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The Best Lip Balms To Treat Dry, Chapped Skin

Ditch sore skin with these soothing salves

By Louise Whitbread
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A sugary sweet lip balm might have been a lot of people's first ever beauty purchase, but fast-forward a decade or two - and it's still a daily part of our routine. You're hardly lacking in choice either, with almost every brand sporting a balm or treatment in their product line-up. But where to start?

Before you dismiss the skin on your lips, it's vitally important to keep them in tip top shape. 'I think lips are often overlooked in a skincare routine, it is an essential part as lips only have up to five layers, whilst the rest of the skin on the face has up to 16 layers,' explains pro make-up artist and Chanel beauty ambassador, Zoe Taylor.

Turns out that grabbing an old fashioned toothbrush to buff the lips isn't cutting it anymore. 'There are many ways ways to scrub lips, I always use a scrub as I do find that a soft toothbrush can sometimes rip the delicate skin on the lips. Lip Scrubs are great at buffing off any dry skin and keeping the blood flowing to the area, which often heightens colour and adds plumpness to the lips,' says Taylor.

We're also big fans of a lip mask or exfoliating treatments that add an instant hit of long-lasting hydration and can be slathered on before bed for a perfect pout by the time your alarm rings.

So, we've rounded up our editor-approved treatments, balms and bullets, boasting a cocktail of humectants like squalane and hyaluronic acid, nourishing natural butters, and skin healers like vitamin E and B5.

Read on for the best lip products that'll transform your lips from sad and sandpapery to seriously smooth.

The Very Best Lip Balms, Masks And Treatments

U Beauty The Plasma Lip Compound

The Plasma Lip Compound

U Beauty The Plasma Lip Compound

£60 at NET-A-PORTER

This luxury lip tint has us in a chokehold. The formula is a rich, liquid balm that plumps, hydrates and leaves skin looking glossy. If you love a classic sheer brown shade that you can apply without a mirror, this is the best investment you can make. Our favourite feature? The cool metal tip applicator that smooths lips and leaves no patchiness in sight. Wear on its own or layer on your favourite liner.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Lips

Cicaplast Baume B5 Lips

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 Lips

Recommended by dermatologists, this is like a moisture magnet for parched, sore, red lips. It's all down to the clever lipids and pro-vitamin B5. Not only does it form a protective shield over fragile skin, but it works to heal painful cracks in next to no time at all. The best part? It doesn't feel like glue.

ISAMAYA Lips Lips Balm - Follower

Lips Lips Balm - Follower

ISAMAYA Lips Lips Balm - Follower

If you're not quite brave enough to go out in public with Isamaya Ffrench's penis-shaped balms, take a look at the latest launch from the MUA. Complete with five shimmery nudes and one clear option, they've been designed to be used as balms in their own right or as a refill for the phallic original.

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Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

Lip Butter Balm

Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

As the name suggests, this silky smooth balm melts into lips like melted butter to relieve any patchy dryness. It's ideal to keep in your pockets during winter months to combat any chill-induced cracks to leave lips soft without any greasiness. The vanilla scent has us obsessed and the smooth applicator tip ensures you don't need to get your hands sticky when re-applying.

Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm

Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm

Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm

Looking for a lip treatment that looks and feels sophisticated? This nourishing Westman Atelier balm is the perfect balance of an oil, gloss and tinted balm. Aside from the beautiful minimalist matte packaging, the six shades span berry reds and neutral nudes but this high-shine pink 'Ma Puche' is our all-time favourite.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Lip Sleeping Mask

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

The OG lip mask achieved cult status thanks to a little app called TikTok and has remained relevant ever since. It really, really works, soothing and sealing cracked lips overnight. Make it part of your bedtime ritual pronto and apply liberally all over.

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We’re suckers for anything that smells of that signature Sol De Janeiro scent, and its lip balm doesn't disappoint. Enriched with acai and coconut oil, this keep lips soft and provides a subtle shine that you'll want to re-apply all day long.

Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm

Phyto-Glow Lip Balm

Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm

If you love a red lip but can't stand the feeling or drying, mate formulas that leave your skin chapped, add this berry balm to your lip arsenal ASAP. Made with a hydrating, soothing blend of shea, cupuacu butter and plant-derived squalane, it will leave skin feeling silky soft. The subtle vanilla scent goes down a treat too.

Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment

Peptide Lip Treatment

Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment

The Rhode lip balms are pretty much a Gen-Z staple, and the unscented version is a true crowd pelaser. It has everything your lips could possible need - hydrating shea butter and plumping peptides with extra luminosity to take glazed lips to the next level.

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Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm

Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm

Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm

This high-shine 3-in-1 lip colour is chic to the max. Densely pigmented with a vinyl shine, its vibrant colour has the lasting power of a luxury lipstick but with all the skin-loving benefits of a balm. What more could we want?

Glossier Balm Dotcom

Balm Dotcom

Glossier Balm Dotcom

No lip balm list is complete with a tube of Balm Dotcom. While the salve-formula feels pretty thick on application, it melts on contact with lips, turning them from dry and deflated to sensationally soft. Our favourite 'flavour' is 'Lavender', bright and floral with a pretty soft purple tint.

Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask

The Kissu Lip Mask

Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask

When it comes to brilliant textures, we trust Tatcha to get it right. This non-sticky jelly treatment envelopes the best Japanese skincare ingredients while managing to stay totally weightless. It melts into parched lips easily, softening fine lines and boosting hydration.

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Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Lip Conditioner

Kiwi Seed Oil Lip Conditioner

Antipodes Kiwi Seed Oil Lip Conditioner

New Zealand-based brand Antipodes is an underrated gem in our opinion and our top pick is this lipstick-style balm. Perfect for your handbag and bedside, it's a softening, soothing salve that we can't be without when the weather gets cold and chapped skin becomes inevitable.

Medik8 Mutiny Lip Balm

Mutiny Lip Balm

Medik8 Mutiny Lip Balm

We know and love Medik8 for their innovative approach to skincare, so it's no surprise that this gel-like lip remedy made it onto our roundup. Calming and conditioning, it supports the lip’s natural barrier for skin and feels better even after the balm has worn off.

Nars Afterglow Lip Balm

Afterglow Lip Balm

Nars Afterglow Lip Balm

Now 12% Off

Originally launched as a limited edition treat, NARS brought this hydrating bullet back due to popular demand. And we can see why. It leaves lips soft but not sticky, with a peachy-pink glow.

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