What Is Lip Oil? Here’s What You Need to Know
Get ready for your glossiest lip look yet.
Get ready for your glossiest lip look yet.
Lipsticks, lip glosses, and lip balms may already have a place in your beauty routine, but there’s a newer product deserving of your attention: lip oil. So, what is lip oil? This trending beauty essential has taken social media by storm—and for good reason. Lip oil is a skin-loving, multitasking product that combines the nourishing care of a balm with the glass-like shine of a gloss.
That’s right, lip oils are multitasking powerhouses. They perfectly blend skincare with makeup, as they’re typically made with a multitude of nourishing ingredients and offer extreme shine. Think of lip oils as a lip balm and lip gloss in one. In just one swipe, they can drench the lips in a lustrous finish, while also leaving you with a pout that feels soft, smooth, and supple.
If you want to learn more, good news: We aren’t keeping our lips sealed. Below, we’re explaining what you need to know about lip oils, including how to use them and what benefits they offer. Plus, we’ll spill all the details on our favorite lip oil, L’Oréal Paris’s Plump Ambition Hyaluron Lip Oil.
True to its name, a lip oil is an oil or oil-based product that combines makeup and skincare into one luscious, lacquered package.
What makes lip oils different from lip balms and lip glosses is that they are typically formulated with various natural oils: jojoba oil, coconut oil, vitamin E, almond oil, sunflower seed oil, and avocado oil (among others). These natural oils help provide deep hydration and nourishment to the lips, giving them a soft, smooth, and plush feel. And depending on the type of lip oil formula you choose, some options might include other beneficial ingredients, like antioxidants and peptides that protect your skin’s barrier and improve the appearance of your pout over time.
As if that weren’t alluring enough, lip oils can also create a plumping, volumizing effect thanks to their high-shine consistency. It creates a bit of an optical illusion, instantly giving you a fuller-looking pout.
Put simply, lip oils take care of your delicate lip skin while enhancing your makeup look.
As mentioned, many lip oils are formulated with hydrating ingredients that nourish your lips. This added hydration can help protect your lips from dryness, damage, and harsh elements. Not to mention, lip oils are the perfect finishing touch to any makeup look since they dress up the lips with intense shine. You can easily wear one alone to enhance your lip’s natural color or layer it on top of a bright, bold lipstick for an extra standout finish.
If you're still questioning, “Is lip oil good for your lips?”, let us give you a quick overview of some of the (many) lip oil benefits that have made this product a true staple.
When choosing a lip oil, the formula is key. Look for ones with nourishing oils, such as jojoba oil, coconut oil, almond oil, cherry oil, sunflower seed oil, and avocado oil, for deep hydration and conditioning. Other oils that may not sound as familiar but are commonly used in cosmetics include ethylhexyl palmitate and diisostearyl malate.
Of course, lip oils contain more than just oils. In order to provide all those benefits we spoke to above, they tend to feature other skincare powerhouses. Some to keep an eye out for include honey, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and squalane.
Just like lipsticks or lip glosses, there are different types of lip oils to choose from. Many options will include a variety of skincare benefits and come in a range of lip shades and finishes. Here’s a breakdown of five of the most common types:
When choosing a lip oil, consider what you want most—whether it’s hydration, a hint of color, or added skincare benefits like plumping or nourishing ingredients. For an option that hits on all of the above, try the L’Oréal Paris Plump Ambition Hyaluron Lip Oil. Available in 10 shades, some of which include pink, nude, plump, and clear, it delivers a volumizing, glass-like finish while also hydrating lips for up to 24 hours. The lightweight, non-sticky formula features hyaluronic acid and tripeptides for instantly smoother, plumper-looking lips.
One of the many benefits of lip oil is that it’s so versatile. You can use an oil on lips as a daily moisturizer, a nightly treatment, or to add an extra touch of glam to your makeup look—to name a few options. Below, we’ll dig deeper into four of our top ways to use lip oils in your routine.
Next Up: How to Apply Lipstick: Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Try
Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris
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