Frequently Asked Questions

Which ingredients are commonly found in tinted lip balms?

Whether tinted or clear, a balm’s main job is to offset dryness and chapping, and to do this, it’s spiked with nourishing ingredients you’re probably familiar with from your skin-care routine. Here are a few of the most common ones:

This humectant is arguably the most popular hydrator in skin care. Doris Day, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, previously told Allure that hyaluronic acid is “great at holding water and giving skin resilience and firmness.” She also noted that while injecting hyaluronic acid into the deeper layers of the skin provides the most effective results and helps restore lost volume, this ingredient is still quite beneficial as a topical. “When used in creams, lotions, and serums, it can also do wonders for rejuvenation and hydration,” she said.

While humectants like hyaluronic acid bind water to the skin’s surface layer, emollients like shea butter act as a seal to prevent moisture loss while reducing roughness and flaking. “Shea butter is rich in essential fatty acids, making it an excellent emollient for the skin, helping to simultaneously moisturize and protect against water loss,” Kim Nichols, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Greenwich, Connecticut, previously told Allure. Dr. Nichols added that shea butter is also a great source of vitamins A (also known as retinol) and E, two antioxidants that soothe and soften irritated, dry, and itchy skin. “This combination of powerhouse ingredients makes shea butter an ideal ingredient to help soothe symptoms of common skin-care conditions such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, to name a few,” she says.

Despite having “oil” in its name, jojoba oil is relatively lightweight. “Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax, which is why it feels less greasy on skin compared to oils,” Ron Robinson, cosmetic chemist and founder of BeautyStat, previously told Allure. Unlike most oils, jojoba oil is made up mainly of fatty acids, alcohol, and hydrocarbons. According to Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, jojoba oil’s composition is what gives its moisturizing properties a light texture that won’t clog pores as easily as other oils. “It acts as both a humectant to draw moisture in and an emollient that softens and smoothes the skin,” she says.

You’ve likely seen a boom in peptide lip treatments, and for good reason. If you’re looking for a (much more subtle) alternative to fillers or Botox, “Peptide lip balms can be effective for improving lip texture and hydration,” says Cindy Bae, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. Though the concentration and type of peptides will determine how effective said peptides are, the star ingredient can firm, smooth, plump, and minimize the appearance of lip lines.

What’s the difference between tinted lip balms and lip tints?

They may have similar names, but tinted lip balms focus on moisture replenishment while lip tints and stains provide more potent color. Though not every lip stain can be considered a moisturizing balm, Cincinnati, Ohio-based cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos previously told Allure that, depending on composition, just about any lip product can act as a tint. “The color additives are the primary determinant of whether a color actually stains the lips,” she says. “It’s really about the chemistry of the color additives that contribute to staining, so balms, glosses, and lipsticks can all be lip stains.”

Meet the experts

• Sherry Backman, a cosmetic chemist based in Brattleboro, Vermont
• Cindy Bae, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
• Doris Day, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist
• Kelly Dobos, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based cosmetic chemist
• Kim Nichols, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Greenwich, Connecticut
• Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City
• Whitney Hovenic, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of Spooge based in Reno, Nevada
• Ron Robinson, a cosmetic chemist and founder of skin-care brand BeautyStat
• Dara Spearman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Radiant Dermatology Associates based in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

How we test and review products

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.

For our list of the best tinted lip balms, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance (or lack thereof), texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.

Our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.