Clarins lip oil almost always means Lip Comfort Oil, a sheer, glossy tinted oil that comes in 10 shades in the US, five of them pH-reactive. 01 Honey is the golden shine, 03 Cherry and 04 Pitaya shift with your lips, and 09 Chocolate is the red brown. I go through every shade next, and what each one does on the lips.

Jacques Courtin-Clarins opened his first Clarins Institute in Paris on 15 March 1954, and the first spa was on Rue Tronchet. In 2015, Clarins launched the product a lot of people mean when they say Clarins lip oil. The brand's own 70-year timeline lists Lip Comfort Oil under 2015 and says one was sold every 20 seconds, and I tell the longer story in the Clarins history, from a Paris institute to my nightstand. It was reformulated in 2022, to be more natural and sensorial, the brand says.

The idea is a lip gloss that works like skincare. The oil blends sweetbriar rose, jojoba and hazelnut oils with a sheer wash of color and a mirror-like shine, and the brand says 93 percent of the ingredients are of natural origin. Clarins positions it as lips that look good even when bare, and it also works over lipstick when you want a glossy top coat.

The first grid is the Lip Comfort Oil in seven of its ten shades, plus one limited edition. The second is the rest of the lip range: cooling oils, oil balms, a gloss, a stain, a lipstick and a contour balm.

Here is a test I like: try the shade over your bare lips first, not over lipstick. A sheer oil reads as your lip color made better, and that tells you whether the shade is yours.

The full US range of Clarins Lip Comfort Oil is ten sheer, glossy shades, plus 31 Rosy Kiss, the limited-edition LOVE Collection shade still sold alongside it. Five of them, Cherry, Pitaya, Apricot, Strawberry and Plum, are pH-reactive, so they settle differently on every pair of lips.

 

What they share is the formula. Sweetbriar rose comforts, jojoba nourishes without a greasy feel, and hazelnut protects against dehydration. The brand says the plush applicator gives an ultra-glossy shine that is lightweight and non-sticky, and that it reads as a sheer color, not a full one. In a self-evaluation of 110 women, the brand reports an immediate plumping effect of 44 percent.

 

Here is a pairing I like: swipe it over a matte lipstick to soften it, or wear it alone on a bare face.

 

What I would skip: buying three shades at once. Start with one and let it tell you whether you like the format.

What shades does Clarins Lip Comfort Oil come in? The US range is 10 sheer shades: 01 Honey, 02 Raspberry, 03 Cherry, 04 Pitaya, 05 Apricot, 08 Strawberry, 09 Chocolate, 10 Plum, 16 Fuchsia and 17 Fig. Clarins also sells limited editions such as 31 Rosy Kiss. Five of the ten are pH-reactive: 03, 04, 05, 08 and 10.

 

What is Clarins Lip Comfort Hydrating Oil? It is the full name of Clarins Lip Comfort Oil, listed on the US site as Lip Comfort Oil Hydrating and Plumping Lip Oil. The brand says it blends organic sweetbriar rose, organic jojoba and hazelnut oils, and that 93 percent of the ingredients are of natural origin. You can wear it alone, to prime lips, or over a lipstick or stain.

 

Is Clarins Comfort Oil the same as the Clarins lip oil? Almost certainly, yes. People shorten Lip Comfort Oil to comfort oil, and it is the Clarins lip oil that shows up first on the brand's US lip oils page. Clarins does sell other lip oils, such as Cryo-Plumping Lip Oil, so look for the Lip Comfort Oil name and a shade number.

 

What is the difference between Clarins Pitaya and Raspberry? Both are pink. Ulta describes 04 Pitaya as a sheer baby pink that is pH-reactive, and 02 Raspberry as a sheer soft pink that is not. So Pitaya will look a little different on each person, and Raspberry is the steadier of the two.

 

How it wears. The brand describes a light, non-sticky feel with a cushioned shine and sheer color, applied with a curved sponge applicator. Sheer means it reads as your own lip color made glossier, not as a full lipstick. It also works over a lipstick or stain when you want a glossy top coat. Reapply when the shine fades, since an oil is not a long-wear stain. For a tinted oil with a different feel, see the Rare Beauty lip oil.

The rest of the Clarins lip range goes in different directions. Cryo-Plumping Lip Oil is the icy one, with menthol and field mint essential oil for a cooling feel and a crystal-clear shine. The Cryo Plumping Lip Oil Balm in 00 Cryo Mint brings the same cooling idea in a balm with a pH-adaptive pink tint. The Hydrating Peptide & Plumping Lip Oil Balm in 01 Pale Pink is an oil-infused balm with up to 24 hours of hydration, the brand says.

Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer is the gloss, with wild mango butter, shea and a plumping peptide, and a vanilla scent. If you want color that stays put, Clarins Water Lip Stain in 04 Violet Water is a matte stain with a hyaluronic acid complex, raspberry water and aloe. Joli Rouge Satin Lipstick is the classic lipstick, in a refillable tube, with camellia oil and shea.

The Extra-Firming & Hydrating Lip and Contour Balm is the outlier. It is made with raspberry seed oil and shea to smooth the look of fine vertical lines around the lips.

Here is a trick I like: use a cooling one at the end of a long day, when your lips feel tired and you want something cool. Keep the satin lipstick for when you want real color, and the contour balm for the skin around the mouth.

What I would skip: the matte stain on chapped lips. Fix the dryness with a balm first, then add color.

I think Lip Comfort Oil earns its reputation because it is easy to wear. There is no liner and no precision, just a swipe, and you are done.

My rule is to start with the shade closest to your natural lip color, then add a second if you use it every day. If your lips are dry, use a balm underneath at night. If you want more color, build it in layers with this oil first, and only then add a stain or a lipstick. The oil is forgiving, and the others are less so.

The closest rival I would put next to it is Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil. If you want to compare formats, these are the lip oils I keep in every bag.

Lipstick, blush and the rest of the bag.

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Red Lipstick Is Back to Being the Whole Look

Chanel Makeup

Brown Liner, Frosted Lids and Matte Skin

Brown Lipstick for Fall, From Milk Chocolate to Espresso

Rare Beauty Liquid Blush

Everyday Makeup Look