Since lips are typically very exposed body parts and easily susceptible to feelings of dried out, chapped, or environmental intrusion, they are often one of the most sensitive areas of our bodies. The right lip balm can provide moisture and protect, soothe, nourish, and even feel and represent a bit of class. In this guide, we will dive into the world of lip balms and lip care, promulgating everything from ingredients in lip balms to the most endorsed lip balms worldwide.
Why Lip Balm?
The big difference with the skin on our lips is that they do not have any oil glands. Thus, they don’t naturally produce moisture, so outside exposure, whether it be ice cold, wind, sun or just dry heat inside a building, can contribute to their natural moisture barrier being depleted quickly. In an mph degree, lip balms help to seal in moisture and provide a way to protect the lips from intrusiveness and harshness by locking in that natural moisturizer more.
What To Look For In A Lip Balm?
We identified some specific words that you should be looking for in an ideal product. Here are some things to note,
- Hydration: Lip balms’ primary job is moisturization. Shea butter, cocoa butter and various natural oils are good ingredients to consider.
- Longevity: a good balm will last for hours and not require constant reapplication.
- Texture: Balms should have a comfortable feel and not be sticky, greasy, or waxy.
- Ingredients: Be aware of irritating additives, such as synthetic fragrances, parabens, and harmful preservatives.
Choose naturally nourishing ingredients.
Added Bonus: Some balms may have SPF protection, tint, and plumping.
Best Lip Oil
1. Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss
The Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss is impressive due to its cool packaging and the product itself! The formulation has a fantastic ingredient list, including hyaluronic acid and evening primrose oil – nourishing botanicals. This gloss is an oil with some color and a slight plumping effect without the typical glossiness. Makeup artist Jenna Menard recommends the shade Unzipped, a soft nude with frosted shimmer that looks good on many skin tones. Hailey Bieber is a fan, too!
It keeps chapped lips smooth even during winter. It lacks the traditional medicinal feel of typical lip balms and instead glides on smoothly, hydrating without a tacky finish. Alanna wears the shade Dip, a sparkling brown-pink shimmer color that goes very well with her everyday makeup and is not out of place if she is wearing nothing at all!
- Key ingredients: peptides, evening primrose oil, Hyaluronic acid
- Shades: 9
- Size: 0.2 fl oz
✅ Pros: Not sticky, paraben-free
❌ Cons: Mildly scented; some problems with leaking, packaging
2. Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil
Gisou’s Honey-Infused Lip Oil will give dry lips the highest gloss shine and great nourishment. It can be added as a top coat for your lip color, over the top of a clear balm, or worn alone to achieve a gloss without color.
It is a long-lasting oil that provides hydration through amazing ingredients like HoneyHoney, bee-garden oils and hyaluronic acid. It appears golden in the tube but comes clear and smells super sweet!
- Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, HoneyHoney bee garden oils
- Shades: 6
- Size: 0.27 oz.
✅ Pros: Nonsticky, glossy, plumping, gluten-free.
❌ Cons: Higher price point; some users mentioned being careful to mislead the golden color initially.
3. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil
The Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil starts as jelly and melts into a hydrating oil. Celebrity makeup artist Spickard recommends it for its long-lasting stain and moisture-retentive feel, which are attributed to jojoba seed oil and sunflower seed oil.
The formula starts thick and shiny, drying to a tinted stain that stays through eating and drinking. Because the color payoff is so high, it doesn’t require constant reapplying.
Key ingredients: sunflower seed and Jojoba seed oil
Available shades: 8
Size: 0.10 oz.
✅ Pros: Long-wearing, lightweight, not sticky
❌ Cons: Highly pigmented—probably not a good choice for anyone wanting the most subtle tint of color
4. Milk Makeup Kush Lip Oil
We’re recommending Milk Makeup’s Kush Lip Oil, thanks to Spickard, its hydrating vegan formula, and its not-sticky lightweight feel with a silky smooth finish. Works alone works with lipstick as a layer. Hemp seed oil, sunflower oil, and camellia japonica seed oil provide a smooth application and weightless feel.
The scent of the oil was pleasant, and it wasn’t sticky. However, do note to reapply often, as the formula only lasts about 40 minutes!
- Key ingredients: sunflower seed and Hemp seed oil, camellia japonica seed oil
- Shades available: 6
- Size: 19 oz.
✅ Pros: Sheer, nonsticky & pleasant scent
❌ Cons: Short wear time; will require multiple reapplications to wear through the day.
5. Fenty Skin Cherry Treat Conditioning + Strengthening Lip Oil
The Fenty Skin Cherry Treat Lip Oil comes with Cherry seed oil and Jojoba seed oil, which is richer in conditioning and shines more on the lips. Kilkeary said it felt like a hydrating treatment and smelled like a sweet, fruity gloss formula. The clarifying formula involves fruit extracts and dimethicone for a silky yet weightless feel.
She really loved how soft and plump her lips felt after using it, and it has quickly become one of her go-to products. While some have stated that it wears more like a gloss than an oil, the soothing benefits cannot be denied.
- Key ingredients: jojoba seed and Cherry seed oil
- Shades available: 4
- Size: .19 oz.
✅ Pros: ultra-hydrating, cruelty-free, lightly tinted
❌ Cons: scent may not be for everyone, small size for the price, gloss-like texture may not be for everyone
6. InnBeauty Project Lip Oil
InnBeauty Project Lip Oil is a top contender for “first lip oil” for someone who has never tried lip oils. Enriched with red root and jojoba oils for deep hydration, along with fermented pomegranate, which provides gentle exfoliation, this formula visibly improves lip texture. It makes lips look smooth and supple without cracks or dryness after application. Most importantly, it plumps naturally, with no stinging or irritation. The product line has several shades to choose from, plus the plush doe foot applicator makes it a perfect starter lip oil.
- Key ingredients: jojoba AND Red root oil, fermented pomegranate.
- Shades available: 10
- Size: 0.2 oz.
✅ Pros: Multiple shades available; non-sticky; good scent; bigger application
❌ Cons: Overpriced for the amount of product given.
7. Clarins Lip Comfort Oil
Clarins Lip Comfort Oil was around long before lip oils and still does it well! The formula is made with 100% pure plant oils: deep-moisturizing oils of sweetbriar rose, hazelnut, and jojoba. Spickard, the makeup artist, loves the moisture and shine! It’s a little stickier than other lip oils, with rich colors and yummy scents. The raspberry color gives lips a juicy pink wash of color with a soft, glossy finish.
- Key Ingredients: hazelnut oil, jojoba and organic sweetbriar rose oil
- Shades Available: 10
- Size: 0.2 oz.
✅ Pros: Deeply hydrating; glossy finish; user-friendly applicator
❌ Cons: More of a stickier gloss-like texture
8. Bobbi Brown Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss
Bobbi Brown’s Crushed Oil-Infused Gloss is fabulous for shine with no lack of color! The gloss comes in various colors—nude to deep, fall tones—and has both gloss and shimmer versions available. It is a gentle formula infused with skincare that glides on smoothly and isn’t sticky like a traditional gloss. The applicator is brilliant and allows for a clean, easy application. It has enough pigment for everyday wear, or you can take it fancy when you want some shine for a special occasion.
- Key Ingredients: jojoba seed oil, coffee seed and apricot kernel oil
- Shades Available: 12
- Size: 0.2 oz.
Advantages: Additional colors are available and easy to apply and wear on lips.
❌ Cons: Lightly scented; does not layer well with different products.
9. e.l.f. The Glow Reviver Lip Oil
There’s no need to spend tons on lip oils; e.l.f.’s Glow Reviver Lip Oil is evidence of that. Beauty editor Jessica Fields, who writes primarily for REFINERY 29, likes the design, especially the gua-sha-like applicator that hugs the lips. She swears by Pink Quartz, a rosy tint and glossy finish that accentuates natural lip color. For under $10, however quietly, this lip oil is packed with high-end ingredients such as squalane, apricot, avocado, and jojoba oil.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, avocado oil, jojoba and apricot oil
- Shades Available: 10, in all
- Size: 0.25 oz.
✅ Pros: Vegan, cruelty-free, not sticky, unique applicator.
❌ Cons: Does not layer well over lipstick.
10. Typology Tinted Lip Oil
Typology’s Tinted Lip Oil nourishes lips and delivers some color, too! This might be the best travel-friendly option for deeper skin tone. Jessica Fields shines a light on the Black Cherry shade as her favorite, claiming that it creates a blackberry-toned stain and the perfect glossy finish—especially when paired with a brown liner—it’s her go-to lip color combo. The lightweight formula infused with squalane, pure jojoba oil, and vitamin E is lightweight and offers long-lasting moisture. Although it is more expensive, it’s worth the splurge for the color comfort.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, pure jojoba oil, vitamin E
- Shades: 7 Shades
- Size: 0.50 fl. oz.
✅ Pros: Glossy, buildable color; leaves a lasting stain
❌ Cons: More expensive based on tube size
11. Vacation Inc Chardonnay Lip Screen Lip Oil
For the customer who wants lip care with added sun protection, Vacation Inc Chardonnay Lip Screen Lip Oil is a winner. Alanna Martine Kilkeary uses it all year, but especially for sunny outings. This lip oil features SPF 30 and a hydrating blend of grapeseed oil, hyaluronic acid, and peptides to keep your lips protected, plump, and glossy. It has a vanilla-caramel-scented flavor and subtle shimmer for added appeal. It is great worn alone or as a top lip gloss over lipstick.
- Key ingredients: Vitamin E, peptides, hyaluronic acid
- Shades available: 1 (clear)
- Size: 0.2 fl. oz.
✅ Pros: Sun protection (SPF 30); moisturizing and plumping; glossy finish
❌ Cons: Only available in 1 clear shade
12. Saie Beauty Glossybounce Lip Oils
If you want a shimmering finish that still hydrates, check out Saie Beauty’s Glossybounce Lip Oils. It is noticeable how it looks like a gloss but has the luxurious feel of nourishing oil. It’s nonsticky but topics all night, from the thicknesses and gloss, deliver a gloss disturbed by oil and pigmented color. Each color comes in shades of coral peach to warm nude shimmer and mauve with a bit of shine. Kilkeary noted that each shade still stood out with an intense color payoff, which is something that many lip oils don’t always do.
- Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, shea butter
- Shades available: 9
- Size: 0.17 oz.
✅ Pros: Wearable comfort; add a high-gloss level without a stick; gorgeous color shades.
❌ Cons: Possible scent that not everyone will like
13. Jouer Tinted Lip Oil
If you want a lip oil that promotes lip health and adds color, then the Jouer Tinted Lip Oil is for you. It’s formulated with vitamin E, apricot oil, and jojoba seed oil, which are claimed to nourish over time while providing a glossy tinted color. Based on the meaning of the brand’s name, makeup artist Spickard states that the brand’s founder, Christina Zilber, is still very involved in product development; thus, the brand was up to high standards. It comes in many multi-use colors that can be worn alone and layered over other lip products.
- Key ingredients: Vitamin E, apricot oil, jojoba seed oil
- Shades available: 6
- Size: 0.16 fl. oz.
✅ Pros: fragrance-free; not sticky; suitable for layering.
❌ Cons: Quantity for price
14. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Bee Glow Lip Oil
The runner-up, closely behind Dior’s cult favorite, is this impressive and luxurious product, Guerlain Kiss Kiss Bee Glow Lip Oil. This luxury lip oil includes Corsican Honey Honey and propolis, which provide intense moisture and smooth and soften lips. The high-shine sheer tint provides shine to your lips without stickiness or heaviness.
It has a slightly shorter wear time than Dior’s, but its creamy texture and lightly honey-scented consistency make putting it on enjoyable. There are six shades, and it feels like a luxury.
- Key ingredients: Corsican HoneyHoney, propolis
- Shades available: 6
- Size: 9 mL
✅ Pros: Glossy, nonsticky finish; creamy and hydrating
❌ Cons: Not a lot of shades; slightly shorter wear time
15. Merit Shade Slick Gelée Sheer Tinted Lip Oil
If you love long-lasting stain and shine, you will love the Shade Slick Gelée by Merit. This lip oil is like a stain. With a lightweight feel and glossy finish, it provides a natural-looking stain effect that you can see develop as it warms up on the lips. This lip oil has squalane and quinoa seed oil for some hydration, but it would be a little more hydrating if it were richer than it is. This product could be an excellent option if you love that long-wear tint without having to pile on multiple products.
- Key ingredients: Squalane, quinoa seed oil
- Shades available: 4
- Size: 7 mL
✅ Pros: Staining effect with gloss; sheer but pigmented
❌ Cons: Not as moisturizing as the other formulas
16. YSL Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss
YSL’s Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss provides a sophisticated blend of nourishment and plumping benefits. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, pepper oils and spicy ginger, it offers hydration/contribution and has a bold, tingling experience. The plumping experience starts a few minutes after application, leaving noticeably pouty lips, especially around the edges. While the use of spice may not be suitable for those with sensitivity, this is a breathtaking option if you are a bold shine seeker who also appreciates stunning plumpness!
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, ginger oil, pepper oil
- Shades available: 9
- Size: 6 mL
✅ Pros: Distinct plumping effect; nonsticky feeling; high shine
❌ Cons: The tingling feeling can be annoying for sensitive lips.
17. Milani Fruit Fetish Lip Oil
Milani Fruit Fetish Lip Oil is a great, affordable option that is both accessible and highly effective. It is infused with vitamin E, which provides nourishment with a lip oil gel-like consistency that smooths the lip line and provides a subtle shine. Each color also has a fruity flavor that adds to your experience. It is lightly pigmented; however, it does complement a variety of everyday wear options as well as layering with other products.
- Key Ingredients: Vitamin E
- Available Shades: 8
- Size: 0.14 ounces
✅ Pros: Nice fruity scent, layers well, inexpensive
❌ Cons: No color payoff
18. Milk Makeup Odyssey Lip Oil Gloss
With the benefits of oil plus the high shine of a gloss, the Milk Makeup Odyssey Lip Oil Gloss is a go-to for everyday use.
It hydrates lips like good-quality oil, such as jojoba, cloudberry seed oil, and goji berry extract. It is very lightweight and doesn’t feel sticky like some glosses. Ranging from soft baby pinks to bold plum purples, it is not only effective but quite versatile as well.
- Key Ingredients: goji berry extract, Jojoba oil, cloudberry seed oil.
- Shades Available: 8
- Size: 6.5 mL
✅ Pros: Nonsticky, moisturizing, range of shades.
❌ Cons: None worth mentioning.
19. Etude House Dear Darling Oil Tint
As it is supposed to be with K-beauty, the Etude House Dear Darling Oil Tint gives that trendy popsicle-stain look while maintaining sheerness and glossiness. Lightweight and infused with castor oil, it provides a pigmented stain that lasts once the shine disappears. Although it is not the most hydrating formula on the list, its easy wearability and flattering color make it a favorite of Korean lip tints.
- Key ingredients: Castor Oil
- Shades available: 6
- Size: 4 mL
✅ Pros: Lasting tint, lightweight and nonsticky, and suitable for layering.
❌ Cons: Not super hydrating
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, the best lip oil will depend on what you need for yourself: hydration, glossiness, plumpness or lasting color. You want the best lip oil to work well and feel good. You’d also want nutritionally rich ingredients.
You want conditioning and sustainable ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, natural plant oils, botanicals and vitamins to keep your lips feeling soft, smooth and supple. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something moisturizing, the consistency should help improve the texture of your lips with daily use.
A good lip oil is more than a simple moisturizing gloss; it can enhance the look of your natural lip color, layer over another product, and improve your lip’s texture with use. Whether you opt for a tinted sheen, a neutral gloss, or a glittery second layer, a good lip oil will leave your lips looking and feeling juicy, healthy, and well-maintained without adding any stickiness or heaviness.
FAQS About Best Lip Oil 2025
1. What is lip oil, and how does it differ from lip balm or lip gloss?
Lip oil is a lightweight lip product made from hydrating oils (natural oils like jojoba, coconut, sunflower seed oils, vitamins or hyaluronic acid). It is formulated to nourish clients’ lips while providing thin, glossy coverage.
Lip oil vs. lip balm: Lip balm is thicker and more waxy, designed to protect and provide longer relief on dry and/or cracked lips. Lip oils absorb faster, feel lighter, and provide deep nourishment, but they are not as long-lasting as lip balm.
Lip oil vs. lip gloss: Lip gloss is essentially color and shine, tacky, and does not provide much moisturizing benefit. Lip oils can provide shine, but they are more natural and intended to nourish and hydrate, not just shine.
2. What are the advantages of using lip oil?
Deeply hydrating: Well-hydrated lips are the best. Soft, supple, healthy lips reflect moisture. Lip oils penetrate the lips and replenish moisture levels.
Nourishment: Lip oils are full of vitamins and essential fatty acids, which will also repair and protect the appearance of your lips.
Nonsticky comfort: Glosses are often sticky, while lip oils feel light and comfortable.
Subtle shine: Your lips will have a nice, juicy finish that feels natural without being sticky or overwhelming.
Versatile: You can wear lip oil alone, underneath another product, or on its own overnight for extreme repair and hydration.
Layerable: Lip oils will absorb into your lips and replenish moisture levels.
3. Which ingredients should I look for in the best lip oil?
When looking for the best lip oils, identify hydrating, nourishing, and barrier ingredients, such as:
1. Jojoba oil acts like a natural oil deposited on your skin to hydrate deeply.
2. Coconut oil hydrates the skin while providing a protective barrier that helps things cling to moisture.
3. Avocado oil is a means of solace and hydration. It is loaded with vitamins and fatty acids that soothe the skin.
4. Sweet almond oil hydrates and features vitamins.
5. Hyaluronic acid helps retain moisture on the surface of your skin and gives it plumpness.
6. Vitamin E: that you can heal or protect what is one of the thinnest layers of delicate skin in the body.
7. Honey: a humectant and anti-microbial, adds extra nourishment.
4. Is lip oil better than lip balm?
While lip oil and lip balm do similar things, they serve similar purposes differently. Lip oils are generally more nourishing and provide deeper hydration with a lighter feel and glossy finish, but do not typically last as long as balms.
Lip balms are thicker, more occlusive, and last longer than lip oils, especially in extreme or drying conditions. Ultimately, your choice will depend on whether you prioritize texture or shine and how long you want the product to last.
5. Can I wear lip oil daily?
Lip oil can be worn every day. Because it contains nourishing and hydrating properties, most lip oils are suitable for daily use and allow your lips to stay soft and healthy.