Lip Balm Has Had A Facelift. Meet This Summer’s Hottest Beauty Accessory.

Goodbye, chapped lips.

lip balm

by Verity Clark |
Updated on

The humble lip balm, a mainstay of coat pockets and handbags everywhere, has long been an everyday essential. Handy, reliable and a little bit boring. Until now. Space NK has seen searches for ‘lip treatment’ rocket by 283% in the past year, while Sephora reports an uptick of 440% interest in their own-brand lip balm. The basic balm’s meteoric rise up the status ranks is also evident on TikTok – where else? – where #TintedLipBalms has racked up over 70 million views.

Sure, Chapstick, Vaseline and Carmex are trusty chapped lip companions, but they’re not exactly sexy. The new breed of balm – tinted, stuffed with active skincare ingredients and pretty enough to be papped – are no ordinary ointments.

A bold red lip screams ‘look at me’. A simple swipe of tinted balm? Low-key and très chic. Just askSofia Coppola. The director was distressed to learn that her favourite pink lipstick had been discontinued, but a quick call to skincare behemoth Professor Augustinus Bader saw the German scientist rustle up three subtly pigmented versions of his OG lip balm formula (another Coppola fave). Salvation.

‘Blurry lips are a hot trend for summer,’ says make-up artist Yasmin Salmon, and tinted balms are foolproof enough that anyone can master them. The vibe? ‘Natural, just-kissed and a subtle pop of colour that doesn’t overpower your look.’

TikTok got wind of Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, £18 – a buttery barely there lip stain launched in the ’70s – and 300 million views later the brand can barely keep up with demand. Since Sofia Richie Grainge used Summer Friday’s Lip Butter Balm, £23, on her wedding weekend it has gained cult status. And so addicted are people to the glazed-lip effect of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode lip balms that the brand launched a phone case that will house one of the soft grey Peptide Lip Treatments, £16. Forget sipping from your Stanley Quencher, the status symbol on everyone’s lips this summer is a balm. Mwah.

Shop: The Best New Lip Balms

For Quiet Luxury

This is, without doubt, an indulgent option. But if you're looking for a (generous) self-care treat or just want something that will last for ages, we'd argue this is worth it. This offers hardcore hydration – use it just before going to sleep to ensure you don't wake up with dry, cracked lips. You'll notice that after a week or so of using it every day, lips are generally much softer.

The Trend-Setter

This TikTok hero comes in an array of scents flavours and shades to suit all. Use it as a daily handbag staple or as an overnight mask for an intense treatment, the fusion of hydrating seed butters and botanical extracts, such as shea and murumuru, will leave lips supple.

The OG Instagram Hit

Glossier Balm Dot Com
Price: $16
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Glossier's Balm Dotcom has quickly become one of its hero products. It's super-conditioning, plus has a pretty sheer tint if you're after a bit of colour. It's packed with antioxidants, too, so will leave your lips feeling suitably refreshed. It's so well-loved, the brand decided to listen to its loyal community and just brought back the original best-loved formula.

The Culture Fix

Augustinus Bader X Sofia Coppola The Tinted Balm
Price: $33
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Alternative retailers
Neiman Marcus$43.00View offer
REVOLVE$43.00View offer
Saks Fifth Avenue$43.00View offer
goop$43.00View offer

This new launch from expert skincare brand Augustinus Bader sees a collaboration with film director Sofia Coppola who says Shade 1 is her signature lip hue.

The Glam Gang

Can’t kick lipstick? The hydrating Dior Lip Glow Colour Reviver Balm is the ideal halfway house.

For Skincare Junkies

Cult clean skincare line Naturium’s Phyto-Glow Lip Balm Café Collection has landed on UK shores and boasts four warm shades you'll want to keep reaching for. If a gloss-like finish with skincare benefits is your MO, look no further.

For Summer Stans

Your favourite honey-infused beauty brand is now offering a limited edition version of its viral lip oil, this time in an addictive coconut scent and iridescent finish.

Best For Glass-Shine

Just a swipe of this creamy, buttery balm leaves lips with a juicy wash of colour that screams 'blurry lips' - this season's hottest trend according to the experts.

Best No-Fuss Applicator

Loaded with Barbados cherry, vitamin E and shea butter, this vegan, cruelty-free balm softens, strengthens and smoothes compromised skin instantly.

Best Organic Formula

This smells utterly delicious and will make your lips feel nourished and hydrated. Plus, it lasts for ages so will take you right through winter.

Best Budget Buy

Most of my skincare is currently made up of products from The Body Shop. Having loved the brand as a teenager, I thought that the products were just about novelty lip balms and gift sets. I was so wrong – the skincare is affordable but delivers serious results, and this lip balm is no exception to that rule. It contains hemp seed oil, as well as shea butter and coconut oil that is sourced as part of the brand's Community Trade programmein Ghana and Samoa.

Best On-The-Go Balm

Blended with nourishing jojoba oil and tangerine peel oil for a citrus kick - this minimalistic stick smells and feels delightful.

Best All-Rounder

Naturally, Chanel makes one of the snazziest looking lip balms. Don't think this is a case of style over substance, though – you only need one slick of this to last you a while and it makes lips feel lovely and soft. It's perhaps not as intensive as some if you're really suffering, but I've been using as a preventive measure and it really works.

Best Well-Loved Formula

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour CreamElizabeth Arden
Price: $24.80 (was £31)

www.elizabetharden.co.uk

You might've heard of this iconic beauty product and it's for a very good reason. Whether you need an intense lip balm or a cream to solve dry hands, Eight Hour Cream by Elizabeth Arden is a versatile moisturising balm that can be used in a variety of areas on the body to soothe dryness and hydrate.

Best Lipstick-Lip Balm Hybrid

If you wear lipstick regularly, this might be the balm for you. There are eight colours to choose from, which leave a subtle hint of colour that's non-sticky. It's super moisturising – the fact that it sold out completely after just 24 hours when it first launched speaks volumes.

Best Nourishing Lip Balm

If you're a fan of Nuxe's amazing hair and body oil, you'll want to try this. Even the driest of lips will feel nourished and repaired after just one application of this balm. As the name might suggest, it contains acacia honey, as well as shea butter, so just feels incredibly lovely.

Best Scented Lip Balm

By Terry Baume De Rose Lip Care
Price: $42
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Alternative retailers
FragranceNet.com$34.29View offer
Walmart$54.00View offer
SkinStore$54.00View offer
Bloomingdale's$54.00View offer

Even if you haven't tried this little pot of wonder, chances are you've heard of it. It's garnered a loyal following thanks to its delicate rose scent, creamy texture and multi-purpose properties. It contains Vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant, and it can also be used on dry cuticles and nails.

Best Cult Classic

Enriched with Bio Active Manuka Honey 20+, this topical balm can be applied to lips, dry skin, insect bites, minor burns, babies suffering with nappy rash, splinters and even sunburn. It's also only £5.99, which suggests you get a whole lot of bang for your buck.

Best For Maturing Lips

When Drunk Elephant first reached UK shores, the excitement was palpable. The brand's products regularly sell out and this lip balm is no exception. Loaded with avocado, mongongo, cranberry and marula oils, it also contains tea leaf and Vitamin C, promising to hydrate as well as combat signs of premature ageing.

Best For Lightweight Hydration

Lanolips was recommended to me by make-up expert Val Garland, and I've been hooked ever since. Founded by Kirsten Carriol and inspired by her father (a DNA scientist), Lanolips contains Ultra Medical Grade lanolin, developed by Carriol – an odourless, colourless and non-sticky ointment that mimics skin oils to restore moisture. This new Lip Water contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin for extra hydration.

Best Non-Sticky Formula

Trinny Woodhall's make-up range is, for those who haven't yet tried any of the products, really good. This is a buttery, non-sticky lip balm that just doesn't sit on top of your lips – it penetrates the skin to ensure you're really getting that much-needed hydration.

Best Skincare Lip Balm

You can trust Paula's Choice to make something hardworking. Their lip treatment improves the condition of lips over time with consistent use. It's got all the ingredients you'd expect from a great lip balm (cocoa and shea butters to deeply nourish), but the added peptides and hyaluronic acid add so much more to the mix. Hyaluronic acid floods lips with hydration (and keeps it there), and peptides work to keep the lips appearing full and plump. It's seriously clever, and our handbags won't be without one.

Best SPF Lip Balm

Ultra Violette is fast becoming a favourite SPF brand by those in the know. This SPF50 lip balm protects lips against UVA and UVB rays, whilst adding a pretty dose of colour.

Verity Clark is the Acting Health & Beauty Director at Grazia

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