Naturium was launched in 2019 by the LA brand accelerator The Center, and Susan Yara joined as a founder in 2020. In late June 2021 it announced its first colored cosmetics, six shades of Phyto-Glow Lip Balm made with phyto-derived esters, shea, cupuaçu butter and plant squalane. Two years after that, on 29 August 2023, e.l.f. Beauty announced an agreement to acquire the brand.

So the Naturium lip balm is really one formula that Naturium keeps recoloring, which is a smart way to build a lip line and a helpful one for anyone shopping it. The base stays the same: shea, cupuaçu butter and plant squalane, with a natural vanilla flavor. What changes is the tint, the finish and whether there is sunscreen in it. That makes it easier to shop than most lip lines, because you are choosing color, not chemistry.

The first grid is the everyday Phyto-Glow balms, from clear through sheer berry and rosy nude, plus a lip mask. The second is the shimmer balms and the SPF 45 balms, for nights out and days in the sun.

Here is a trick I like: swipe two shades on the back of your hand, one clear-ish and one darker, and look at them by a window. Sheer tints read very differently in daylight than under a bathroom light.

Start with Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm Clear, the one with no tint, just a glowy finish. It is the plainest way to find out whether you like the texture, which the brand describes as cushioning and leaving lips silky, soft and smooth. Everything after it is a sheer wash of color on the same formula. Strawberry is a juicy red with a strawberry scent, and Peach is a sweet coral with a peach scent. Both are meant to add a pop of color.

The quieter shades are Plum, a sheer mauve, Latte, a muted dusty rose, Petal, a rosy nude, and Jam, a sheer berry. If you wear neutral clothes and want your lips to look like your own, Petal and Latte are where I would look. Jam and Plum are the choice for someone who wants something visible without a lipstick.

The last product in the grid is not a balm but the Phyto-Glow Lip Mask, made with shea butter, avocado oil and jojoba oil to soothe and restore. Use it at night and one of the shades in the morning.

Here is a pairing I like: the mask before bed, then Clear or Petal the next day, so lips feel comfortable and look like your own. If you own a lipstick you love, the Clear also works as a base under it.

What I would skip: Strawberry and Peach if you dislike a fruity scent. The other shades carry a natural vanilla flavor, which is milder.

The Naturium shimmer balms are the party versions. Each is a tinted balm with multi-dimensional pearls and a high-shine finish. Stardust is a frosted baby pink, Comet is a rosy coral, Supernova is an iridescent rose and Galaxy is a sparkling mulled wine. Galaxy is the most dramatic. Stardust is the one I would wear with a plain white shirt.

The SPF 45 balms are the daytime ones, and they are still the same soft, glowy Phyto-Glow formula. The brand says they give broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection on the same nourishing base, and they use a sweet mint flavor to minimize the taste of the sunscreen filters. Clear has no color. Paradise is a coral pink, Oasis is a red velvet, and Getaway is a muted rosy nude. The three tinted ones add a glowy finish and a sheer wash of color.

Here is a test I like: keep an SPF 45 balm in the bag you carry most and put it on before you leave, not when you are already outside. Lips are easy to forget when sunscreen goes on the face.

What I would skip: a shimmer shade for a bare-faced morning. Pearls and no makeup can look like a costume, and Getaway or Clear will look more natural.

I think the smart way to buy Phyto-Glow is to pick one clear balm for your desk, one tint you would wear every day, and one SPF 45 for your bag. You do not need six, and you do not need a drawer of them.

The rule I use is to buy the tint closest to your natural lip color first. If you keep reaching for it, add a second shade. The shimmers are fun, but they are a mood, not a base. Let the shade you pick set the plan, then leave the rest of the shelf for later.

The brand makes body care too, and I sorted each Naturium body wash by what it is for.