Aquaphor Lip Balm and the Thick Repair Balms to Pair With It

Aquaphor Lip Balm and the Thick Repair Balms to Pair With It

An Aquaphor lip balm is the plain, protective ointment so many people grew up with, now in sticks, tubes and sunscreen versions. Here is how I sort the Aquaphor range, the thicker repair balms beside it, and the overnight masks for the worst days.

Aquaphor was developed in the Beiersdorf laboratories in the United States, and its first product was sold to doctors, pharmacists and hospitals in 5 lb. containers. The tube for everyday shoppers came much later, and Aquaphor Lip Repair only arrived in 2011. That history explains why an Aquaphor lip balm still feels more like a treatment than a cosmetic.

The range is easy to sort by format. The Lip Repair Ointment Tube and the Immediate Relief Lip Balm are the ointment versions, both listed with a glossy finish, and the product page says they relieve dryness and soothe very chapped, cracked lips. The Lip Repair Stick is the same idea in a stick, and it is the one I would keep in a jacket pocket. For sun, the Lip Protectant with SPF 30 comes in the tube, and the Lip Repair Stick plus Sunscreen has Broad Spectrum SPF 30 with vitamins and shea butter. The Naturally Inspired sticks come with Aloe Vera or Coconut Oil, and the Aquaphor Lip Naturals in Coconut is another coconut stick.

Every Aquaphor lip product here is a balm or ointment, so none of them add color. That is the point. They are what I use before lipstick, not instead of it.

A practical test: put on a thin layer, wait a few minutes, and blot. If the lipstick still catches on dry patches, the balm needs longer to settle.

Aquaphor lip balms

Thicker balms for cracked lips

When the Aquaphor lip range is not enough, thicker balms take over. The fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Rescue Ointment is clinically shown to visibly repair dry, flaky lips, and it uses sugar with ceramide NP. Topicals Slick Salve in Mint is a glossy balm with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, and the brand says you can apply a thick layer overnight as a mask. Glossier Balm Dotcom in Wild Fig is a sheer coral tint without the shine, made with castor seed oil, beeswax and lanolin, and it doubles as a salve for cuticles and elbows.

La Mer The Lip Balm is a mint-scented, velvet balm made with Miracle Broth. Kiehl's Ultra Meltdown Mending Lip Gel seals in moisture with glycerin and dimethicone. CLINIQUE Repairwear Intensive Lip Treatment targets the look of lines and goes on twice daily, before lip color in the morning. Luna Daily The Nip and Lip Balm has a cooling silver tip and a shea butter that is a vegan alternative to lanolin. Sisley-Paris Phyto Lip Balm in 1 Cloud is the original clear version that adapts to your skin's pH for a barely-there hue.

To layer: warm a little La Mer between your fingertips and pat it on. Then let Aquaphor sit on top if the day is windy.

What I would skip: Glossier Balm Dotcom and any lanolin balm if you know lanolin bothers you. Reach for the Luna Daily instead.

Thick repair balms for cracked lips

Overnight masks for the driest days

An overnight mask does the slow work while you sleep. LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask comes here in Baskin Robbins Rainbow Sherbet and Gummy Bear, which the page calls a fruity candy scent. It has a Berry Fruit Complex, coconut oil, shea butter and vitamin C, and the routine is to apply generously in the evening and wipe off the excess in the morning. Fenty Beauty Plush Puddin' Intensive Recovery Lip Mask in Original has a pudding-like texture with pomegranate sterols and vitamin E, and it comes in a twist pot.

Gisou Honey Glaze in Cherry Chocolate is a buttery lip mask with honey, collagen actives and hyaluronic acid, and it also gives a glazed shine in the daytime. LAWLESS Forget The Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask in Sweet Dreams is the plumping option, with Maxi-Lip and hyaluronic acid. LIXR Beauty Lip Lixr in Nocturnal Kiss is a clear gloss with lanolin, beeswax and argan oil, and it works as a mask overnight and a tint by day. tarte maracuja juicy lip melt mask in Glaze is clear and caramel scented. The Nourishing Lip Sleeping Mask in Cherry + Vanilla has vanilla and cherry extracts.

One habit helps: put the mask on after brushing your teeth, so you do not lick it off.

What I would skip: a scented mask on lips that are already cracked and stinging. The Aquaphor lip ointment is the plainer choice for those days.

Overnight lip masks

Matching a balm to your lips

Match the balm to the day. For a bag, the Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick or the SPF 30 stick. For a bad chapped patch, the ointment tube or the fresh Sugar ointment. For a bathroom shelf, a mask such as LANEIGE or Gisou. If you want a balm to wear over color, Glossier or Sisley-Paris add a trace of tint. I keep one of each format and rotate them with the weather. The plain Aquaphor lip stick is the one that always ends up in my coat pocket, and the masks stay next to the bed. Whatever you pick, use the thicker ones a little at a time.