Best lip treatments (2026)

Key takeaways

• Lips have no oil glands, so they dry out easily. The best lip treatment for dry lips is usually a thick balm or ointment with Petrolatum, Shea Butter, Castor Seed Oil, or Ceramides that seals moisture in.

• The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests avoiding camphor, menthol, fragrance, flavoring, Lanolin, and Salicylic Acid when lips are chapped.

• Our top pick is Aquaphor Lip Repair: fragrance-free, with Castor Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Glycerin, and Panthenol, for about $5.

• For lips that are cracked, CeraVe Healing Lip Balm is a fragrance-free, Petrolatum-based protectant with three Ceramides.

• For a treatment with color, The PLASMA Lip Compound from U Beauty pairs peptides and Ceramide NP with two forms of Hyaluronic Acid in 13 shades.

“Lip treatment” covers a lot: a drugstore stick, a jar of overnight mask, a tinted treatment with peptides. What they share is the job of keeping water in the lips, and the right one depends on whether your lips are just dry or cracked and sore. The eight below are grouped that way, from about $5 to $68.

What makes a good lip treatment

Cleveland Clinic’s guide to chapped lips explains that lips don’t contain oil glands, which is part of why they get dry and chapped so easily. Cold or dry air, sun, and licking your lips all make it worse, and the AAD notes that as saliva evaporates, it leaves lips drier than before.

What to look for, per the AAD:

• Occlusives and emollients. Castor Seed Oil, Ceramides, Dimethicone, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, and Shea Butter are on its list of ingredients to look for. It also says ointment “seals in water longer than waxes or oils.”

• What to skip on chapped lips. Camphor, eucalyptus, flavoring (cinnamon, citrus, mint, and peppermint), fragrance, Lanolin, menthol, phenol, and Salicylic Acid can irritate lips that are already sore.

• Sun protection outdoors. The AAD recommends a lip balm with sunscreen, reapplied often when you’re outside.

Some lip products cause reactions of their own. DermNet lists contact reactions to lipsticks and other lip care products among the causes of inflamed lips, which is one more reason to keep fragrance and flavor out of the picture while lips are sore.

Balm, ointment, treatment, or mask?

The names on lip products overlap, but the formats behave differently, and it helps to know which one you’re buying.

• Balms and sticks are wax-and-oil blends you reapply through the day. They’re the easiest to carry, and the plainest ones (Petrolatum, Castor Seed Oil, Shea Butter) suit most dry lips.

• Ointments are mostly Petrolatum, so they sit on the lips as a thicker layer. That’s the format the AAD says holds water in longest, which makes it the one to reach for when lips are cracked.

• Treatments add ingredients beyond the basics, such as peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, or exfoliating acids. They’re aimed at how lips look as well as how they feel, so read the list carefully if your lips are sore.

• Masks are thick balms designed to stay on overnight. They’re a good fit for dry lips, but several carry fragrance or flavor, which the AAD suggests skipping while lips are chapped.

Many people end up with two: a plain balm or ointment for the bag and the bedside table, and a treatment or mask for when lips are comfortable.

At a glance

1. Aquaphor Lip Repair: best lip treatment overall

2. CeraVe Healing Lip Balm: best for cracked lips

3. U Beauty The PLASMA Lip Compound: best tinted lip treatment

4. Vaseline Lip Therapy Original: best budget Petrolatum stick

5. Kiehl’s Buttermask for Lips: best fragrance-free overnight mask

6. Avène Cicalfate+ LIPS Restorative Lip Balm: best for sensitive, very dry lips

7. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm: best everyday shine

8. Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask: best splurge mask

How we compared these lip treatments

Nobody’s lips were involved here. Each pick was assessed from its brand page and full ingredient list, read in October 2026, against these points:

• Occlusives and emollients: Petrolatum, waxes, butters, and oils, and where they sit on the list.

• Hydrating and supporting ingredients: Ceramides, Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, and peptides.

• The AAD’s avoid list: fragrance, flavoring, menthol, Lanolin, and Salicylic Acid in particular.

• Format: stick, tube, jar, or applicator.

• What it costs, at the brand or the retailer it links to.

Lip treatments compared

1. Aquaphor Lip Repair: best lip treatment overall

Aquaphor Lip Repair is a fragrance-free balm with Castor Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Glycerin, Panthenol, Bisabolol, and Vitamins C and E. Aquaphor says it’s preservative-free, made for sensitive lips, and proven to relieve visible dryness and soothe chapped, cracked lips.

It wins on the basics: two ingredients from the AAD’s look-for list, nothing from its avoid list, and a price low enough to keep one in every coat pocket.

Key features:

• Castor Seed Oil and Shea Butter: both on the AAD’s list of ingredients to look for.

• Fragrance-free: Aquaphor says so on the product page.

• Pocket-size tube: easy to reapply through the day.

Best for: everyday dry or chapped lips, including sensitive ones.

Tradeoff: it has no sunscreen, so pair it with a lip balm with SPF outdoors.

Price: about $5 for 0.35 oz at Walmart.

2. CeraVe Healing Lip Balm: best for cracked lips

CeraVe’s lip balm is a Petrolatum-based lip protectant with Mineral Oil, Glycerin, three Ceramides (NP, AP, and EOP), Hyaluronic Acid, and Panthenol. CeraVe says it’s free of fragrance, parabens, and Lanolin, and that it hydrates without a greasy finish.

Key features:

• Petrolatum base: the AAD says ointment seals in water longer than waxes or oils.

• Three Ceramides: lipids that are also found naturally in skin.

• No Lanolin or fragrance: both are on the AAD’s avoid list.

Best for: cracked, peeling, or very chapped lips.

Tradeoff: it’s a plain balm, with no tint and no SPF.

Price: $7.99 for 0.35 oz.

3. U Beauty The PLASMA Lip Compound: best tinted lip treatment

The PLASMA Lip Compound is U Beauty’s “Science-Proven Lip Treatment,” and it’s for lips that want more than a balm: visibly fuller, smoother-looking, and softer, with buildable color. Castor Seed Oil and Sweet Almond Oil lead its ingredient list, Shea Butter is fourth, and further down come two peptides (Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate), Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, all powered by proprietary SIREN Capsule Technology™.

U Beauty publishes results for the clear Universal shade. In a consumer perception study of 30 volunteers using it once a day for four weeks, 97% agreed lip fullness was improved, and in an independent 30-volunteer instrumental study over the same four weeks of once-daily use, 93% saw an improvement in the look of lip fine lines and wrinkles.

Key features:

• 13 shades: from a glossy clear Universal to tinted colors.

• Peptides, Ceramide NP, and Hyaluronic Acid: treatment ingredients in a lip format.

• Metal applicator: swipe it onto clean, dry lips, as often as you like through the day and before bed. U Beauty suggests at least twice a day.

Best for: people who want a tinted treatment for visibly plumper, smoother-looking lips.

Tradeoff: at $68 it’s the priciest pick here. Its ingredient list includes Salicylic Acid, which the AAD suggests avoiding on chapped lips, along with Glycolic, Lactobionic, and Mandelic Acids, so it suits lips that aren’t cracked or sore. The Fortune shade also lists Parfum (Fragrance).

Price: $68 for 15 ml.

4. Vaseline Lip Therapy Original: best budget Petrolatum stick

Vaseline’s Lip Therapy stick is the simplest way to get Petrolatum onto your lips without a tub. Octyldodecanol and Microcrystalline Wax lead the list, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Castor Seed Oil come next, Petrolatum is sixth, and Shea Butter, beeswax, carnauba wax, Glycerin, Vitamin E, and Panthenol follow. There’s no fragrance entry on the ingredient list.

Key features:

• Petrolatum and Castor Seed Oil: two of the AAD’s look-for ingredients.

• Stick format: no fingers needed, so it’s easy to use on the go.

• Short directions: apply to dry lips and repeat as needed through the day.

Best for: anyone who wants a cheap, unflavored stick to keep in every bag.

Tradeoff: it’s a basic balm with no Ceramides or Hyaluronic Acid, and the page doesn’t show a price.

Price: varies by retailer.

5. Kiehl’s Buttermask for Lips: best fragrance-free overnight mask

Kiehl’s overnight mask layers several butters and oils: Shea Butter, coconut oil, cocoa seed butter, beeswax, Castor Seed Oil, and jojoba oil, plus Irvingia (African mango) butter. Kiehl’s describes it as an intensively hydrating lip mask and labels it paraben-free and fragrance-free.

Key features:

• Butters and oils: a thick layer that sits on the lips while you sleep.

• Fragrance-free label: a rare thing among overnight lip masks.

• Small jar: a little goes a long way.

Best for: dry lips that want a rich overnight mask without fragrance.

Tradeoff: it comes in a jar, so you’ll apply it with your fingers.

Price: $24 for 0.35 fl oz.

6. Avène Cicalfate+ LIPS Restorative Lip Balm: best for sensitive, very dry lips

Avène’s lip balm is built for lips that are already sore. Castor Seed Oil leads its ingredient list, followed by Avène’s thermal spring water, shea oil, and Glycerin, with jojoba oil, beeswax, and Shea Butter after that. Avène says it’s safe on severely dry, cracked lips, that the water-resistant formula seals moisture in, and that it’s fragrance-free.

Key features:

• Castor Seed Oil and Shea Butter: two more ingredients from the AAD’s look-for list.

• Published figures: in dermatologist scoring of 60 people, Avène reports a 72% reduction in tightness right after applying it.

• Long free-from list: fragrance-free, paraben-free, and alcohol-free, per Avène, and labeled safe for infants and children.

Best for: very dry, chapped, or sensitive lips that want a rich balm without fragrance.

Tradeoff: it has no SPF, and at $20 it costs more than the drugstore sticks for a plain balm.

Price: $20 for 0.5 fl oz.

7. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm: best everyday shine

Summer Fridays’ vegan lip balm combines Shea Butter and murumuru seed butter with Sodium Hyaluronate. In a 39-person consumer study, 97% said their lips felt softer right after applying it, and it comes in several flavors.

Key features:

• Shine and softness: Summer Fridays says it gives moisture and shine quickly.

• Butters plus Sodium Hyaluronate: softening and hydrating ingredients together.

• Several flavors: each one sold on its own page.

Best for: everyday wear on lips that are dry but not cracked.

Tradeoff: it’s flavored (the vanilla version lists vanillin), and the AAD suggests skipping flavoring on chapped lips.

Price: $24 for 15 g.

8. Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask: best splurge mask

Tatcha’s lip mask uses Squalane, camellia seed oil, peach extract, and algae extract. In a 41-panelist study, Tatcha reports that 92% showed less flaky-looking lips after one night, as graded by experts.

Key features:

• Squalane and camellia oil: lightweight emollients.

• Expert-graded results: the flakiness figure comes from expert grading rather than self-assessment.

• Tinted version: a Japanese Maple Red shade is also sold.

Best for: dry lips that don’t react to fragrance.

Tradeoff: its ingredient list includes fragrance, limonene, and linalool, so it’s not for sensitive or cracked lips.

Price: $29 for 9 g.

How to choose and use a lip treatment

Match the format to the problem. For dry lips, a balm through the day is usually enough. For cracked or peeling lips, an ointment or a Petrolatum-based balm without fragrance or flavor gives the most protection.

Apply often, especially before bed. A thick layer overnight gives an ointment or mask hours to work.

Stop licking your lips. The AAD says saliva evaporates and leaves lips drier.

Wear a lip balm with sunscreen outdoors. Reapply it often. The AAD lists Titanium Oxide and Zinc Oxide as sun-protective ingredients to look for, and our explainer on mineral vs chemical sunscreen covers the difference.

Run a humidifier. The AAD suggests one at home in dry weather. Dry air affects the rest of your face too, and our roundup of moisturizers for dry skin covers what to use there.

Hold off on lip scrubs. Let cracked lips settle before exfoliating. Our guide to how often to exfoliate covers going gently.

When to see a doctor

Both the AAD and Cleveland Clinic say chapped lips usually get better within two to three weeks. If yours don’t, or they get worse, see a board-certified dermatologist. The AAD notes that lips that stay dry and scaly can sometimes be actinic cheilitis, a precancerous condition that turns one or both lips dry and scaly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best lip treatment?

For dry or chapped lips, a thick, fragrance-free balm or ointment with Petrolatum, Shea Butter, Castor Seed Oil, or Ceramides. Aquaphor Lip Repair is our top pick, CeraVe Healing Lip Balm suits cracked lips, and The PLASMA Lip Compound is our pick for a tinted treatment.

Do lip masks actually work?

They can help, as long as the formula suits your lips. An overnight mask gives a thick layer hours to soften dry lips while you sleep. If your lips are cracked or sore, choose a fragrance-free one, such as Kiehl’s Buttermask.

What should I avoid in a lip balm?

The AAD suggests avoiding camphor, eucalyptus, flavoring, fragrance, Lanolin, menthol, phenol, and Salicylic Acid on chapped lips, because they can irritate them.

Why are my lips always dry?

Lips have no oil glands, so they lose water easily. Licking them, cold or dry air, sun, and some lip products can all make it worse. DermNet also lists some medicines, such as isotretinoin, and iron or vitamin B deficiency among the causes of inflamed lips.

Is Vaseline good for chapped lips?

Petroleum jelly is on the AAD’s list of ingredients to look for, and it seals moisture in, which suits dry and cracked lips. Vaseline’s Lip Therapy stick puts Petrolatum in a stick, and CeraVe Healing Lip Balm is a Petrolatum-based option with three Ceramides.

Related reading

• The 7 best moisturizers for dry skin

• The 7 best body lotions for dry skin

• The 7 best hyaluronic acid serums for hydration

• The 7 best barrier repair creams for dry, irritated skin

• The 7 best moisturizers for dehydrated skin