We Tested Dozens of Lip Balms and Found the Best Ones for Smooth, Protected Lips

Soft and buildable color that plays well with others is so important when shopping for a lip product. This is exactly what Violette_FR’s Bisou Balm accomplishes. The vegan tinted lip balm from French brand Violette_FR is perfect for the minimalist: It can be applied for work in the morning and layered up for more vibrant lips in the evening.

While we found the product to be very light and just buttery enough to feel moisturizing, some users have found it to be drying, resulting in pilling. With this in mind, we also tested it with another product layered underneath, and both the Rhode Peptide Lip Tint and Dr. Dan’s CortiBalm were great companions that didn’t sacrifice the Bisou Balm’s pigment.

Dry, flaky lips can lead to repeated applications of lip balm, but constant reapplication can be frustrating. Plus, nothing is worse than feeling the discomfort of peeling lips. Fresh Sugar Lip Polish gets to the root of the problem, offering gentle exfoliation while simultaneously coating your lips in nourishing shea butter and jojoba oil. In turn, your lips no longer flake, lipstick glides on smoother, and you’re left feeling soft and hydrated.

We noticed immediate results when we tested this product, securing its spot as the best lip exfoliator out there. “It definitely delivers,” our tester Lili Ladaga shared. “I have very dry skin and my lips peel, especially at the corners, if I don’t apply balm or moisturizer regularly. My lips were smooth and flake-free whenever I used this,” she continued. As an extra sweet bonus, real brown sugar crystals are included in the formula, giving the exfoliator a pleasing flavor and scent. However, two small issues stand out to us: We’d like to see a bit more product for the price, and we wish it came with an applicator to keep things as hygienic as possible. But these two things are minor details when compared to all the benefits of this lip polish.

Ever been stuck in the cycle of constantly reapplying lip balm? It can be frustrating and leave you feeling like your lips are never fully moisturized. LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask can help break this curse. The Korean skin-care product uses berry fruit complex, murumuru seed, and shea butter to soothe and moisturize the lips while you sleep.

“This lip balm surprised me with how well it worked,” said one of our testers, editorial director Simone Scully. “When I have very chapped lips, I usually have to repeatedly reapply lip balms until my lips feel better, but with this one, my lips felt better within just a few hours.”

You’ll add a bit of this on as the last step of your skin-care routine — and a little goes a long way. The instructions say you can wipe off the remaining mask in the morning, but in our experience it is all absorbed by then.

While personally testing this product, I became certain this is one of the best lip products I’ve tried. And although this is nearly a perfect product, I do wish it came with an applicator: Dipping a finger in its small pot doesn’t feel the most sanitary. Some folks dislike the scents, but I found the vanilla to be a light, almost neutral scent and taste. I saw results after just one use, making it our pick for the best lip mask out there.

It is unscented and unflavored, so it is a good option for everyone, including kids. It can melt easily, so be mindful to keep it out of hot temperatures. Another thing to keep in mind is its texture. “It has a silky-smooth texture, mainly because it is mostly oils — coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil, plus plant-based wax,” Ladaga says. She followed up by explaining that while this balm has nourishing staying power, it does absorb rather quickly.

An interesting benefit of Dr. Dan’s CortiBalm is that it can interrupt the cycle of inflammation that allows cold sores to persist, helping them to heal more quickly. We like this detail because it gives the product more bang for its buck. You can heal chapped lips and prevent cold sores from worsening. Just a heads up: It has a waxy consistency, which may not be everyone’s preference. Rather than sinking into the lips, it leaves a light, plasticky texture. “It did not have an emollient feel, but it did seem as if it created a barrier between my lips and the environment,” tester Katie Tuttle explained. Because of this difference in texture, she frequently felt the need to reapply the balm. Those things aside, we remain impressed with the instant relief we felt when using this balm. Without a doubt, it is our pick for severely chapped lips.

If scented lip balms are your thing, then you’ll love the FarmHouse Fresh Strawberry Mood Fruit Lip Therapy. It has a juicy strawberry scent, leaves a light-pink tint on the lips, is deeply moisturizing, and prioritizes natural ingredients like strawberries, avocado oil, beet extract, and rainbow chard extract.

Everyday Health writer Ziegler celebrated the scent, noting it almost smells like candy, but in a great way. She also enjoyed the jolt of hydration it delivered and the color it left on her lips. “It has a slight pink tint to give your lips a little life, which I like,” she shared. However, the light tint may make it not the best unisex option. The product is also rather soft, which means it can break easily. Be gentle when applying, and enjoy the juicy essence of strawberries.

I personally tested this product, and after just one use I noticed my lips were much softer. While wearing the gloss, they looked plump and healthy, and it was deeply nourishing as it absorbed. But the consistency is quite sticky, so if you have long hair and it’s a windy day, be prepared to tie your hair back so it doesn’t get stuck in the gloss. While its scents are amazing — the vanilla has the nostalgic scent of Lucky Charms cereal — the flavor is a bit bitter. Despite these drawbacks, I remained impressed with the combination of high-shine gloss and effective lip treatment, giving it our vote for best lip gloss.

Think of a lip butter as a step above a typical lip balm and a step below a high-gloss lip treatment. That’s exactly where the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm lands. It is perfect for when your lips are dry but you’d like a touch of color and shine to feel put together. It has a wide range of scents and pigments and a pleasant, neutral taste. “Unlike typical glosses that feel sticky, I found this to be smooth and silky,” tester Ashley Ziegler explained.

This product lists shea butter and murumuru seed as active ingredients, similar to the LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask. However, this lip butter is perfect for daytime use, whereas the lip mask is best suited for overnight use. While this is a lip butter, not a lip gloss, it still is shiny; and most flavors have some level of pigment, so it may not be the best unisex option.

I love a good lip balm stick, but I’ve run into far too many lip balm sticks that dry out my lips, have faulty applicators, or have sickly sweet scents and flavors. I was close to giving up on my quest for the perfect stick when I tried Naples Soap Company SPF 15 Coconut Lip Balm. It has a light, enjoyable coconut scent, is buttery smooth when applied, and is deeply nourishing. Plus, I love that it has SPF but doesn’t leave behind an unsightly cast or waxy texture.

I have also encountered quite a few lip balm sticks with an overwhelmingly artificial fruit scent. This lip balm stick’s scent is different. It has a pleasant coconut fragrance that’s reminiscent of a warm summer day, but it isn’t too bold. The SPF means you can wear it no matter what activity you’re doing (although its protection level is on the lower end). I also found this product deeply moisturizing, something I feel many lip balm sticks fail to deliver. However, it does leave behind a slight sheen, so it may not be the best unisex option.

Lip balms can often be skewed toward people who identify as women, which can be frustrating when looking for an effective balm that also works for men and children. Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Organic Lip Balm is a moisturizing formula that soothes without leaving a gloss behind, making it perfect for anyone looking for a discreet lip product. It is also a favorite of beauty expert and Emmy Award–winning makeup artist Gabbi Pascua. This is why we named it the best unisex lip balm.

The appearance of full lips can give your entire face a refreshed and youthful look. So we set out to find a unique product that plumps naturally, enhances one’s natural assets, and provides some moisturizing benefits. The PrimeLip Plumping Lip Balm from Prime Prometics checks all these boxes. It is designed to replace lip balm, lipstick, and lip gloss, essentially functioning as a three-in-one product. It offers deep moisturizing benefits, a gentle plumping effect, and a range of neutral shades to choose from.

This lip balm has a silky texture, which allows it to glide on smoothly. When we asked writer Ashley Ziegler to weigh in on her experiences with the product, she sang its praises. She said it was easy to apply and was fully absorbed within an hour. “I think it’s a good cosmetic product that has the benefit of moisture,” she said. She also loved that it provided a light plumping effect without drying out her lips. That said, this isn’t the best product for extremely chapped lips. You can also expect to feel a mild tingling sensation when applying, which is due to the plumping effect.

Everyday Health writer Lili Ladaga has found that her lips burn easily, so she was eager to try out this product. “Most lip balms I’ve used in the past only have SPF 8 or 15, so I end up using my body sunscreen on my lips as well, then layer lip balm on top of it to moisturize,” she explains. With this product, she can skip those extra steps. The angled applicator on the product’s tube lets you apply it with your finger or directly to your lips, but it can be difficult to squeeze out at times. Expect a slight white cast from the zinc oxide upon application, but it will fade in no time.

There’s plenty of lip products out there, but sometimes you just need something you can grab at the drugstore. Unfortunately, some drugstore balms can feel waxy, have an off-putting scent, or cause your lips to feel even drier. Aquaphor’s Lip Repair is a hypoallergenic formula that soothes dry lips, providing immediate relief. It relies on shea butter, jojoba oil, and vitamins C and E to nourish chapped lips. We found this product to be affordable, effective, hypoallergenic, and — best of all — readily available at most drugstores.

Aquaphor’s Lip Repair is great for use in dry, cold, or windy conditions and boasts that it is best for sensitive, chapped lips. While we agree with this claim, we must admit that it isn’t the best for severely chapped lips because its thick formula tugs at the lips when applying. “It takes a bit of extra effort to get it to spread, which is a shame because it really works,” explains Ziegler. She followed up by sharing that she worries the application might tug too much on chapped or inflamed lips. But if you’re proactive in applying this lip balm before your lips become severely chapped, it is an affordable and readily available option.

When you hear the word “tallow,” lip balm probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But the beef fat derived from the kidneys and loins of the cow is having a moment, thanks to its moisturizing elements. While we’re seeing this ingredient more and more in skin-care products, we found it by happenstance in our new favorite lipstick by Stone & Spear.

I’ve tried tons of lip balms that double as moisturizing lip glosses, so I’m a harsh critic of them. I’m always looking for a product that’s actually moisturizing rather than just a thick glob of gloss that sits on my lips without ever absorbing. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Moira Butter Bliss Lip Balm. It looked like a high-shine gloss, came in a tube that felt familiar to other brands I’ve tried, and had a very low price point.

Yet when I applied it to my lips, I fell in love with the wide applicator and how evenly it spreads the product. After wearing this pick for an hour, my lips were glossy, and the product absorbed, leaving them moisturized as well.

I tend to lean toward clear glosses, but I noticed the shade range was rather neutral, so I didn’t mind. That said, there isn’t a clear, glitter-free gloss option available, and some may find the product too thick for their liking. However, even with the thick texture, this product absorbs like a dream.

If you want lips that feel a bit fuller, look no further. The Zion Health Plumping Lip Balm boosts hydration and collagen production in the lips, leaving them looking noticeably softer and plumper. This product has unique ingredients, such as snow mushroom, a natural humectant. It also contains soothing lemon balm extract to prevent dryness from recurring. We tried it for 10 days and were pleased with the results. Its unique ingredient list, quick results, and smooth texture when applying are all reasons why this product landed our pick as the best plumping lip balm.

After application, our lips were very smooth and full. We noticed that this product absorbs fast and doesn’t last very long. Despite this detail, it sinks into the lips quickly and delivers great hydration. “This balm comes in a small pot due to the slightly runny nature of the balm. It is easy to apply with your finger, though repeatedly dipping your finger into a cosmetic might turn some folks off,” explained Tuttle. With this in mind, we wish this product included an applicator. All this said, we found the formula to be a natural and effective plumping treatment.