balms we tested either tasted terrible, left a heavy white cast, or were so gummy they were almost unwearable. Enter Coola Original Liplux Lip Balm Sunscreen, a solid stick of SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen that avoids those pitfalls and was the unanimous top choice of our testers. The lovely, luxe formula and the chic packaging make this $12 balm feel like a steal.
It offers excellent sun protection but doesn’t look like sunscreen. Transparent chemical sunscreens work as UV filters to absorb rays, and the Coola balm provides broad-spectrum protection with three FDA-approved active ingredients (PDF): avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene.
The two other chemical formulas that our panelists tried were gluey, plain and simple. And the two balms with physical blockers, ChapStick Active 2-in-1 and Sunnie The Protector SPF 36, were too thick or opaque white. (“I look anemic!” one tester shared.) The Coola balm, by contrast, offers invisible coverage with no texture compromise: “Buttery smooth, with a satisfying feel and thickness,” one tester said. Because it goes on truly clear, it can also work well over lipstick, especially drier matte or cream formulas, to enhance sun protection.
Although many chemical sunscreen lip balms we tested tasted bad—and the Coola ranked better than the rest—not all of our Wirecutter staffers were able to ignore an SPF-synthetic-induced aftertaste and stopped using it. This was not an issue for all of our testers and users.
We must note that our initial testing took place in the winter. As of March , one Wirecutter staffer and another staffer’s partner have reported consistent (and joyful) use of the Coola Liplux balm. Others gave up on it because of the taste but hadn't found an alternative they liked better.
The price is right. We were surprised to find that the Coola balm costs only about $12, especially considering how luxe the formulation and packaging both look and feel. It wears like the SPF sibling of our most expensive pick, Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Treatment Lip Balm, but is about half the price.
It contains a comprehensive blend of botanical hydrators. Like our upscale pick from Fresh, this Coola balm contains a cornucopia of plant-based oils, waxes, and extracts, such as coconut, jojoba, safflower, and avocado. The two balms share a delightfully lightweight texture that absorbs readily.
Even more important, the moisturizers keep working over time. “I was surprised how hydrating this was over the course of a couple days,” one staffer shared.
It smells like the beach. With no added synthetic fragrance, Coola Original Liplux Lip Balm Sunscreen has a mild and subtle scent that all our panelists enjoyed. They couldn’t agree on the exact scent, though, describing it as “comforting,” “coconutty,” “summery,” and “tropical.” We’ll summarize that word salad as “beachy.”
Coola also sells Tinted Liplux Lip Balm Sunscreen.
This four-ingredient lip balm contains hydrocortisone to calm painfully chapped or cracked lips. It isn’t easy to find, though.
Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm contains three moisturizers—petroleum jelly, mineral oil, and beeswax—plus a low-dose steroid, 1% hydrocortisone, that reduces inflammation and pain. Lightweight and slick with almost no shine at all, it’s a true salve for anyone who has seriously chapped lips, whether from outdoor exposure, medicines, or treatments.
The formula is thick and satisfying. Dr. Dan’s balm is our only pick containing petroleum jelly, which is ubiquitous in heavy ointments such as Aquaphor and Vaseline. One swipe produces an occlusive feel, but it isn’t gummy or greasy, common complaints from testers of other weighty balms we tried, like Doctor Rogers Natural Restore Lip Balm and Lucas’ Papaw Ointment.
“Medicated” actually means something here. Most formulas marketed as “medicated,” such as Blistex or Carmex balms, contain astringent compounds like camphor or menthol that feel tingly and lend a cooling sensation that some people find soothing. Dermatologists we talked to, however, told us that they offer no real healing. In fact, those compounds can be irritating, especially for already sensitized skin. Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm, in contrast, contains 1% hydrocortisone, a well-studied anti-inflammatory that is commonly used in anti-itching creams. For lips with actual damage, such as cracks at the corners or painful flaking, a day or two with Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm can leave them both less red and less painful. For one Wirecutter editor, this balm saved her from painful winter dryness—she now regularly keeps it in her car.
The taste and scent are all but undetectable. Nearly all of our testers objected to the strong medicinal scents, flavors, and sensations that accompanied other so-called medicated lip balms. Dr. Dan’s balm has little to none of that—no burning, cooling, or tingling. If our testers noticed anything (and most didn’t), it was a pleasant and mild honey taste, thanks to the beeswax.
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Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm also comes in a 0.25-ounce jar.
For especially dry or irritated lips, this luxe but pricey stick is a balm indeed. The blend of seed oils in a beeswax base goes on silky smooth and keeps lips soothed and supple for hours.
$54 $38 from Nordstrom (lip balm + tinted lip balm set)You save $16 (30%)
$35 $25 from Kohl's (one balm and two mini tints)With store pickup
Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Treatment Lip Balm shares more than half of its ingredients with the cult-favorite Fresh Sugar Lip Balm, a top pick in a previous iteration of this guide. But this time we found the Advanced Therapy formula far superior, thanks to its ultrasmooth glide, its citrus-forward scent, and, most important, the way it left lips not just temporarily quenched but also plump and conditioned for days.
It’s a pleasure to apply. The silky slip of Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Treatment is similar to the subtle feel of Dr. Bronner’s Naked Organic Lip Balm, only slightly more substantial, both in formula and packaging. “Delightfully smooth, luxurious and moisturizing,” wrote one tester. The metal tube, with its cool matte finish, weighted base, and screw-on top, also garnered raves: “Satisfying and substantial. Best of the bunch.”
It smells like a natural-foods store, in a good way. Just over a third of the ingredients in this Fresh balm are plant-based oils, extracts, or waxes. Although it does have added fragrance, the overall scent is subtle and botanical, reminiscent of an upscale tea shop or natural-foods store in the best possible way. Despite its sweet-sounding name and its inclusion of a cane-sugar-based skin conditioner (sucrose tetrastearate triacetate), it doesn’t taste noticeably sweet.
Lips feel better, now and later. A handful of ingredients set the Advanced Therapy balm apart from the popular original Fresh Sugar balm formula. The most notable and familiar is sodium hyaluronate, or hyaluronic acid, a humectant that retains moisture. Our testers noted that long-term advantage: “The slickness wore off in about an hour, but a more subtle softness and relief lasted.” Another person wrote: “It felt like it got into my lips somehow versus just sitting on top of them.”
If you have severely wounded or damaged lips, the abundance of botanical ingredients in this Fresh balm could irritate them further. For those cases, we like Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm.
The finish is exceptionally versatile. Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Treatment Lip Balm leaves lips with more of a healthy-looking sheen than a reflective finish. It layers seamlessly both under and over lipstick, and it looks polished when worn alone, too.
This sold stick balm comes in four versatile and buildable shades. The formula is slick, hydrating, and lightweight.
Tinted lip balm occupies the netherworld between a utilitarian staple and a color cosmetic. Maybe that’s why we felt like Goldilocks while testing them, rejecting nearly a dozen strong contenders that were either too saturated, too see-through, too glossy, or too limited in their shade range. Then we tried the offering from Grammy winner Alicia Keys’s makeup line Keys Soulcare, Keys Comforting Tinted Lip Balm. It was just right, combining long-lasting hydration with adjustable pigmentation in versatile shades.
It’s quenching and lightweight. Many of the well-reviewed, highly recommended tinted balms we tried failed to get the texture right, giving our testers “sticky,” “shellacked,” “goopy,” and “waxy” results. The Keys balm was the exception, feeling just like our other favorite balms—smooth and satisfying, with a lasting softness. Like many of the other balms we recommend, the Keys balm is made with a base of hydrating seed oils and beeswax.
The pigment payoff is just about perfect. The first swipe of Keys Comforting Tinted Lip Balm went on sheer but perceptible, even on our testers with darker skin tones, who found that some other pigmented balms all but disappeared on their lips. Better yet, adding coats intensifies the color without producing a patchy or uneven look. “The color has an unusual amount of depth, nuance, and vibrance,” one panelist shared.
The shade range is limited but excellent. Against all the other tinted balms we tried, the Keys shades stood out. You get four options to choose from—which might seem like a limited selection, but somehow, these colors are just better. The tones range from orangey red to muted rose, each one versatile and widely flattering. Only one of our testers couldn’t find a shade she favored. Another described her experience in finding a great color: “Winner winner chicken dinner!”
Keys Comforting Tinted Lip Balm comes in strawberry, mauve, berry, terra cotta, and untinted.
I’m a staff writer at Wirecutter covering gifts. I spend my time finding, testing, and writing about perfect gifts for everyone from frequent travelers to dads. I’m also a lifelong lip balm user and former beauty editor.
For this guide:
Between my car, my junk drawer, and the bottom of my bag, I can usually find at least 12 different lip balms. A scan of retail sites, such as those of Amazon, Sephora, and Target, turns up thousands more. And then there are the tiny producers on Etsy and social media. Basically, you can find an ocean of lip balm out there.
In Wirecutter tested 22 lip balms and came up with six picks. I took over the guide in late , retesting those original six picks and adding my own reporting, starting with finding the most popular, most highly rated, and most widely available lip balms to look into and test.
The dermatologists we’ve spoken to over the years have all recommended a plain lip balm or 100% petroleum jelly like Vaseline, especially if you already know that your skin is sensitive, because added fragrances and tingly additives (camphor, menthol, peppermint oil) have the potential to irritate the skin, creating a negative feedback loop that makes you feel as if you need more lip balm. That said, because some people like scents and tingles, we didn’t exclude those types of lip balms from our initial testing.
My initial list contained 56 lip balms, which fell into four broad categories: everyday, healing, SPF, and tinted. Over a couple of months, I gave each of the 56 contenders at least a half day of regular wear, unless I found some aspect of it—taste, look, feel—unbearable after the first application. I made notes along the way on the following criteria:
After analyzing my testing results, I narrowed the field to 21 standout balms for panel testing, which in this case was a group of 10 people divided into two sets. One group consisted of people who self-identified as frequent lip balm users; they tried 13 everyday and tinted balms. A second group contained outdoorsy testers who had chronic chapped lips or lived in harsher climates (wind-whipped streets of Chicago, high-altitude slopes of the Eastern Sierra). That cohort tested eight SPF and healing balms. Our panelists, male and female, hailed from a range of geographic regions and represented a range of skin tones and concerns.
Before sending the balms to be tested and evaluated, we covered any identifying packaging to correct for brand bias where we could. Panelists rated the balms on a scale of one to five in the first six categories outlined above, in addition to providing even more detailed feedback. Testers didn’t weigh in on cost.
We sent a few picks to targeted testers for an additional layer of commentary. An Accutane user tried Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm to confirm whether it held up, and a couple of makeup-savvy teens weighed in on the ultra-glossy Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment.
Testers didn’t love the slight lemon scent of the lanolin-based Lano The Original Lanostick but appreciated almost everything else about it, including its lipstick-bullet form, its excellent texture and finish, and its superb hydration.
We found ChapStick Classic Original less waxy than we remembered, but we objected to its industrial smell. Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm was much too dry; it felt protective but not moisturizing.
Badger Creamy Cocoa Butter Lip Balm glided on comfortably, but the strong cocoa butter smell was a nonstarter. Likewise for the artificial scent of EOS Natural & Organic Lip Balm sticks.
The coconut-oil-based Wild Rose Natural Lip Balm didn’t leave lips particularly softened, but testers loved its compostable paper tube and matte finish. Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm is a nice chunky stick that went on buttery and left testers’ lips supple and plump; unfortunately, it didn’t stick around. The same goes for Nivea Dewy Lip Care with Hyaluronic Acid, which felt nice enough when it went on but seemed to disappear within a few minutes.
Very few of our testers liked the thick, glossy finish of the viscous, squeeze-tube lip balms we tried. Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm, Ilia Lip Wrap Reviving Balm, Laneige Lip Glowy Balm, Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment, and Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm were universally deemed too gooey and sticky despite their widespread popularity and excellent buyer reviews.
Strangely enough, the thick, 100% petroleum jelly formula of Vaseline Lip Therapy Advanced Healing felt insubstantial to our testers. Most testers liked its lack of scent but objected to its chemical taste. Other petroleum jelly balms, such as Glossier Balm Dotcom, a former pick, were deemed too thin and melty. Smith’s Rosebud Salve comes in a solid form in a pleasing metal pot; its rose scent was appealing, but the formula slid off too easily.
Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1 doesn’t contain petroleum jelly but feels like it does, and it got similar feedback, as testers said it was too greasy and lightweight.
Blistex Medicated Lip Balm and Carmex Classic Lip Balm both contain menthol and camphor, which have no studied medical benefit. Our testers mostly hated the cooling, tingling element. “I wiped it off because of the taste and burning sensation,” wrote one tester of Carmex.
The old stand-bys Aquaphor Healing Ointment and Vaseline Original Healing Jelly—both petrolatum-forward formulas—were inoffensive but too “slick and greasy” to win hearts and lips.
We tried three overnight formulas: Chapstick Total Hydration With Sea Minerals Overnight Lip Renewal Treatment (which had the brownish-green hue of pond water), O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair Night Treatment, and Jason Wu Beauty Good Night Mr. Wu (the nicest of the bunch, with a muted floral scent). In the end we nixed the entire category since these formulas weren’t markedly different from their daytime counterparts.
Chemical
Our testers liked the smooth, lightweight texture and the matte, barely-there finish of O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair SPF 35. They also appreciated the tube’s flat, pocket-friendly shape. It was a close second to Coola Original Liplux Lip Balm Sunscreen, but it offered slightly inferior hydration and longevity.
Aquaphor Lip Protectant + Sunscreen and two Supergoop chemical formulas, Lipscreen Shine SPF 40 and Play Lip Balm SPF 30 with Acai, all shared an unpleasant bitter taste. Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm SPF 20 also tasted acrid, although less so.
Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Lip Balm wore off way too quickly. Nivea Smoothness Lip Care SPF 15 was “slimy and melty” right out of the gate. Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 was altogether too tacky for comfort: “My hair kept getting stuck to my lips,” said one tester.
Physical
Everyone agreed that the zinc oxide in ChapStick Active 2-in-1 Lip Balm lent good sun protection but was too white. “If SPF protection were my only priority (like, I’m a lifeguard), I might feel good about this coverage,” one panelist wrote. Otherwise it “feels like overkill.”
Most of the other balms with physical blockers, such as Burt’s Bees All-Weather SPF 15 Moisturizing Lip Balm were similarly heavy and white.
The exception was Sunnie’s The Protector SPF 36, which the company says contains transparent zinc oxide. That was largely true. But the petrolatum-based formula was ultimately too greasy, with a soapy, icky taste. EltaMD UV Lip Balm combines a similar see-through form of zinc with the chemical sunscreen octinoxate. It barely left a white cast and had a nice feel, but a funny tingling turned us off.
Chapstick Total Hydration Moisture + Tint delivered great moisture, but some testers found its fruity scent overly artificial and its color nearly nonexistent, especially on darker lips. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm got high marks for its silky texture and buildable color, but both the color and the hydration lacked staying power. As one tester put it, “This is like Dory from Finding Nemo—a lip balm that lives in the now.” Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm felt good and contains sunscreen, but it came in a limited palette of colors and had a synthetic taste.
The high-shine, squeeze-tube tinted balms we tested emphasized gloss over color. The pigment in the tinted versions of Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment was all but undetectable. The same was true of Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm, Fenty Pro Kiss’r Luscious Lip Balm, and Flower Petal Pout Lip Mask, the last of which suffered from wasteful, weird packaging.
Fresh Sugar Lip Balm, a former pick, had nice color saturation, almost overly so: The darker shades went on like an opaque lipstick. We liked the sheer but saturated colors and the refined shine of Nars Afterglow Lip Balm but found that it left lips drier than before.
Justin Krajeski wrote an earlier version of this guide. This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.
Lisa Quale, senior health educator, Skin Cancer Institute at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, interview , March 1,
Marc Glashofer, MD, board-certified dermatologist, Schweiger Dermatology Group, interview , March 1,
Nina Botto, MD, associate professor of dermatology, University of California San Francisco, interview , September 1,
Samantha Schoech
What I CoverI discover, vet, and write about gifts of all kinds from my office in San Francisco. I am particularly drawn to all things shiny or bookish, but I try not to impose my taste more than is strictly necessary.
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