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14 of the best lip balms for when your lips aren't feeling cute
Because dry lips = the worst
I think we can all agree that chapped lips are the absolute worst. The dry, tight feeling that comes with it and the flaking... Ugh. On top of that dry, parched lips make the worst possible base for any colour you apply on top.
To treat your sore lips, it can help to figure out what's causing the flaking in the first place. Trust us there can be a multitude of reasons.
One is a change in the weather. Cold temperatures have the same effect on your lips as they do on the rest of your skin, causing them to feel dry, tight and sore. On top of that, whacking up the central heating to combat the chill can make matters worse and cause your lips to freak out even further in the dry heat.
This is why we recommend if you have flakes, tackle them with a lip scrub before slathering on your new lip balm.
Luckily, there are about a million lip care products on the market... ok, yes an ever-so-slight exaggeration but there are loads to choose from.
The choice is helpful, yes – but also not super useful to narrow down what one is best for you. Not all lip balms are created equal or with the same hydrating and nourishing ingredients.
Are you looking for a lip balm that’s mega multi-tasking and can tackle your cuticles, brows and every dry bit in between? A lanolin-based formula like Lanolips Ointment is great for easing dryness immediately.
Glossier’s Balm Dotcom offers hydration with a subtle hint of colour so you can use it to awaken your complexion on the go too.
All of our picks below offer something different so have a little scroll and see what balm piques your interest…
Indeed Labs Hydraluron Tinted Lip Treatment
A round of applause please if you will for this Cosmo Summer Beauty Awards winning lip balm.
Our beauty director was so impressed with Indeed Lab's latest launch that we had to crown it our winner.
It comes in two shades red and pink, but our favourite has to be the red for the healthy flush it gives your lips.
Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour SPF15 Rhubarb
A spin on the Lanolips original ointment, this tinted balm comes in four shades for a touch of colour (Rose, Rhubarb, Perfect Nude and Apple.) The lanolin-rich conditioner makes your lips feel hella supple and the slight colour gives a nice delicate hue to the lips, even if you have been hit by a touch of frost.
Loved by beauty editors, Dior's Lip Glow Lip Balm cleverly adjusts to the moisture balance in your skin, creating your own custom shade.
Now available in 11 shades to suit every skin tone, it takes the place of both your lipstick and balm.
As Miss Carpenter says, "That's that me, espresso". The song of the summer may be stuck in our heads but so is the coffee-esque hue donning everyone's lips at the moment.
The butter balm consistency makes your lips feel heavenly smooth and doesn't have that thick, off-putting gloopy consistency that other balms can have. Plus, the shade 'Iced Coffee' delivers that enviably subtle 90s nude. Believe the hype.
ESPA Pink Pomelo Lip Balm 10g
This balm is just shy of a full five stars on Look Fantastic, 4.84 to be precise. 0.16th of a star away, with the vast majority of reviews rating five star. So it's safe to say it lives up to its big reputation.
The 100% natural balm is made with grapefruit oil, pomegranate and wild mango, and if that doesn't have you salivating, the convenient handbag size pot has a tiny mirror in the lid. So smart.
One of the brand’s bestselling products and you can see why when you use it. The lanolin, castor oil and beeswax make this balm formula soft to apply and hydrating. Oh, and we have to talk about the scents and flavours. There are 9 to choose from but personally we love one of the later additions, wild fig.
Caudalie Lip Conditioner
While it's the brand's detox mask and Grape Water that have blown up on TikTok, we'd like to give a shout out to this trusty Lip Conditioner. Though the neat bullet of balm is packed with shea butter and a sweet orange fragrance, Grape is of course a religion for the vineyard born brand. It's made with grape-seed oil, to nourish and repair dry skin, and boasts antioxidant-rich grape polyphenols help to protect from environmental stressors.
If you like a balm that’s not too… glossy, then this from Nuxe is a great shout. The texture of this is more matte than the others so if you’re hydrating your lips before applying a matte lip colour this won’t alter the finish.
These balms are made from 100% natural ingredients with the main one of course being beeswax for optimum moisture.
Original Nipple Balm for Lips
Made from medical grade lanolin this balm is heavy duty; for dry skin, luscious lips & glossy bits. A little goes a long way and it leave your lips looking and feeling seriously glossy. Be warned, it solidifies when it’s cold so it takes a bit of welly getting it out of the tube.
Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 15ml
Protecting your lips from the elements and packed with vitamin E, soothing aloe vera, almond oil and hydrating squalane, this balm is everything you'd expect from Khiel's, with a glossy finish. While the OG is unscented it's also available in cranberry, pear, mango, mint.
Tropic LIP FUDGE plumping lip conditioner
Natural? Tick. Nourishing? Tick. Touch of colour? Tick! These conditioners give a lovely plump feel when you rub it in. A welcomed change if your lips also currently feel like shrivelled raisins.
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Balm SPF 15
Such a classic lip balm (anyone else have these at the bottom of their school bag too?) this is infused with cocoa butter (obvs) and vitamin E to prevent chapped and cracked lips. And it has spf 15.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Kiss Cupuaçu Lip Butter 6.2g
If you love the scent of the Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum range then you’ll love this! The formula consists of cupuaçu butter, açaí oil, and coconut oil for ultimate hydration.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
Elena Chabo is Cosmopolitan UK's former beauty writer, working on everything from buzzy celeb news and trending beauty, to sincere first-person reviews and engaging video content for social media. She also creates meatier features and expert-led how-to guides, for print and online. Her passion for Black beauty, textured hair, and the ways beauty interacts with culture, society, identity and relationships, quickly took over her writing career and led her into beauty journalism. Following an MA in Magazine Journalism in 2017, she cut her teeth across various roles at Stylist Magazine, before taking on a Digital Writer role at Good Housekeeping. It was here that beauty took centre stage and she launched and ran the site's first stand-alone beauty section. Remaining at Hearst, she joined the Cosmo beauty team in 2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
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