Somewhere between a gloss and a balm lies a relatively new kind of product, called a lip serum, capable of delivering souped-up benefits—from plumping wrinkles to exfoliating dryness—to delicate lip skin.
The skincare market has a lot to offer—with more and more options being invented every day. For most of history, people have used topical formulas to care for their skin, with evidence that even the ancient Egyptians moisturized with scented oils and used ointments to cleanse their skin of makeup. Centuries later, the industry has only become more sophisticated, constantly inventing new ingredients and delivery methods for them—ever active, ever effective. This is how the skin serum was born.
Skin serums are a skincare category unto their own. Designed to be applied to skin after cleansing but before moisturizing, these formulas are made with powerful active ingredients that deliver targeted benefits to the skin, from redness relief to pore cleansing. Serums provide an opportunity to customize your routine to your unique skin goals.
There are serums for your face, there are serums for your body, and there are serums for your lips. It’s a good thing, too: The skin on our lips is unlike the skin anywhere else on our body—it’s constantly in use, and lacks the sebaceous glands that help skin self-moisturize. As a result, it needs a little extra TLC from us, who often employ skincare, like lip balms or masks, to do the job.
Lip serums are a slightly different breed. Not quite like lip balms, lip serums also include active ingredients that do more than just moisturize; by plumping skin, or protecting from the sun, or doing something else entirely.
What is lip serum?
Lip serums are a fairly young category of beauty product, and are much younger than their cousins for the face. Unlike lip sticks or glosses, these are firmly a kind of skincare product—better designed to nourish lips than tint them. But lip serums are also distinct from other common skincare products applied to lips, if you compare them side by side:
Serums vs. balms
We know lip balms and love lip balms, perhaps the most common skincare product of all. Lip balms lay down a seal of moisture atop dry lip skin. But serums are designed to reach deeper than surface level, ferrying any number of benefits or particular ingredients to where they’re needed. They often are lighter in weight, too—more like a glaze than a jelly, and never a balm, though layering a serum under a balm may help amplify the benefits of both products.
Serums vs. oils
As the product term suggests, lip oils are lightweight in consistency. Considering that many balms are oil-based, you can think of lip oil as a balm in a different shape. Though it may not be as moisturizing as a heavier formula, oils both moisturize and sink down into lip skin, and some are even tinted with hints of refreshing color. They work similarly to serums, but may lack some of the specialized skincare ingredients usually found in lip serum.
Serums vs. gloss
Also in the lightweight class: Lip glosses. These products are based in thick, slippery materials, like waxes or jellies, and when applied to lips, they refract the light brilliantly, making them look almost wet. Many glosses are pigmented, or blended with particles like fine glitters. But despite their medium-heavy texture, lip gloss is typically considered closer to makeup than skincare, for its cosmetic effects. By contrast, a lip serum is unlikely to be worn on its own as makeup, and may require an added tint or texture before it’s visibly apparent.
Types of lip serums and their benefits
The chances are, if you have a particular skincare goal for your lips, there is a formula or ingredient out there uniquely suited to help you reach it. The challenge is finding it. There are an abundance of lip serums out there, and while some are similar, there’s a much wider breadth of difference than among lip balms. You can winnow down your search to a couple commonly-seen categories of lip serum, whose intended benefits suggest the types of ingredients that may be found within them.
Plumping serums. Perhaps the most commonly seen (and sought-after) form of lip serum, these formulas endeavor to make lips look and feel fuller after application by employing proprietary peptides or humectants that bind water molecules.
Smoothing serums. These formulas may not promise volume, but are instead trained to target fine lines and lip wrinkles using ingredients like retinol, and may be found tucked within “anti-aging” skincare ranges.
Exfoliating serums. You can think of these as the more sophisticated sibling of lip scrubs: Exfoliating lip serums use chemical exfoliants such as acids or extracts to refine the texture of chapped, flaky lip skin.
The best lip serum
Lip serums are typically sought out for their specific benefits, which often correspond to a particular lip-related concern. For example, those who worry about lip volume may find a plumping formula that gives them a helpful boost. A good place to take your lip-related observations would be your local dermatologist’s office, where a local expert can recommend ingredients and formulas suited to your skin goals.
Some skincare brands have taken up the lip care mantle, devoting entire categories of their product lines toward the unique skin on our lips. Tatcha, the Japanese-inspired label whose lip care has gained a cult following, has spent years building its Kissu lip ritual, a collection of lip skincare. The latest addition is The Kissu Lip Treatment, a concentrated dosage of lip hydrating and moisturizing ingredients. A combination of sea fern and the brand’s proprietary blend of actives work to plump lips, aided by a peptide-like carob fruit extract. Its effects were studied on a group of users over time, and after a week of daily use, 97% noticed an increase in lip plumpness.*
The recently-launched Kissu Lip Tints distills lip skincare benefits into a curated wardrobe of floral shades. More than simply makeup, these tints are designed to smooth and moisturize lips with a combination of botanical lanolin and biosimilar silk protein. They also provide SPF 25 ultraviolet protection, to shield them from the degenerative effects of sun overexposure.
Drier lips, or those in search of a little extra plumpness, may combine a lighter-weight lip serum under a heavier-weight balm or mask, especially overnight. The Kissu Jelly Lip Mask works best during those twilight hours to restore fullness and softness to lips—thanks to a mix of moisturizing squalane and camellia oil, plus a juicy peach extract (that is also a centuries-old secret beauty ingredient). In a consumer study, 100% of participants showed improvement in plumpness, softness and suppleness after using The Kissu Lip Mask overnight.** And who doesn’t want a kiss before bed?
*Based on a clinical study on 40 panelists using The Kissu Lip Treatment
**Based on a clinical study of 41 panelists using The Kissu Lip Mask