Searching for the Best Hydrating Lip Balm—the Winner of 2024

Article

By Francesca Aman

For the longest time I have been searching for the best lip balm, one that meets all my needs like hydrating, tinted, and portable. I wanted a lip balm that could do everything, one that I could reliably grab for simple errands or a night out with little compromise. I have looked and tried countless lip balm recommendations but found many to fall flat of my overall expectations. Some started great until their formula deteriorated, some work well with caveats, and some just did not work. I finally landed on one that I can confidently bring to any occasion after tireless research and field studies!

The research

The affordable balm: Vaseline, $6

The overnight balm: Laneige, $24

The well-rounded (and favourite) balm: Summer Fridays, $24

Glossier

Glossier’s always been a brand with a significant online presence, many beauty consumers were privy to their face, brow, and eye makeup since their inception in 2014. I know I used to look through their website trying to figure out which Boy Brow would have suited me best. Also knowing this I decided to give their Balm Dotcom universal salve a try.

The Balm Dotcom comes in a 15 ml/05 fl oz squeeze tube applicator with notable ingredients like castor seed oil, beeswax, lanolin, and an antioxidant blend. When it was introduced many praised the lip balm for its truly nourishing nature, but somewhere along the line its formulation was modified by Glossier. Many Balm Dotcom users remarked that the new formulation hindered the product’s quality. This variation is the one offered by many retailers, and subsequently it was the version I tried.

I purchased the sheer pink tint rose colour. Initially it worked impressively well and I thought I found the perfect lip balm since it would also leave a pleasant tint, but over time the formulation revealed its inconsistencies. I noticed that the components of the lip balm would begin to separate, hindering its features. It started to feel it was only applying a thin layer of film that would just uncomfortably sit on your lips, barring any hydrating effects. Massaging the applicator would recombine the separated components, but it did not stand as a fix and I find it greatly altered the product for the worse.

Laneige

Laneige is a coveted Korean skincare and makeup brand that already had dedicated following. Their Sephora distribution leveraged their increasing popularity and the company experienced exponential growth from this. Many users were particularly fond of and raved about their Lip Sleeping Mask since its 2017 release, but I wasn’t entirely persuaded until Laneige released their Lip Glowy Balm, a smaller, portable alternative.

The Lip Sleeping Mask is offered as an overnight lip treatment in a 0.7 oz/20 g container that comes with a small applicator. The Lip Glow Balm is similarly offered as a lip treatment in a 0.35 oz/10 g squeeze tube applicator.

I was thrilled with my first purchase of the Berry Lip Glow Balm because I was finally getting a chance to try one of the most popular lip balms on the market. The Lip Glow Balm was easy to apply, a creamier consistency, and had a softer tint. The first few weeks went well and I had no general concerns until the consistency seemingly started to wear down; the moisturizing element would start to feel greasy and uncomfortable on the lips. Since I still enjoyed the overall benefits I would purchase additional Lip Glow Balms until I had enough of the inevitable. Oddly it never discouraged me from trying their Lip Sleeping Mask.

To my surprise, my Berry Lip Sleeping Mask never seemingly changed in consistency like my Lip Glow Balm did. Since purchasing the container, I have never experienced any issues with it and truly enjoy its formation. The Lip Sleeping Mask’s particular formula feels natural and soaks into the lips well. I also find that the tub has a cloudier tint than the squeeze tube applicator, but that’s a non-issue as this one stays stationary on my night stand.

I would only recommend picking up the Lip Sleeping Mask as it stands true to its name and title well.

Vaseline

You have definitely heard of Vaseline if not for their lip care products, but for just about everything else. Vaseline reliably offers moisturizing lip balms so it was no surprise to me when they performed well. These lip balms stayed on the lips well with minimal greasy or film like residue.

Vaseline offers lip balms packaged in 17 g tins with varied flavours. The flavours also provided a feint tint. The original flavour is standard with little to no tint, the strawberry flavour surprisingly has a pigmented reddish-pink tint, and the cocoa butter flavour has the faintest light brown tint when applied.

I enjoyed these lip balms but found myself reaching for them less as a personal preference. Digging product from the tin quickly became tedious and inconvenient, but my preference aside, they provide substantial value!

Summer Fridays

Summer Fridays is a skincare and makeup brand started by beauty influencers, recently well known for their lip treatment, the Lip Butter Balm. The Lip Butter Balm is offered in a 15 g/0.5 oz squeeze tube applicator.

I was very hesitant to try these lip products, but purchased one on a whim as I was browsing Sephora. I thought since I’ve already tried so many lip treatments I may as well see what the new hype is about. I added the Vanilla Beige shade to my cart as it was between pink and brown, something that I could wear everyday, regardless if I had any other lip products on me like a liner or gloss.

I am pleasantly surprised at just how good it is. The lip treatment smells amazing, it is effective, and has a beautiful tint. It interacts well on the lips, immediately feeling like it is actually moisturizing and mending dry sections while avoiding any unpleasant residue. It has yet to plague me with any greasy or waxy feelings like my previous lip balms have, though I am optimistic. I also found myself applying less for a similar effect compared to other products like Laneige’s Lip Glow Balm.

The Summer Friday’s Lip Butter Balm also pairs well with a lip liner of your choice; the tint balances between feint and strong. Personally, I think it is the perfect look for an everyday grail.

I highly recommend and very relieved to find the perfect lip balm after years.