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Lip Oils Are The New Gold Standard For Hydration & Glass-Like Shine

Glosses have grown up.

Feb. 27, 2024

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Ahh, lip gloss. Many beauty enthusiasts have a love-hate relationship with the sticky (sometimes tacky) product. You probably remember the rollerball or squeeze tubes that gave your lips mirror-level shine back in high school. While it’s true that makeup styles have shifted over the years, the allure of glistening lips is still at an all-time high. However, today’s look is as much about nourishing your skin as it is about shine. Enter lip oils. Merging the best elements of your favorite balm and go-to gloss, they have become the new gold standard for a glazed finish.

Like a nurturing treatment, these products are enhanced with ingredients to improve the look and feel of your lips. The formulas blend skin care goodies like hyaluronic acid, squalane, and peptides with natural oils like jojoba, shea, and baobab. The result is supremely moisturizing and perfect for parched lips. But that’s not all these hero oils do.

Many tubes include a plush applicator that glides the oil smoothly, leaving a glassy but never sticky finish. That said, it’s no wonder they’ve become the crème de la crème of lip products in the beauty community.

Read on to see the best lip oils to add to your makeup bag for soft, hydrated lips, and vinyl-like shine.

Ami Colé

Hydrating Lip Treatment Oil

$20

This hydrating lip treatment gained a cult following almost instantly. Launched as one of the brand’s hero products, it’s packed with botanical seed oils like passion fruit, baobab, and camellia to coat your lips with its nourishing blend. While the clear and sheer brown hues are go-tos for natural looks, this cranberry shade offers a punch of rosy color.

Summer Fridays

Dream Lip Oil for Moisturizing Sheer Coverage

$26

If you’re familiar with Summer Fridays beloved lip butter balms, then you know what to expect from this oil. It also delivers intense hydration and high shine thanks to an enriching vitamin E complex. However, instead of a tint, it offers a sheer wash of color that leaves your lips with a natural flush.

Odyssey Hydrating Non-Sticky Lip Oil Gloss

MILK MAKEUP

$26

Think of these tubes as the grown-up version of your go-to gloss from high school. Each shade was created to mimic the colors and finishes from the Y2K era but with a skinification twist. They’re formulated with rich jojoba oil and nourishing cloudberry seed oil to keep your lips moisturized and high levels of vitamin C and E to soften with each wear.

Dior

Lip Glow Oil

$40

There’s a reason Dior’s Lip Glow is a staple for beauty editors everywhere. The formula provides instant relief for parched lips and wraps them with a pampering blend of skin-loving ingredients. The full lineup includes eight radiant shades, but this cherry-toned option is the most adored for its ability to give you a plump and full appearance.

Merit

Shade Slick Classics Tinted Lip Oil

$24

In line with Merit’s less-is-more ethos, this chic tube is designed to give you a your-lips-but-better look. The seven shades range from clear to soft neutrals, offering just the lightest touch of color. Tint aside, the formula is also supreme thanks to fatty acids, antioxidants, shea butter, and several enriching oils.

e.l.f. Cosmetics

Glow Reviver Lip Oil

In terms of affordable quality beauty products, E.L.F. tops the list. Their foray into lip oils is a prime example. The tiny square bottles are infused with lip-loving ingredients and deliver a glossy, never-sticky shine. Priced at just $8, you can get all seven shades or stock up on your favorite guilt-free.

Kosas

Lip Oil Plumping Peptide Lip Treatment Gloss

$22

Sure, Kosas’ oil-gloss hybrid imparts a mirror-like shine, but it’s not the only characteristic that makes this tube cherished. Along with hyaluronic acid and primrose oil, its INCI list includes peptides that make it a true lip treatment. Each swipe visibly plumps and works to smooth the appearance of fine lines over time.

Haus Labs

PHD Hybrid Lip Oil

$26

The technology behind this formula is truly unique. Each of the four hues is made from pH-powered pigments that adjust to your skin tone to give you a tint that is true to you. They’re also loaded with vegan collagen, squalane, and prickly pear oil for a cushiony feel.

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez

Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil

$20

Unlike others on this list, Rare Beauty’s formula is designed to be a stain. It drenches your lips with a punch of color and hydration. The finish may not be as glossy, but its gained a cult-following thanks to components like sunflower seed oil— which protects the skin from environmental stressors and softens it.

Hourglass

No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil

$54

Everything about this oil is sumptuous. From the gold-plated applicator tip to the infused blend of essential oils — think lemon, rosemary, lavender, and rose — it wraps your lips in luxury. But it also contains a powerful complex that targets signs of aging and gives the delicate skin a smooth and supple appearance.

Typology Paris

Tinted Lip Oil

$28

The epitome of French girl beauty, Typology is known for its effortless and fresh-faced makeup. In their signature lip product, you’ll find delicate plum oil and a bevy of moisturizing agents like squalane and jojoba. As for the finish, you can expect one coat to give you that jes nes sais quoi look with a just-bitten color and natural shine.

Gisou

Honey Infused Hydrating Lip Oil

$32

It’s hard to deny the allure of this golden oil. The gilded color comes from the hero ingredient — a specially made honey from the founder's family garden — and is packed with nutrients and antioxidants. By nature, the bee byproduct is a powerful humectant that locks in moisture and prevents water loss. It even strengthens the skin barrier and gives your lips a smooth finish.