Learn about the hidden health hazards found in conventional lip-plumping products and discover 7 safer, natural lip balms to hydrate, smooth, and volumize your lips for a healthier, plumper pout.
We're all after those beautifully full and luscious lips, right? But did you know that many lip-plumping products on the market contain chemicals that pose serious health risks that are often downplayed?
Thankfully, there are a lot of great clean and chemical-free lip balms if you are seeking more natural options for fuller-looking lips.
This post explores the dangerous chemicals lurking in conventional lip plumpers and discusses the benefits of lip balm as a healthier, natural alternative with ingredients that will hydrate, smooth, and volumize your lips.
We've also included our 7 favorite all-natural lip balms that will hydrate and plump your pout with 100% good-for-you ingredients.
Hidden Dangers Lurking in Conventional Lip-Plumping Products
Many conventional lip plumpers rely on synthetic chemicals to temporarily swell and smooth your lips like methyl salicylate. However, these chemical cocktails pose both short and long-term health risks that you might want to consider.
Potential hormone disruptors like parabens and phthalates can negatively impact your endocrine system and your reproductive health over time. These chemicals are found in many personal care products, including lip balms and other lip care products. Studies link parabens to infertility and breast cancer risks, while certain phthalates are associated with developmental and reproductive damage.
Since the skin of your lips is thin and easily permeable, it is more likely to absorb these harmful chemicals.
Synthetic preservatives BHA and BHT also raise concerns about possible carcinogenic effects from long-term exposure. Although still under investigation, these chemicals may produce toxic byproducts and free radicals that damage cell DNA.
On top of endocrine disruptors and potential carcinogens, conventional lip products frequently contain unnecessary artificial fragrances that can cause adverse reactions in sensitive individuals, including lip swelling, redness, stinging, and burns. Even without an apparent reaction, the residual buildup of irritants could lead to chronic inflammation and collagen breakdown over time.
The risks clearly outweigh the rewards when it comes to using synthetic chemicals in your lip products.
The Magic Behind Lip Balm for Plumper Lips
The Link Between Lip Hydration and Volume
Did you know the skin on and around your lips lacks sebaceous glands? Sebaceous oil glands are responsible for producing the natural oils that keep the rest of our skin moisturized. Since our lips are directly exposed to dehydrating environmental factors like the sun, dry air, and cold weather, and because they aren’t able to create their own oils, our lips are more susceptible to dehydration. Chronically dehydrated lips will start to appear thinner with deeper fine lines over time.
Hyaluronic Acid And Collagen Diminish As We Age, Leading To Thinner Lips
Lip volume is primarily determined by the presence of hyaluronic acid, which draws and holds water in and between your skin cells. We don’t produce as much hyaluronic acid as we age, contributing to lip thinning.
Hyaluronic acid also aids in increasing the production and maintenance of collagen, a key protein for skin elasticity and health. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, accounting for about 70% of the proteins that make up your skin. It acts as the framework for our lips, giving them strength and shape.
The Benefits of Lip Balm to Give Your Lips a Lift
A good lip balm that contains humectants can naturally create the appearance of fuller, more voluminous lips, albeit temporarily, by hydrating the skin cells and helping replenish the hyaluronic acid and collagen we lose with age. Hydrating lip treatments can also thicken the dermal layer of dry lips, leading to fuller-looking lips.
Lip balms can also protect your lips from the damaging effects of the sun and can help reduce inflammation, which are also crucial components to preventing accelerated aging of the lips.
Common ingredients that are natural humectants found in natural lip balms include:
- Shea butter: Shea butter contains anti-inflammatory properties, which can soothe irritation on the lips. This is particularly useful for minimizing irritation caused by environmental factors like dry or cold weather. Additionally, shea butter's content of vitamins, such as Vitamin A and E, adds to its soothing capabilities, helping to prevent dryness by creating a protective barrier for your lips.
- Coconut oil: A highly moisturizing oil that is also known for its anti-inflammatory properties.
- Beeswax: Beeswax serves as a natural barrier against external elements that can damage lips, such as wind, cold, and UV radiation. When applied, beeswax creates a thin film that protects the delicate skin of the lips from the drying effects of environmental factors. This protective layer helps retain moisture and prevents the lips from becoming dry and cracked. Beeswax also contains natural sun protection properties, offering some level of UV protection for the lips
- Rosehip Seed Oil: Rosehip seed oil promotes skin regeneration through anti-inflammatory omega fatty acids, transretinoic acid, and vitamin C. By stimulating collagen growth and cell turnover, it reduces wrinkles and brightens lip tone. The essential fatty acids also deeply hydrate to plump lips.
Avocado Oil: Avocado oil's high concentration of plant sterolins and oleic acid provides intensive nourishing benefits. The oil's similarity to skin's natural oils allows deep absorption to smooth rough, flaky skin. Lips are left supremely soft and supple with the anti-aging effects of the plant sterolins.
More Natural Ingredients That Will Plump Your Pout
In addition to collagen and hyaluronic acid, several other natural ingredients can contribute to temporary lip plumping:
- Capsaicin (chili peppers): Lip oils that contain capsaicin stimulate the production of blood flow, which can cause the lips to appear temporarily fuller.
- Peppermint oil: Peppermint oil has a cooling effect that can cause the lips to tingle and appear slightly plumper.
- Cinnamon oil: Cinnamon oil also has a stimulating effect on blood flow, which can contribute to temporary lip plumping.
Try a small patch test before using a natural lip balm that contains any of these oils. Capsaicin and cinnamaldehyde, derived from cinnamon, can cause irritation and allergic reactions in some individuals.
Our Favorite Lip Balms To Plump Lips Naturally
Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm is a nourishing formula that checks all the boxes. Vegan? Check. Cruelty-free? Check. Thoughtfully sourced ingredients that deliver real results? Triple check!
The main active ingredient is plant-based squalane derived from sugarcane, which creates an emollient that is bio-identical to your skin’s natural oils. Squalane and the moisture-binding abilities of hyaluronic acid and rose wax lock in the hydration for beautifully moisturized lips all day. Beyond just basic hydration, this Biossance lip blam contains collagen-boosting wakame algae to smooth fine lines and gently plump lips from the inside out.
The formula is also free of synthetic fragrances, allowing the rose essence's light, refreshing scent to shine through naturally. And with its sleek, sustainable packaging, this is a feel-good lip product you can feel good about using.
Well People's Lip Nurture Hydrating Balm infused with ultra-nourishing plant oils and butters will leave you with supple lips and plumping them to perfection.
With each swipe, the balm’s trifecta of raspberry seed oil, shea butter, and coconut oil provide next-level conditioning, even in the cold temperatures of the winter months. Raspberry seed oil softens and soothes with fatty acids, while the shea butter and coconut oil deeply moisturize.
This nourishing lip balm is a great, clean alternative to using petroleum jelly.
Our lips look undeniably smoother and more voluminous whenever we use this lip balm. Plus, we love the subtle apricot tint and vanilla-orange scent. You can get this lip balm in clear or as a tinted lip balm in 4 flattering shades.
Kosas proves you can naturally get plump, hydrated lips with their Plump and Juicy Lip Collagen Booster. This is the one if you're looking for a lip plumper that won't leave your lips stinging or burning. This collagen-boosting treatment plumps and protects your lips, and the barely-there tint makes it the perfect product to layer liberally under your lip color.
With 7x more concentrated ingredients than typical lip treatments, this lip plumper is a dream team of nourishing and volumizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and peptides that smooth lines for a more contoured look. Kosas also uses a proprietary blend of pomegranate flower and jojoba oil to visibly enhance lip volume.
Juicy, hydrated, and unapologetically voluptuous lips sans needles? Count us in.
As far as natural lip-plumping goes, RMS hits every note. Within a few short weeks, we saw smoother lips with fewer fine lines.
We take this lip gloss with us wherever we go. We can't get enough of its sheer wash of glowy color and glossy shine. The creamy, cushiony texture glides on with zero stickiness for a stain-like tint. It's perfect to prep lips pre-color or wear alone for an ultra-natural hint of color.
Unlike traditional plumpers that temporarily inflame lips, Liplights’ peptides stimulate gradual collagen production for naturally smoother, subtly volumized texture within weeks. The amino building blocks also help lock in long-lasting hydration using ingredients like organic shea butter and jojoba oil.
The tube is also fully recyclable and lets you use every precious drop, so not a bit goes to waste.
Infused with an electric cocktail of tingling Sichuan pepper, plumping oils, and plant collagen, this gloss leaves your lips looking juicy with the perfect pop of color.
At first, we were hesitant to apply a product made with Sichuan pepper directly to our lips. Our super-sensitive skin doesn't even like peppermint or cinnamon oil's tingling and drying effects. But Milk’s medley of smart ingredients actually cools your lips to counteract the tingling lip sensation from the Sichuan oil, making it comfortable to wear all day long.
The star player is Milk's active complex called Volulip - which penetrates deep within the skin’s surface to support natural collagen and hydrate dryness for an undeniably smoother, plumper pout. While many plumpers fade fast, this formula’s vegan collagen, jojoba oil, and lasting pigments continue boosting and conditioning all day for round-the-clock volume.
For under $20, you can't beat the intense hydration and healing powers of First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Lip Therapy. It tackles even the driest, most damaged lips with colloidal oatmeal, beeswax, and lanolin, which lock in moisture.
If you're out in the winter elements or live in a dry climate, keep this in your pocket for daily use. Lecithin and allantoin prevent windburn, and it has spf protection to prevent sunburn.
Ilia's Lip Wrap Reviving Balm is another excellent choice if you have chronically dry, flaky lips. Unlike basic balms, Lip Wrap goes beyond surface-level hydration with free radical fighters like vitamin E to protect against free radicals from UV rays.
The blend of hyaluronic acid, prickly pear oil, and salicornia creates a hydration powerhouse. Prickly pear nourishes the lips, while salicornia, derived from a succulent that grows in salt marshes, helps strengthen the moisture barrier.
The balm comes in a sleek, minimalist tube, and the applicator tip is user-friendly, allowing precise application without any mess.
All of the moisturizing ingredients made our lips feel really hydrated, though we had to reapply every couple of hours. And while our lips did look slightly more plump due to being extra hydrated, we would suggest this balm more for its hydrating properties rather than its plumping capabilities.
Tips for Maintaining Plump and Healthy Lips
Caring for your lips should be part of your regular skincare routine. Here are some tips for creating a daily routine that will help keep your lips looking smooth, soft, and fabulous:
Hydrate From Within
Drinking plenty of water is crucial for staying hydrated from the inside out. Aim for at least eight 8-ounce glasses per day. Proper hydration keeps your skin supple all over, including your lips, contributing to a plumper pout.
Exfoliate
Use a lip scrub once or twice a week with a lip exfoliant or soft washcloth to slough off dry, flaky skin. This helps reveal smoother, softer skin by removing dead cells and promoting new cell turnover. Just don't overdo it! Exfoliating more than 2-3 times weekly can cause irritation.
Protect Your Lips From Sun Damage
Don’t forget UV protection on delicate lip skin! Apply a lip balm or lipstick with SPF 15 or higher anytime you're in direct sunlight. The sun's rays can dry out your lips and cause premature aging over time.
Moisturize Daily
Apply a nourishing lip balm or oil morning and night to condition lips all day long. Prioritize non-toxic formulas packed with emollients and humectants. Shea butter, plant oils, and hyaluronic acid will sink in to replenish moisture and smooth fine lines.
Practice Good Habits
Avoid licking or biting your lips, which just leads to more irritation. Also, try to cut back on habits that dehydrate your whole body, like smoking or drinking alcohol excessively. A healthy lifestyle keeps your skin functioning at its best!
Following these simple, daily lip care tips will give you a fuller, more youthful-looking pout in no time! Let us know in the comments if you have any other suggestions for maintaining soft, hydrated, and plump lips.
This post was all about the benefits of lip balm for fuller, plumper lips.
In this post, we took a deep dive into the hidden health hazards in many conventional lip plumpers, including hormone disruptors and potential carcinogens. We also explored the magic behind natural ingredients like collagen, hyaluronic acid, plant oils, and butters for naturally plumping lips by deeply hydrating and replenishing lost volume.
Our top 7 chemical-free lip balms provide safer, nourishing formulas to smooth fine lines, condition dryness, and enhance your lips' natural contours. Brands like Biossance, Kosas, RMS Beauty, and Well People offer clean, non-toxic lip care you can truly feel good about.
We hope this guide helps you make more informed choices about caring for your precious pout. Ditch the toxic lip plumpers and discover the beautifying effects of natural lip balms today!
What's your favorite natural lip balm or treatment? Share with us in the comments which products give you the healthiest, fullest-looking lips. Empower your community by spreading the word about clean lip care.
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