Vaseline Lip Balm: Lip Therapy Tins, and Glossy Balms That Go Further

Vaseline Lip Balm: Lip Therapy Tins, and Glossy Balms That Go Further

Vaseline lip balm has been the drawer default for as long as I can remember, and Lip Therapy is the tin most people mean. Here is how I sort the tins and tubes, the glossy salves to try next, and the tinted balms that add a little color.

The Vaseline story starts in Brooklyn in 1870, when chemist Robert Chesebrough began distributing his pure petroleum jelly. He had found a waxy substance around the oil fields of Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859, then refined it in his lab and patented a purification method in 1865. Vaseline says that by 1874 one tin of the jelly was being sold every minute across the country. When I reach for a vaseline lip balm today, that is the same jelly in a small tin or tube.

Lip Therapy Advanced Healing is the tube, glossy and made with 100 percent pure Vaseline Jelly. The Original tin, sold as a 2 count, is pure petroleum jelly with a natural gloss for dry, cracked lips. The Cocoa Butter versions are the ones I open first, with a light chocolate scent. The Cocoa Butter Mini is a mini tin, and Vaseline says its non-sticky formula is soft and melts onto lips. There is also a larger 0.6 oz Cocoa Butter tin. Arctic Mint Mini is a hydrating mini that helps lock in moisture. Rosy Lips is the tinted one, a sheer tint in a twin pack, and the Variety Mini Set gathers Crème Brûlée, Rosy Lips and Cocoa Butter in three mini tins.

My practical tip: warm a tiny bit on a fingertip and press it on, rather than swiping straight from the tin, so it stays smooth and does not tug.

Big numbers collage titled LIP THERAPY, six products numbered one to six with each product set beside its number: Vaseline, Glossier and Givenchy
Vaseline Lip Balm

Vaseline Lip Therapy tubes and tins

Glossy salves and butter balms to try next

Once the tins are covered, the next step is a balm that adds a little more comfort and shine. Glossier Balm Dotcom in Mint is a clear balm made with castor seed oil, beeswax and lanolin, and the brand says it works as a skin salve on cuticles, elbows and knees. Topicals Slick Salve in Papaya is a glossy, vegan balm with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, and the brand says to apply a thick layer overnight as a mask. The Glaze Hydrating Lip Balm in 01 Bubblegum Pop is a tinted, glossy pink with 10-hour hydration and a melting texture.

ILIA Lip Wrap in Lucid is a clear, everyday barrier-building balm with hyaluronic acid and prickly pear oil. Sincerely Yours Sugarcoat Gloss in Sheer Vanilla is a nonsticky gloss-balm with shea butter and a soft vanilla flavor. Kosas Plump + Juicy Lip Booster is a buttery treatment with peptides, made for a fuller look without the sting. Rare Beauty Find Comfort in Loved is a tea rose butter with a subtle vanilla scent that works as a balm by day and a mask overnight, and Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Vanilla Beige is a sheer beige with shea and murumuru butters.

How I use them: Vaseline tin during the day, one of these butters at night.

What I would skip: the Glossier balm if you want visible shine, since its own description says the finish comes without shine.

Glossy salves and butter balms

Tinted balms that add a little color

If a tin feels too plain, tinted balms give you color without a lipstick routine. Givenchy Rose Perfecto in 001 Pink Irresistible is a marbled liquid balm with 97 percent skincare ingredients, and the shade adapts to your lips' pH. Valentino Spike Disco Lip Balm in 302R Extra Pink is a cool bright pink in a rose-gold Rockstud case, with pH-activated color and up to 24 hours of hydration. Armani Beauty Prisma Flash in 01 Rose Flash is a custom pink balm with blueberry and jojoba oils.

For berry lovers, MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist ColorGlow in 808 Boundless Berry is a berry pink with hyaluronic acid and peptides. Lancôme Lip Idôle Butterglow in 10 Pink ÔH LA LA is a sheer pink with squalane, and Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Balm in Glace has a high-shine finish with a diffused wash of color. NARS Afterglow in Triple X is crystal clear, with a nonsticky shine, and ISAMAYA Lips Balm in Justice is an icy glaze sheer lipstick balm with vitamin E.

A simple test: swipe your chosen shade on bare lips, then press a fingertip of Vaseline over the center for extra shine.

What I would skip: stacking two pH-activated balms in one day. The colors blend, and I lose track of which one I liked.

Glossy tinted balms for a little color

Building a small balm drawer

I keep three types of balm and use each on purpose. A Vaseline tin lives in a coat pocket and does the plain job of comfort, ideally the Cocoa Butter one if you like a scent. A butter or salve, such as Rare Beauty or Topicals, sits by the bed for overnight care. A tinted balm from the last grid goes in a bag for days when I want color without a lipstick. Start with a single tin and add from there, so each one has a clear job in your day.