07: The Lip Edit
10 winter lip products worth adding to your routine
As the first week of winter settles in and the air turns sharper, our skin subtly asks for more support especially our lips. They’re always the first to dry out, the quickest to crack and the most honest barometer of whether we’ve been neglectful.
I’ve always been a lip product connoisseur it’s one of my favorite corners of beauty. Before a date, most people pick up a new blouse or dress; I pick up a new lip product. Over the years I’ve kept a running list of what I return to again and again, and what never makes it past the second use.
After jaw surgery in 2019, keeping my lips hydrated to heal was the forefront. Since then, I’ve tested just about everything— balms, salves, masks, the whole spectrum. Most fall under clean beauty and others perform too beautifully to ignore.
Below, the products that consistently earn a spot in my bag, my bedside and every coat pocket I own.
Lip Balm
A good lip balm should hydrate, linger and never leave your lips feeling tight or thirsty an hour later.
I discovered this through CAP beauty and it’s been a mainstay ever since. Yes it’s a little splurge-y for a balm, but the glide is effortless, the texture is weightless and the packaging is beautifully minimal. It’s nearly scentless, impeccably clean, and always the one I reach for the most.
A classic you’ll find in every well-curated apothecary. It has a light herbal-medicinal scent and a smooth nourishing finish. Great for cracked lips or prepping before lipstick, and one of the oldest clean formulas on the market (Dr. Hauschka launched in 1967).
Coco Butter Lip Balm Vanilla Bean
A health food store icon. The oversized applicator gives a satisfying full swipe of moisture. Made with fair-trade ingredients like castor oil, cold-pressed olive oil, coco butter, beeswax, aloe and organic vanilla extract. If you love a natural vanilla scent, this one feels nostalgic and comforting.
Tinted Balms
Victoria Beckham Posh Balm (Shade: Fleur)
A chic, waxy pink that builds with a few layers. It gives that “your lips but cooler, richer, more polished” kind of tint. When I checked Yuka, it did score 35/100— one of the worst ratings. At the end of the day, I follow an 80/20 approach with clean beauty: mostly clean, with space for a few things that just perform well. This falls into that category.
Lip Masks
A true lip mask should be thick, occlusive, and leave your lips plush and smooth by morning. I only use them before bed, unless my lips are in full SOS mode during colder weeks.
A French pharmacy cult classic. Whenever my lips are cracked (like this week with the temperature drop), this heals them overnight. The texture is dense, velvety and protective without feeling waxy. It doesn’t glide it anchors. Perfect overnight wear or after being out in the cold.
Alpyne Beauty Plumping Lip Mask
This has that balm-y, cushiony texture that comforts on contact. Think of the feel of the Laneige Sleeping Mask— only cleaner and far more nourishing. The scent is light and softly fruity, the kind that doesn’t compete with anything else you’re wearing. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, it pulls moisture into the lips for a plump, hydrated finish. I also love that it comes in a tube a far more practical, on the go option.
Salve
Salves sit between a balm and a mask— richer than a balm, more versatile than a mask, and often multi-use.
Dr. Rodgers RESTORE Healing Balm
This was my post-jaw surgery essential. Plain, scentless, castor-oil-based, and incredibly effective on cracks or cuts. Its basically a clean alternative to Eight Hour Cream: simple, healing and dependable.
A multipurpose staple that melts instantly when touched. I used to reserve it for body care, but it’s amazing on severely cracked lips. Made with propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax and olive oil— ingredients known for their soothing, antimicrobial and barrier supportive properties.
Lip scrub
My favorite non toxic lip scrub it used to be stocked at Goop (an automatic clean-beauty stamp). Made with coconut oil, sugar and rose, peppermint and geranium essential oils. The granules are large enough to actually exfoliate so I only need it once a week.
Furtuna Skin Triple Olive Lip Polish
An Italian, farm-grown brand that formulates with biodynamic ingredients. This triple olive lip scrub uses crushed olive pits as the exfoliator, making it both sustainable and effective. The granules are smaller than French Girl’s, so you can use it more than once a week if you prefer a gentler polish.
May your lips find some softness, salvage and maybe even a few kisses this winter. Report back if you try any, especially if something earns a permeant home in your bag.
XX,
Savannah