10 lip balms that give you soft and luscious lips

Sulhwasoo Essential Lip Serum Stick

1/10

Honestly, we're sold the moment we see the word "serum" in the lip balm, especially because Sulwhasoo is known for so many great serums. This lip product is infused with camellia oil and safflower complex to combat dryness and restore moisture to your puckers. It also gives the appearance of plump-looking lips, thanks to the apricot kernel oil and elastic complex in the formula.

Hera Sensual Spicy Nide Balm in 00 Calamansi

2/10

This lip balm not only contains a plumping ingredient for more luscious lips, but has been found to reduce the appearance of lip wrinkles, based on a clinical trial. This shade of Calamansi contains a pigment that reacts to your lips to give a pretty apricot-coral finish. Pick from eight shades, including Jalapeno, which contains 10 times the amount of plumping ingredient.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Levres Barrier Repairing Balm, $16.90 from Lazada

Credit: La Roche-Posay

3/10

Like the rest of the products in La Roche-Posay’s popular Cicaplast line, this is great for soothing sensitive, irritated and cracked skin. It’s infused with madecassoside (hence the “cica” in the product name), 5 percent panthenol (vitamin B5) and 10 percent shea butter to moisturise. The formula forms a comfortable film over your lips to protect it from the elements. It’s fragrance- and paraben-free, and is suitable for use on both adults and children.

Nivea Fruity Shine Cherry lip balm, $4.50 from Watsons

Credit: Nivea

4/10

You can always count on Nivea for reliable and affordable lip care products. Did you know that they’re apparently the #1 lip care brand in South Korea? No surprise, considering the fact that various members of South Korean boyband BTS are often spotted using the brand’s cherry-flavoured lip balm. This one carries a sheer red tint and just the slightest hint of shimmer, making it a perfect choice if you ever want to do a no-makeup makeup look.

DHC Lip Cream, $17.90 from Watsons

Credit: DHC

5/10

Don’t be misled by the product name – although it’s called a “lip cream”, the product comes in a stick form. It’s infused with the brand’s signature olive oil, as well as lanolin, ginseng root, aloe extract, beeswax and squalene. There’s no added fragrance, although you do get a faint whiff of olive oil when it’s first applied. The product is included in the “Hall of Fame” on Cosme, the largest and most influential online beauty community in Japan. You can use the product both under and over lipstick, and it has a non-sticky finish.

Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15, $36 from Sephora

Credit: Fresh

6/10

Fresh’s best-selling tinted lip balm contains real sugar, which attracts and binds water molecules to your skin. It also has meadowfoam and blackcurrant oils (amongst a litany of other botanical oils) to keep skin supple, vitamins C and E to fight free radicals from UV exposure and pollution, as well as a natural wash of colour to liven up your lips.

Rosebud Perfume Company Rosebud Salve, $18 from Sephora

Credit: Rosebud Perfume Company

7/10

You can’t go wrong with a formula that’s been around for about 127 years, can you? This beloved balm regularly pops up on lists of beauty must-haves and no wonder — it comes in a charmingly quaint tin, smells like a rose-scented dream, and is great for softening skin. Besides using it on your lips, you can also apply it to your cuticles, dry patches of skin and minor burns. Do note that the main ingredient is surgical grade white petrolatum, however.

Dior Lip Glow, $50 from Sephora and Dior counters

Credit: Dior

8/10

Want to feel real fancy in a jiffy? Swipe this colour-changing lip balm from Dior on to your lips. The original formula transforms into a soft, rosy shade the moment it comes into contact with your skin. There are also holographic and matte versions, but we will always have a soft spot for the OG.

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, $18 from Sephora

Credit: Burt’s Bees

9/10

Burt’s Bees is known for its beeswax-based lip balms. We’re partial to this tinted version, especially on days where we feel like going with the least amount of makeup possible, but still want to look alive and presentable. Besides beeswax, the formula also contains a blend of botanical oils and waxes to nourish and soften skin.

Origins Blooming Sheer Lip Balm, $33 from Sephora

Credit: Origins

10/10

The Origins Blooming Sheer Lip Balms look like lipsticks, and come in beautiful tubes adorned with floral motifs. The balms are made with real crushed flower petals, floral waxes, flower honeys and essential oils. The darker shades (especially Night Bloom) may look intimidatingly intense in the tube, but are actually appealingly transparent on your lips, leaving just a delicate wash of colour.