Found: The 14 Best Lip Moisturizers Of 2023 That *Actually* Put In The Work

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.

ILIA took its beloved, hydrating overnight lip treatment and transformed the product 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.  

Kjaer Weis' is known for iconic, chic packaging, and its sleek lip balm does not disappoint—but 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). 

The LAWLESS Forget The Filler Lip Plumper became an instant hit—so it only makes sense to the brand also offers an overnight lip-plumping treatment to complement the smoothing gloss. It calls on the brand's MAXI-LIP technology to visibly increase lip volume, but the treatment also packs hyaluronic acid and shea butter to leave lips pillow-soft. 

Colloidal oatmeal is a workhorse humectant that's oh-so-soothing to the skin—the lips included. A winner for extra-sensitive lips, the formula also contains glycerin and shea butter to hydrate and soften the delicate area.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Meet a simple salve that uses castor, rapeseed, and argan oils to soften the lips while still leaving a subtle shine. A favorite of shoppers for winter, it comes in a handful of intoxicating scents like chai, coconut, and mint (which subtly plums). Our pick is this delicious vanilla formula; it's purely nourishing and smells incredible.

As a beauty editor, this author goes through a lot of different formulas—but 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.  Plus, a little goes a long way to get that bold berry finish.

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.

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. Luckily, it's just as affordable as your favorite flavored lip balms of your youth, too.

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. 

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. The formula leaves behind a glossy sheen without appearing too greasy, and (bonus) it makes a fabulous cuticle oil, too.