The 28 Best Lip Balms on the Market

Combat dry and dull lips with this vitamin-C and peptide-packed formula that fashion and beauty writer Ware also loves. It comes in four mouth-watering flavors (apple, mango, pear kiwi, and honey vanilla) and has a clear, high-gloss finish that leaves lips feeling pillowy soft for up to eight hours.

While this is technically an overnight mask, many people have repurposed it as a lip balm. The sweetly scented mask has a thick layer of ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter that help to nourish and smooth lips overnight.

Shopping writer Chinea Rodriguez says this lip serum has an oil-like texture that “hydrates, smoothes, and adds a little bit of shine.” The formula is lightweight, long lasting, and never feels sticky.

Looking for a no-frills formula that will deliver serious results? New York Magazine’s features writer Matthew Schneier recommends this affordable, fragrance-free balm that’s made in Australia using carica papaya, which is high in antioxidants and can help heal various skin conditions (such as cuts, rashes, mild sunburns, and dry lips).

It probably takes at least a few weeks for the hyaluronic acid in this stick to actually diminish lip lines, but it certainly makes lips feel plumper the minute you swipe it on. Maybe it’s the tri-peptides working over time at boosting collagen production, or the violet leaf extract’s antiseptic properties providing that slight tingle. Comes in an untinted version, too.

If you’ve been on the fence about Hailey Bieber’s buzzy lip treatment, let this be the push you need. Eight Cut staffers put this peptide-and-shea-butter-rich lip glaze to the test. The general consensus: Yes, it’s a must-buy.

This balm — made mostly of coconut oil, avocado oil, bees wax, and shea butter — might be curiously grainy to the touch, but once it’s on your lips, they will feel as though a gentle cashmere blanket has just been draped over them.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: $68 for a lip balm sounds absurd. But this one might actually be worth the splurge. After just a few weeks of applying the Plasma Lip Compound two times a day, you can expect to see noticeably plumper lips and a decrease in the appearance of fine lines and texture.

If you love the nostalgia of Lip Smackers, try this treatment from Tower 28 that’s infused with food-grade, non-artificial flavor. Available in flavors like dolce de leche, watermelon kiwi, and blood-orange vanilla, the Lip Softie heals dry and damaged lips and provides long-lasting hydration.

Like Vaseline, this is a classic, no-frills, fragrance-free, flavorless formula that will work on even the most chapped lips. Ingredients include shea butter, beeswax, and petrolatum to seal in moisture and soothe very dry skin.

At first glance, this looks like a standard lip balm with a sheer pink tone, but two elements in its formula —a glow-up oil base and a light-focusing oil — give it a little extra luster when applied to lips, sort of like what highlighter does to cheekbones.

Consider this the grown-up version of the Lip Smackers balms you loved as a tween. The multipurpose balm comes in a few different scents worth getting your hands on — like birthday cake, rose, mango, and coconut. The formula includes shea butter and synthetic beeswax to keep lips nourished. These aren’t really glossy, but a few scents are slightly tinted.

Sofia Coppola is a fan of this shea nut oil, olive oil, and beeswax concoction — and Cap Beauty and Goop have both given it high marks. Its variety of shades — from French Melon to Persimmon to the pale gold Fete — offers something for every skin tone, but it’s available sans color.

This gives lips the glossy shine and moisture of formulas like Rhode’s without fragrance or flavor thanks to its hero ingredients: shea butter and squalane.

If you like the multipurpose favorite Skin Food cream and its scent, you’ll love the lip balm. This nourishing lip treatment has an oilier formula with a slight sheen. It smells just like the brand’s signature scent and nourishes just as well. And it costs less than $10.

There’s lots of reasons why this beeswax balm has stood the test of time. It instantly soothes lips with the mildest undercurrent of peppermint. It isn’t shiny, glossy, or waxy. And a $9 for four, it’s still the best deal in town. I have one in my car, one in my purse, one on my bedside table, and one in nearly every jacket I wear.

A tiny tub of this tried-and-true favorite recommended by Kim will set you back less than $5. This is a thicker balm, so it helps lock in moisture, but if you aren’t a fan of the texture, you can just use it at night — like Kim does.

If a lip balm and a lipstick had a baby, this cushiony formula would be it. Depositing a little more pigment than most tinted balms, its eight shades range from shimmery sand to a deep wine. Can’t decide what you want? Creator Gran makes sheer versions — all you have to do is choose between cinnamon and peppermint flavors.

Created by spa guru Susanne Kaufmann, this stick feels so slippery, it’s surprising that it doesn’t come in the form of a butter that you swipe out of a jar. Never fear — despite its soft outer layer, the formula (made of jojoba and castor seed oil and bees wax) is quite sturdy. It will not squish into mush or break off into your hands.

It comes in a tube, is applied with a wand, and makes lips look glossy — so you’d think it would be called a gloss and not a balm. But the shea and mango seed butters give it a distinctly smooth, whipped, non-lip-gloss feel. As a bonus, the sheer pale pink shade, called Hint Hint, works on every skin tone.

This new brand specializes in body, hair, and face oils made from indigenous Caribbean ingredients like Jamaican Black Castor Oil and West Indian blossoms. Its three tints are packed with cocoa butter and coconut oil.

This favorite from Cut managing editor Rachel Bashein nourishes lips without the shine, flavor, fragrance, or waxy feel. It also features some dermatologist-approved ingredients such as shea butter and beeswax.

Senior shopping editor Bianca Nieves keeps these top-rated lip creams on hand. The formula features a combination of aloe, lanolin, and olive fruit oil to soothe, moisturize, and protect your lips. At just under $20 you get two so you can keep one in your bag and one at your desk.