From cold winter days to sunny summer months, our lips are always in need of a little extra TLC. Struggling with dry, dehydrated, and lacklustre lips? You need a lip oil in your life. A great 2-in-1 option, a lip oil works like a balm to moisturise dry lips, while delivering the look of a high-shine gloss, making them a staple in every beauty-lover’s stash.
It’s time to stop wondering what lip oil does or are lip oils worth it and start reading our handy guide on the top 5 benefits of using a lip oil, while discovering your new faves.
We’ve tried a variety of lipsticks, lip balms, lip glosses and lip masks. The latest craze? Lip oils.
It’s like a lip gloss, but glossier, less sticky, and much more moisturizing. It’s categorized as skincare over makeup due to ingredients that provide deep hydration and protection from environmental aggressors like weather and pollution.
Mega-moisture hero ingredients may include hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, shea butter, and plant oils like jojoba seed, sunflower, grape seed and rose hip fruit oil.
RELATED: Best nude lipsticks we reviewed
“While a lip gloss would provide a glossy barrier, a lip oil goes deeper,” celebrity makeup artist Lauren Child, who does glam for Megan Thee Stallion, told the New York Post. “It provides a thinner, non-sticky shine while working to keep your lips healthy and plump.” Child uses lip oils at the beginning of her makeup or skincare routine as a base. It delivers the shine of a lip gloss but the hydrating benefits of skincare.
Ahead, I tested 11 lip oils to test all of the viral ones. In doing so, I saw how each one measured up. For each formulation, you’ll see detailed review notes, accompanied by an in-depth FAQ section following our picks for the makeup artist tell-all.
Click to shop our top picks at a glance here:
best lip oil tested
Well People
When I first used the Well People Lush Lip Tinted Oil, I was amazed. Simply put, the brand’s $12 lip oil is one we should all have in our back pockets despite the brand being more of a “hidden gem” in the beauty space compared to some others that have a bit more TikTok popularity surrounding them.
Namely, my lips felt the most hydrated and well-tinted with only one swipe. I can’t believe it’s only $12 as well, as it seemed to be partially more effective than some other expensive alternatives on this list. Additionally, my upper lift felt naturally plump and healthy when the formulation on the doe-foot applicator was topped over my lips.
While there are only four shades to choose from, you’ll be sure to find your next favorite option online. Vitamin-enriched with a high shine, it’s a product I never want to run out of.
WELL PEOPLE $12.00Amazon
Of course, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Glow Reviver Lip Oil made the cut. Not only have I reviewed the brand’s most popular products but I’m also a firm believer that this on-the-rise drugstore brand has a quality like no other and a price point that’s widely reachable.
This product is available in seven shades and be prepared to add them all to your cart. I love pairing the product with a lip pencil to define them a bit more and its doe foot applicator is one of the nicest I’ve tried from any brand. I always feel like the product is dripping onto my lips without being too sticky or over-oozing, which I love as well.
Amazon
Take care of your skin without breaking the bank. Celebrity makeup artist Alexandra Rutkay, who has worked on the set of the new “Gossip Girl,” used oils instead of glosses on the girls for a fresh and modern look — and she recommends this budget-friendly best-seller for the ultimate high-shine pop.
I found myself loving the NYX Fat Oil Lip Drip, too. It offers an immediate shine and is available in a bunch of colors to experiment with your tint color payoff. The oil itself features an incredibly fat doe-foot applicator, allowing the product to richly spread over the lips for that desired level of tackiness and shine.
The squalane and raspberry oil-infused formula provides up to 12 hours of hydration and protection and I didn’t find myself reapplying all too often. However, you’ll want to, because it feels like a dreamboat on your lips.
Nordstrom
OK, $40 is a hefty price to pay for a lip oil, but (1) it’s Dior and (2) it’s the exquisite lip oil that feels ultra-luxe to use.
As a whole, the Dior Lip Glow Oil offers a high-shine look and beholds a precise doe-foot applicator that allows me to build up the coverage if I see fit. I was impressed with its hydration levels, allowing my outer corners and cupid’s bow area to feel well-packed with nourishment.
The cult classic lives up to the hype. With a pillowy soft applicator, this lip oil protects against environmental aggressors using the antioxidants from cherry oil. It comes in eight sheer shades including raspberry, cherry and mahogany. Despite its oily texture, it’s not greasy or sticky.
“This formula is slightly thicker than others, which helps the shine last a bit longer on the lips,” Child says.
Sephora
Papa-, papa-razzi. Even Lady Gaga forayed into the lip oil space with the relatively new HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA PhD Hybrid Lip Oil. As soon as I applied it, I thought, “wow, that has some good pigment to it.” Hence, its ranking in this review as the best-tinted lip oil.
I can understand why some beauty shoppers are looking for tinted lip oil in particular. For one, lip oils can, more or less, be replaced by a lip mask if a hydrating look sans color is desired. Lip oils, on the contrary, tend to provide that bit of tint married with a soothing power, and that’s exactly what this product is.
The vegan, high-shine lip oil is one of the longest-lasting ones I tested. It’s best to use after your lip balm, but that’s not a dealbreaker. The star of the show is its tint, which I find simply beautiful.
Amazon
For a your-lips-but-better aesthetic, grab the Jouer Cosmetics Essential Hydrating Lip Oil ASAP. The brand immediately takes me back to high school (yes, I’ve used the brand for that long) and I’m obsessed with this product’s ability to produce a quick-fix shine. It’s one of the most versatile I’ve used as well, my go-to topper following lipstick for a night out.
Namely, this lip oil is packed with grape seed oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E for the trifecta of nourishment. It’s surely antioxidant-infused and the feeling is noticeable whenever I apply it. The oil leans into lip treatment territory, so I truly feel like I’m providing my lips with more than a shine; it’s long-term lip service, too.
MERIT
I have to give it to MERIT. Its Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil is a well-formulated product that checks off many of my boxes: it offers a lovely shine, is packed with rosehip oils and essential fatty acids and includes shea butter to nourish well.
More, it’s moisturizing and buildable. I love reaching for this product when I want an easy swipe of sheer coverage and hydration all in one. Though I find myself reapplying quite often, it’s not an overall dealbreaker. With a bare-lip finish, it offers just enough product to give the impression that your lips are that hydrated with a stunning, natural effect.
Gisou
Though a splurge, the Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil is one of the first lip oils I’ve used. In particular, it was a love-at-first-sight feeling because of its sheer and glow-giving coverage. I apply it following nearly every shower for a taste of luxury. Literally.
It also provides a high-shine finish that’s packed with hyaluronic acid for extra nourishment, along with Mirsalehi honey to be lightweight and moisturizing for your pout. From its luxe packaging to even more luxe feel, it’s a good grab I’d recommend if you’re looking to take your lip oil game to the next level.
Sephora
The relatively new Too Faced Kissing Jelly Hydrating Lip Oil Gloss is the ultimate lip-plumping product that won’t allow you to feel that “zingy” or “stinging” feeling once applied. Available in a suite of sweet tasting-colors, its fat brush and formulation always feel like I’m applying fruit juice to your lips in the best way possible.
Above all, I love the “Sour Watermelon” shade. Though not as pigmented as some other lip oils tested, I find it to be worth the money. You’re also receiving a generous amount of product thanks to its coverage payoff and the oil’s ability to last for quite some time throughout the day.
It’s vegan and hydrating, making it on par with the rest of the litter found here. I love how it contains sunflower and jojoba seed oils to provide extra nourishment, too.
Sephora
The Saint Jane Beauty Luxury Lip Shine is exactly what it sounds like pure luxury. Impressively, it’s not as expensive as some other lip oils tested but it does win an award for being one of the most hydrating lip oils I’ve tested. If you have super dry lips but are still looking for an elegant finish, this is one I surely recommend stocking up on.
Here’s the rundown. The neutral color selections are well-equipped to either match or pair well with your unique undertone. It’s vegan, offers a high-shine finish and — drumroll please — contains vitamin C to help brighten your lips, too. Its formulation is unique and one I love reaching for on days when I want some shine and some more hydration than usual.
Sephora
The Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil is a TikTok sensation and I can attest to all of its hype. It smears onto your lips to serve as that well-coated, high-shine and surprisingly hydrating finish. As a whole, I can attest that it is, in fact, a dream to wear.
Offering a subtly plump finish, it’s the ideal product to use every day. In fact, I keep it on my desk for a quick-swipe maneuver for hydration and to also add a stunning hue to my natural lips. Its vegan oil complex delivers a lovely surge of nourishment, working in tandem with vitamin E to soften my dry-prone lips. For color and intense hydration, Summer Fridays is the way to go.
Sephora
We love this lip oil like a love song. The product from Selena Gomez’s beauty brand starts off glossy and leaves a stain when the shine subsides. It comes in eight natural shades, including the rose brown “delight” and muted berry “affection.”
“It’s one of my favorite products to use on my clients because of how hydrating it is,” said celebrity makeup artist Danielle Parkes, whose clients include Lea Michele, Emily Alyn Lind and Dylan Mulvaney. “I like to line the lips and use this lip oil on top of it to make my clients’ lips look plump and glossy.”
Clarins
Leave it to Clarins to revive even the driest of lips. This product features three plant oils, including organic sweetbriar rose oil, to plump and protect your pout. Wear it during the day for a glossy lip tint or in the evening as an overnight lip mask.
“This is such a holy grail product in my makeup kit,” said celebrity makeup artist Maria Cumella, who does glam for “Real Housewives” stars Teresa Giudice and Sonja Morgan. “The color payoff is more sheer but has high shine and a super hydrating feel. The applicator is huge, so it glides easily on your lips. Plus, it smells like candy.”
Westman Atelier
It’s so glossy, you can almost see your reflection in it. Condition lips with “squeaky clean” ingredients: almond oil, organic jojoba oil, plant-based seed oil and shea butter. “It’s not sticky, it layers well and gives an almost gloss-like shine,” said celebrity makeup artist Rae Smith. Smith, who recently glammed Victoria Justice, pops it in the center of a matte lip for extra shine sans pilling.
SEPHORA $38.00Kosas
It looks like a lip gloss but feels like a lip treatment. Soak your lips in hyaluronic acid, shea butter, avocado oil and more softening ingredients. The product, which comes in 11 colors, plumps your lips without tingling or over-drying. “I like using the light pink shade, ‘Revealed,’” said Smith. “It adds a good amount of pigmentation to your lips without looking overdone.”
innBEAUTY
Get deliciously glossy lips. This lip oil contains natural red root oil (known for its healing properties) that coats and conditions a chapped pout. Fermented pomegranate and apple extract further ensure lips remain soft and flake-free. Cumella recommends the product for a “your lips but better” look that smells as good as it feels.
Versed
Ensure your lips feel silky soft. This cost-friendly lip oil works all day to hydrate your lips—moisture lasts beyond the moment when you apply the product. Squeeze it onto your finger to apply; it’s infused with jojoba, sesame oils and vitamin E. Child said that because this product has a stronger pigment, a little goes a long way in applying it. Choose from three shades: blossom, fig and ruby.
Victoria Giardina
I tested a variety of acclaimed lip oils for at least two weeks each. Some were tested for as long as three years. Ahead, see the review criteria I kept in mind for each one:
Ahead, our team of makeup artists dive into the benefits of lip oils, their distinctive qualities and more.
Lip oils are a high-shine, makeup-skincare hybrid for your pout. They’re made with natural ingredients to both moisturize and protect your lips against environmental factors that can dry them out. Lip oils can be used as a treatment to nourish your lips or a tinted lip gloss with extra shimmer.
With 3.1 billion views for “lip oil” on TikTok (at time of publish), it’s no surprise that nearly all of those scrolling on #BeautyTok are mesmerized by their unique properties.
“I think they’ve become so popular because it’s a way of moisturizing the lips without forgoing the ‘makeup’ aspect,” Natalie Dresher, bridal and special event makeup artist, told The Post. “Dior really revolutionized and popularized the lip oil originally and now all these brands are coming out with their own version!”
Lip oils function like skincare. While they may appear like a tinted lip gloss, they soothe, soften, moisturize and protect your lips from weather and pollution. Use a lip oil as makeup while simultaneously combating chapped lips.
Lip oils are more hydrating and less sticky than a lip gloss. “They provide a nice, slick, sheer wash of color instead of that sticky, thicker formula that glosses are known for,” said Rutkay. Like a lipstick, though, lip oils can leave over a tint with all-day lasting power.
Unlike lip glosses, lip oils are generally more lightweight and comfortable to reapply throughout the day. “This undone-skin-but-better look is currently dominating the space, and lip oil is a perfect accompaniment to that aesthetic,” said celebrity makeup artist Alexandra Rutkay. Rutkay, who has worked on set of the new Gossip Girl, used oils instead of glosses on the girls for a fresh and modern look.
Lip oils are packed with natural, ultra-moisturizing ingredients, though you’ll find some variation among different brands and formulations when shopping. You can find ingredients including but not limited to sunflower oil, argan oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, rosehip oil and hyaluronic acid.
Grapeseed oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and avocado oil all are great ingredients when looking for a lip oil to see in an ingredient list as well, per Dresher. “They provide nourishment and vitamins to the lips,” she explains. Pro tip? Steer clear of lip oils with mineral oils and silicones in them as these may provide temporary relief and moisture to lips but will dry them out in the long run.
“I love applying lip oil with my favorite lip liner, or even on top of my favorite lipstick in lieu of an ordinary gloss,” Dresher advises.
Check out the New York Post Shopping section for more content.