You've heard of beauty products to target fine lines and wrinkles on the face, neck, and eye area, but how often do we come across anti-aging products for our lips? According to the experts, they shouldn't be that rare to come by.
With that in mind, we asked Herrmann and dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian for their tips on adding moisture to the lips—and their picks on the best anti-aging lip treatments on the market. Keep reading for some of the best anti-aging lip treatments to impart hydration, smooth fine lines, and even plump your pout.
Meet the Experts
- Jennifer Herrmann, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon.
- Rachel Nazarian, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City.
What Are Anti-Aging Lip Treatments?
Anti-aging lip treatments should be used often, Herrmann notes, although frequency depends on the product. "Those with reparative enzymes or SPF, for example, should be used once daily, or more, to help restore healthy DNA," she says. "Depending on the season, products with intense hydration may be needed multiple times throughout the day during winter but not at all in the summer," she adds. "Finally, products containing growth factors and antioxidants can be used once or twice daily, and those with mild retinol can be used up to three times per week."
What Causes Your Lips to Age?
Lips will expose years of bad habits and freewheeling ways, giving way to lines and wrinkles—even faster than their aforementioned counterparts. "Because of its delicateness, lip skin shows signs of aging more quickly than other areas of skin," says dermatologist Dr. Jennifer Herrmann.
"Collagen production decreases dramatically in women in their 30s, and even a small amount of collagen and volume-loss in the lips can be apparent, especially for people who have thinner lips to begin with," adds dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian. "Additionally, supportive structures in our mouth, such as our teeth, can also shift and change as we grow older, decreasing the foundation behind our lips, and leading to a thinner appearance."
Key Ingredients to Look For
According to Herrmann, the key ingredients in anti-aging lip treatments are:
- Growth factors that stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis
- DNA repair enzymes that reverse DNA damage
- Retinoids that help turn over new skin cells
- Antioxidants that squelch damaging free radicals
- Hyaluronic acids that give maximum hydration
- SPF
Find an anti-aging lip balm or treatment that includes most, if not all, of these ingredients and incorporate it into your daily skincare plan. But when you first use it, "be patient," says Herrmann. "You should gradually see the texture and clarity of your pout improve."
Nazarian often recommends topicals that "moisturize and reinforce healthy tissue and production of collagen," suggesting that you should "look for topicals with hyaluronic acid, peptides and antioxidants."
Topical Lip Treatment Alternatives
If you've given topical lip treatments a good shot and still aren't seeing decent results, don't bite your lip at the thought of an in-office medical treatment, either.
"While topical lip therapies are an essential part of good lip hygiene, in-office treatments can offer added benefits," says Herrmann. "Pigmentation, which often shows up on the upper lip, can be treated with light laser treatments, and fine lines can be targeted with fractionated resurfacing lasers. These induce collagen synthesis and can smooth vertical lip lines better than most injectable fillers."
Nazarian further explains that the "best and easiest treatment" is to inject with hyaluronic acid. "Also known as 'fillers,' injecting hyaluronic acid into the lips can immediately improve hydration and give an anti-aging effect, improving wrinkles and volume," she says. "When done by a trained expert, such a board-certified dermatologist, this procedure can be a comfortable and quick way to repair some of the aging process that affects the lips."
Best Anti-Aging Lip Treatments
Grande Cosmetics GrandeLips Hydrating Lip Plumper Gloss
"This is one of my newfound favorite products. It combines hyaluronic acid with a form of vitamin B and acts as a conditioning agent, and also stimulates immediate plumping," says Nazarian.
L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro Gloss Plump Lip Gloss
Nazarian's pick for a gloss with hyaluronic acid is this plumping gloss from L’Oréal Paris. "It combines hydrating glycerin and squalane with hyaluronic acid to enhance and soften lip texture," she says. "Fine lines and lip wrinkles improve with continued use, and you can also find it in a massive array of colors."
Tula Hydrating Peptide Lip Treatment
Available in a gorgeous rosy pink tone, Tula' lip treatment balm with peptides and superfoods has, according to Nazarian, "a great cocktail of lip-plumping peptides and antioxidants." "It also has vitamin E and hyaluronic acid to improve hydration," she says.
Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment
For glossy, pillowy soft lips, look to Hailey Bieber's Rhode collection, namely her Lip Peptide Treatment. The award-winning formula is nourishing, hydrating, and plumps lips thanks to shea butter, peptides, and cupuaçu.
Verso Skincare Lip Serum
Verso Skincare's Lip Serum contains Retinol 8, says Herrmann, which is "a stabilized vitamin-A complex that's gentler than most retinoids and helps boost collagen production while fading dark spots and fine lip lines."
CeraVe Healing Ointment
While simple and inexpensive, Herrmann notes, CeraVe's Healing Ointment "hydrates lips with hyaluronic acid, protects from UV rays with SPF 30,guards against free-radical damage with vitamin E, and uses ceramides to help repair a cracked and chapped skin barrier."
EltaMD UV Lip Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 36
This creamy, lip sunscreen is formulated with transparent zinc oxide so you won't have to worry about any unsightly white cast. Glycerin is also in the mix to protect the skin and keep moisture in. And the best part? It's water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, so you can swim worry free.
Fresh Sugar Triple-Action Lip Mask Advanced Therapy
"Dry or flaking skin makes lips look old," says Herrmann. "So using a product with sugar can help gently exfoliate lips and restore smoothness. This is a favorite because it'sformulated with acmella flower extract, Kigelia africana fruit extract, and sugar, which each help smooth lips."
Grown Alchemist Age-Repair Lip Treatment
Skin plumping peptides and hyaluronic acid are the foundational ingredients of this anti-aging lip treatment. And if you're someone who doesn't want to use any petroleum-based ingredients, this treatment uses plant-based butters like Candelilla and Carnauba wax instead.
PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster
"The antioxidants, essential oils, botanicals, and vitamins within this lip therapy help restore fullness and smoothness," adds Herrmann, "so it's perfect for dry winter lips."
SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair
Counting the antioxidants vitamin E and silymarin among its active ingredients, "This product targets fine lines, sun damage, and dullness," Herrmann notes.
Clé de PeauLip Serum
Admittedly a luxurious choice, this Clé de Peau serum aims to both moisturize lips and make them appear more plump. The silky texture feels nice on the skin and the brand's Illuminating Complex EX (which includes precious silk and pearl elements) aims to retexturize skin while reducing the appearance of damage caused by environmental stress.
U Beauty The Plasma Lip Compound
This gel-like compound offers what the brand calls a "3D cushion-effect." But the benefits go beyond increased volume, with the product working to soften and hydrate the lips as well.
