Found: The 15 Best Lip Moisturizers Of 2022 That *Actually* Put In The Work
To combat the dreaded chap, a good lip moisturizer is a must. As someone who suffers from perennially dry lips no matter the season, I always have a trusty tube or pot of balm on my person (or bag, or desk, or bathroom shelf, or nightstand). And I certainly have my tried-and-true favorites—in this curated list below, you'll find the lip moisturizers that actually, you know, work.
You're probably wondering: What's the difference between a lip moisturizer and lip balm? Well, to be honest, these aren't clearly defined categories. Most of the lip product language—moisturizers, masks, balms, salves et al.—is all up to marketing. But if you'd like a set definition, you can think of lip moisturizers as formulas that include a blend of humectants, emollients, and occlusives to actually send moisture to your lips. This is in comparison to an occlusive-only wax or jelly balm that merely coats the surface—or shiny and plumping numbers that are there for aesthetic purposes only.
Ahead, browse our collection of best lip moisturizers for a thirsty pout.
mindbodygreen lip balm
A good lip moisturizer needs a combination of humectants, emollients, and occlusives to truly deliver hydration (and keep it there), and mindbodygreen's formula includes one high-quality blend. Specifically, there's hyaluronic acid to draw in water and fill up the lips with moisture, shea and cocoa seed butters to smooth out any rough areas, and sunflower seed wax to provide a protective barrier, so all that precious moisture stays locked inside. Plus, vitamin E has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to help heal chapped areas and soothe uncomfortable lip cracks.
lip balm, mindbodygreen ($12)
ILIA Lip Wrap Reviving Balm
ILIA took their beloved, hydrating overnight lip treatment and transformed it into an everyday balm. With hyaluronic acid, squalane, and sea succulent extract, it quenches thirsty lips on contact, while shea butter and lavender and chamomile extracts soothe any irritation. Finally, castor oil and prickly pear oil deliver a host of fatty acids and lock in all that precious moisture.
Lip Wrap Reviving Balm, ILIA ($24)
Vertly Lip Butter
This is, hands down, my favorite tinted lip balm. It offers just a kiss of color in the perfect shade of rose, and the texture is deliciously buttery, thanks to a blend of skin-softening butters and oils.
Lip Butter, Vertly ($20)
Alpha-H Absolute Lip Perfector
This lip serum is the antidote to thirsty, cracked lips: It contains "Hilurlip" technology to infuse the lips with hydrating hyaluronic acid, while cooling peppermint oil instantly calms and creates a plumping effect. Slide it on overnight, and you'll wake up to a smoothed, nourished pout.
Absolute Lip Perfector, Alpha-H ($34.95)
LAWLESS Forget The Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask
The LAWLESS Forget The Filler Lip Plumper became an instant hit—it only makes sense to couple it with an overnight lip-plumping treatment. It calls on the brand's MAXI-LIP technology to visibly increase lip volume, as well as hyaluronic acid and shea butter to leave lips pillow-soft.
Forget The Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask, LAWLESS ($21)
Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm
Rough, flaky lips are no match for this intensely moisturizing balm. A blend of nutrient-rich oils, butters, and peptides protect the skin's barrier and heal any lingering lip cracks. Bonus tip: Feel free to stamp it under your eyes to rehydrate any dry areas.
Lippe Balm, Drunk Elephant ($18)
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy
Colloidal oatmeal is a workhorse humectant that's oh-so-soothing to the skin—the lips included. Glycerin and shea butter also hydrate and soften the delicate area, making this salve a winner for extra-sensitive lips.
Ultra Repair Lip Therapy, First Aid Beauty ($12)
Kinship Supermelt Vegan Lip Jelly Mask
Looking for a lip balm that doubles as a gloss? This tropical delight features a "quick melt" formula, meaning it warms up with your natural body heat and transforms from a balm into an oil, depositing a dewy sheen on your lips. It also contains fermented papaya enzymes to gently exfoliate stubborn flakes.
Supermelt Vegan Lip Jelly Mask, Kinship ($18)
Sahajan Lip Karma
A simple salve that uses castor, rapeseed, and argan oils to soften the lips and offer a subtle shine. It also comes in a mint flavor (which subtly plumps), but this delicious vanilla formula is purely nourishing.
Lip Karma, Sahajan ($19)
beneath your mask Remedy Conditioning Lip Balm
Says the brand, this remedy "glides on like a balm, penetrates like a moisturizer, and treats like a mask" for all-day hydration. We certainly agree: It contains nutrient-rich cocoa butter, shea butter, castor oil, moringa seed oil, and ximenia—an African plum oil filled with fatty acids that condition the skin.
Remedy Conditioning Lip Balm, beneath your mask ($22)
DedCool Watermelon Balm Stick
Remember those candy-like lip balms of your childhood? Well, this watermelon-flavored dream is bound to give you some nostalgia—but with aloe vera, avocado oil, shea butter, and macadamia nut oil, it's just as moisturizing as it is fun.
Watermelon Balm Stick, DedCool ($10)
Bite Beauty Agave Lip Butter Balm
The stars of this formula are mango butter and agave nectar, two ingredients long beloved for conditioning and hydrating parched lips. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this lip balm is the definition of buttery: It glides on so smoothly and immediately melts in the lips. We also can't ignore the elevated gold packaging, which is made from recycled aluminum.
Agave Lip Butter Balm, Bite Beauty ($22)
Grown Alchemist Lip Balm
Another lip balm that can pass as a gloss—either layer on your favorite lip color or leave the slight sheer to dazzle on its own. Most importantly, the texture is smooth and soothing, never leaving a sticky residue on your lips.
Lip Balm, Grown Alchemist ($23)
Kjaer Weis Lip Balm
Kjaer Weis' is known for their iconic, chic packaging, and their sleek lip balm does not disappoint. The salve inside certainly lives up to its casing: With sweet almond oil, sunflower seed oil, and rosehip oil, the formula beautifully softens the skin and offers fast-absorbing moisture. It's a bit pricier for an everyday lip balm, especially if you're one to quickly blow through product after product, but the luxurious packaging is a one-time buy—and doubles as decor.
Lip Balm, Kjaer Weis ($39)
Weleda Skin Food Lip Butter
It's a classic for a reason: This simple blend of pansy, calendula, and chamomile extracts in a base of sunflower seed oil soothes and strengthens the delicate lip skin, and it has remained a favorite among beauty fans for years. It leaves behind a glossy sheen without appearing too greasy, and (bonus) it makes a fabulous cuticle oil, too.
Skin Food Lip Butter, Weleda ($6.99)
mbg's review process.
At mbg, high standards are earned—and there are no shortcuts. Our beauty editors stay up to date on the latest ingredient research and innovation. It's a dynamic, continuously evolving space, and it's important we look into the science so we can make informed choices about which formulas earn our stamp of approval (figuratively speaking).
Our high standards also come from testing products—many, many products. Our editors and writers rigorously test and research the products featured in our roundups to offer you the best, most informed recommendations. When we write reviews, you can trust we spend quality time with the formulas: We don't simply rave about products we've slathered on the back of our hand. We endorse products we've tried and loved.
Learn more about our testing process and clean beauty standards here.
