The Great Lip Balm Showdown
Trying — and rating — 10 of the most popular lip products
It happened — the first cracked lip of the season. I can’t believe it was so early, especially as a girl (woman?) who has a designated lip balm for every corner of her apartment. I’m not kidding.
Bold claim alert: our society has officially reached peak lip balm. Every brand and their mom has a lip products these days, and I understand why.
The margins are great and the product turnover is fast. They’re a reliable AOV (average order value) booster, an always-alluring impulse buy. You can own multiple and keep them in the rotation at all times, meaning there’s never a max capacity per individual. They sit perfectly at the intersection between skincare and makeup. They’re Instagrammable, giftable, and losable (which means even more buyable).
IDK, something about lip balm brings out the inner capitalist in me. Who could blame me? They’re FUN. Other reasons why I love lip balm:
they’re a great prop to have on hand for a) an oral fixation or b) an awkward lull in conversation
they’re the perfect little non-edible treat
dry lips are one of the worst feelings in the world, and lip balms are our only* savior
Lip balms are one of the best parts of girlhood. They’re a form of self-expression. Some people express their moods through clothes or fragrances. I express mine through my lip balm choice of the day. That feels valid, right?
As you could guess, I’m about to rank the most popular lip balms of the modern day, but first, let’s align on some basics.
Do you need a lip balm?
Yeah. You do. Even if you’re a straight man, if you could believe it. Our lips are so sensitive, and they need a moisturizer, just like the rest of our faces!
I also want to address the bad press lip balm got in the early aughts — we all heard the rumor that they actually make your lips MORE dry, forcing you into a cycle of dependency on your EOS ball or whatever. While there may be some truth to that, the reality is that an actually good lip balm will create fewer reapplications. This leads me to my next point —
What makes for a good lip balm?
First, the ingredients. You’re going to want a mix of emollients (moisture adders), humectants (moisture attractors), and occlusives (moisture retainers).
My lip balm ranking system is three-pronged.
Texture - this speaks for itself. I can’t have a lip balm that’s too wet, too clumpy, too gooey, or too sticky. Goldilocks who?
Efficacy - I mean, duh. In the wise words of RuPaul, you better work bitch!
Flavor - Because flavor is unnecessary to a lip balm’s utility, this factor has the potential to ruin a lip balm for no good reason. However, if the flavor is good, well then we’re even better than we started. A real double-or-nothing situation.
The Key Players
Let’s talk about the big names in the lip balm game these days.
If you haven’t seen a Summer Fridays lip balm online, I’d love to know which rock you’re living under.
Makers of everyone’s favorite salt spray, Tower 28, has a balm of their own.
Rhode’s Lip Peptide Treatment is a favorite of phone cases everywhere.
Eadem makes Le Chouchou, an exfoliating + softening balm.
Experiment Beauty might win for best name with their Softwear lip balm.
The one who started it all, Miss Balm Dotcom, from our friends at Glossier.
Another brand I’ve written about, Topicals, makes Slick Salve.
I didn’t realize how crazy people go for Ole Henriksen, so I’m giving their Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment a shot.
The French pharmacy version of vaseline, Doré’s Le Baume.
Since this is a balm ranking, that’s the product of Laneige’s I’ll be trying (not the mask).
I can’t possibly try every lip balm ever invented, so for the purposes of this showdown, we’re starting a step above drug store. And I’m capping it at 10. If I missed an absolute essential, let me know and perhaps I’ll do a round 2. Here we go.
Summer Fridays
At this point, Summer Fridays’s Lip Butter Balm is old news, particularly to my Zillennial girlies. I took a whiff of their recently viral Iced Coffee flavor, and wow. Someone check on Sabrina Carpenter, because this is that me espresso (so sorry, I had to at least try to make something work there).
Their Pink Sugar flavor is my favorite of their line up; it’s noticeably hydrating while offering a subtle tint of pink, with a taste reminiscent of my childhood favorite Lip Smackers. I’d say this is the platonic ideal of balms — it’s setting the new standard.
Price: $24
Hero Ingredients: Shea & Murumuru Seed Butters, Vegan Waxes, “Pink Sugar”
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Tower 28
I love Tower 28’s SOS spray and moisturizer, but much to my chagrin, the lip balm doesn’t do it for me. It’s a little too wet for my liking; it eagerly drips out of the awkwardly circular nozzle. I also found myself needing to reapply it frequently, which, as we know, is the cardinal sin of lip balms. Their lip gloss, however, is a different story…
Price: $16
Hero Ingredients: Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Lysine
Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5
Rhode
This brand needs no extra press, and yet here I am, proclaiming my love for their products over and over again. This is one of the only real deal celebrity brands, and if you want to see me become enamored with Hailey and what she’s built with Rhode in real time, I’ll point you back to this deep dive.
The TLDR: the attention to detail is unmatched and the products are genuinely good, particularly the peptide treatment that brought my lips back to life last winter.
Price: $18
Hero Ingredients: Shea Butter, Cupuaçu, Peptide, Babassu
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Eadem
Le Chouchou is the only product I’ve tried from Eadem, and truth be told, I love her. I have this in the clear, unscented Butter Mochi flavor, which still has a subtly sweet taste. I’ll admit it’s a little thicker and stickier than I’d like in my lip balm, but I make an exception for this one because it manages to both exfoliate and hydrate my lips. Plus, I’m a sucker for their branding.
Because of the aforementioned thickness / stickiness and lack of tint, my preferred use case for this one is as an overnight lip mask. That being said, my friends adore the tinted shades, particularly Fig Sauce (I’m looking at you Daise, even though the odds you read this are slim to none).
Price: $24
Hero Ingredients: Hibiscus Enzymes, Lactic Acid, Brazilian Açaí Butter, SpreadIt™ Polymer Technology, Hexapeptide, African Mongongo Butter
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Experiment Beauty
Experiment Beauty is blowing up, and their lip balm, Softwear, is the star of the show (IMO). It’s a bit smaller than its lip product peers, but it’s no less effective. It’s actually unflavored, and deeply hydrating in a way where I don’t have to reapply it over and over. Plus, the texture is fantastic — it seeps into your lips quickly so you can drink water shortly after applying. This is important for me.
Price: $16
Hero Ingredients: Squalane, Glycerin, Water, Petrolatum, Hydroxycaprylic Acid
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Glossier
This could be the most storied beauty product of our generation. Balm Dotcom is as reliable as ever now that they brought back the original formula that everyone (except for vegans) fell in love with. I do think the competition caught up to it, so its powerful moisturizing properties are not as unique as they once were.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that BDC is a classic and it always will be. Bonus points because it’s fantastic for cuticles.
Price: $16
Hero Ingredients: Castor Seed Oil, Beeswax, Lanolin, Rice Bran + Rosemary Leaf Extracts
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Topicals
I’ve previously written about my appreciation for nearly everything Topicals creates, digitally speaking, and the way their Faded Under Eye Masks make a noticeable difference with my genetically dark under eyes. With all of this in mind, I was excited to dive deeper into the brand’s product catalogue, and Slick Salve was next on my list.
This is a good ass lip balm, in both the texture and moisturizing departments. Be warned — the flavor is minty, which I know some of you weirdos are averse to. I personally am not offended by the pop of menthol, however, I can see how it would make for a, shall we say, chilling experience come wintertime.
Price: $16
Hero Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, Ceramides, Rice Bran Wax
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Ole Henriksen
This Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment (there’s no way I was keeping a straight face while typing that) is a scenario in which the flavor adds to an otherwise, for lack of a better word, “mid” lip balm experience.
The only reason I chose this strawberry sorbet because the Sephora I was perusing was out of original, and looking back on it, I think that was for the best. This lip balm tastes exactly like these gummy candies, which is the main reason I like it. Otherwise, it’s perfectly fine, but nothing to write home about. Sorry to disappoint my Ole enthusiasts.
Price: $22
Hero Ingredients: Scandinavian Cloudberry Oil (whoa), Kokum + Mango Seed Butter, “Lip Specific Peptides”
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Doré
Le Baume has a special place in my heart because it feels like my little secret. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: more people need to be using Doré’s products. They have all the efficacy and elegance of a luxury brand with a surprisingly low price tag.
If Vaseline was non-toxic, it would be Le Baume. I keep one of these next to my bed year round, and she makes it all the way to my purse in the winter months.
Price: $12 (a steal!)
Hero Ingredients: Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Aloe Vera
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Laneige
Name wise, Lip Glowy Balm is… a choice. They don’t have an unflavored option, so I went for the closest thing to it, which, according to my calculations, is vanilla. In the nicest way possible, this tastes pretty artificial. I don’t know why I expected otherwise, but in my defense, it was either that or Gummy Bear. It’s not bad at its primary job, lip balming, but because I have other aforementioned options, I can’t see myself reaching for this one.
Price: $19
Hero Ingredients: Shea and Murumuru Seed Butters
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
The Big Takeaways:
If you’re looking for a clean Vaseline, Doré’s Le Baume is your girl.
For a no-frills, hard-working balm, go with Experiment Beauty.
If you love the feeling of post-teethbrushing-freshness, you’ll love Topicals.
If you want to taste literal iced coffee, you’ll enjoy Summer Fridays.
If you want to feel glamorous while you exfoliate, treat yourself to Eadem.
For those looking to “build community” go with a cult-favorite: Rhode or Glossier.
*Oh, and remember: none of this matters if you don’t drink enough water. Bye!
That’s all for now. Reply to this email or leave a comment if you want to reach me. :)
I wait all year to buy the Laneiege lip mask in the limited edition Christmas peppermint flavor. I find the other scents too sweet and annoying. Also the line about having a dedicated lip balm for each corner of your apartment? That made me feel seen LOL. I need to get Nuxe Reve de Miel, the one in the pot, for this winter.
Ok! Too many people sleep on Naturium lip products, truly. Pillowy, great colors and inexpensive! Also, I love lano lips, too.
Unfortunately, I was one of the girls who Rhode caused irritation for which was a very upsetting thing for me 🥲
That being said, for truly cracked lips: I love doing a little hyaluronic acid on my lips at night followed by some sort of petrolatum.