We Tried Dozens of Lip Balms to Find the Best Formulas Out There — These Are Our Top Picks

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.