We are living through a lip care renaissance. Speaking from personal experience, I can’t remember a time when I was without a lip product on standby. Balms and glosses have always been a pivotal part of my beauty routine – Carmex, Vaseline, Nivea Soft Rose and flavoured lip smackers defined my tweens – but over the last decade, this skincare category has experienced a shift.
Vogue’s pick of some of the best lip masks at a glance:
Ingredient-led balms have usurped sticky roll-ons; Rhode brought lip care out of the depths of people’s handbags and into the wild (and selfie mirrors) via a bespoke phone-case-come-ingenius-marketing-tool. Meanwhile, Laneige popularised lip masks for everyday usage.
Laneige’s pocket-sized pot – the original Pink Berry being the most sought-after model – is marketed as a “sleeping mask”, but in recent years, it has become nothing short of a viral sensation (like most cult items, TikTok is to thank for its unprecedented rise). British Vogue’s former beauty and wellness editor, Hannah Coates, declared it “the lip balm to end all lip balms”. Kate Moss and Lila Moss have name-dropped it in Vogue’s beauty secrets videos. Its USP? Trademarked Moisture Wrap technology featuring minerals and hyaluronic acid to promote hydration, plus a medley of berries (raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, blueberry) and shea butter, to condition the lips.
Crucially, lip masks not only provide instant hydration, but they also negate the need for a gloss or lipstick (though many people, myself included, add liner or colour beneath for a more elevated appearance). “It’s no secret that ombre lips have had a major comeback. Everyone who is anyone is swapping tips for the best combo,” says British Vogue’s associate beauty and wellness writer, Ranyechi Udemezue, who describes Laneige’s mask as the “perfect topper”. “Just a modest swipe gives you a glossy sheen that lasts up to eight hours and creates the best blendable consistency. Say goodbye to awkwardly overlined lips forever!” The Tatcha Kissu Jelly mask, Fresh’s Sugar Advanced Therapy mask and Fenty Beauty’s Plush Puddin Intensive Recovery mask are other team favourites.
For inspiration on how to embrace a more pared-back appeal, look to the runways. Low-maintenance beauty was in abundance – a movement that, on the fashion front, has also manifested as “real-life dressing”, via tank tops, jeans and flannel shirts. Honing in on spring/summer 2025, models at Miu Miu walked with very minimal make-up, and what appeared to be just a dash of lip balm, to complement the undone, rush-out-the-door hair. There were similarly understated lip finishes at Loewe, Prada, Bottega Veneta and Alexander McQueen. The easiest beauty trick I’ll be embracing for 2025? Masks all day – and night.
.jpg)
Best hydrating lip mask: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: One of the original and most hyped, thus lip mask is iconic for a reason. As well as a multitude of different flavours to choose from, all in whimsical scents and tints, the formula is second to none when it comes to imparting long-lasting hydration and suppleness.
- Key ingredients: Coconut oil, murumuru butter, shea butter
Best untinted lip mask: Kissu Lip Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: If you’re after plumper, softer, and well, more kissable lips, the clue is in the name with this cult product. As well as increasing hydration, it contains Japanese peach extract which has compounds that promote healing and soothe soreness.
- Key ingredients: Japanese peach extract, orange peel extract, squalane, Japanese camellia oil
Best nourishing lip mask: Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A godsend for neglected lips, this subtly scented lip balm can be used during the day to restore hydration or layered on thickly overnight as an intensive treatment. The combination of plant extracts and oils make it feel really nourishing without feeling in the slightest bit greasy.
- Key ingredients: Shea butter, avocado oil, jojoba oil
Best intensive lip mask: Fenty Beauty Plush Puddin' Intensive Recovery Lip Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: If you’re looking to impart moisture, a subtle sheen and soften lips in one fell swipe, then let this gem do the hard work for you. Packed with conditioning ingredients known to soothe skin and plump out fine lines, it’s the perfect pocket rocket product to sort your lip woes.
- Key ingredients: castor, coconut and jojoba seed oils
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: While the peptides in this viral formula help replenish moisture and plump lips, there’s also a host of other ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E that work to lend your lips a pillowy softness with continued use.
- Key ingredients: peptides, shea butter, vitamin E
Best conditioning lip mask: Lanolips 12-Hour Overnight Lip Mask
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Reading more like the INCI list of a face cream than a lip mask, this enriched formula contains lots of moisturising, hydrating and conditioning actives that make a noticeable difference to the look and feel of your skin. There are also plenty of healing extracts like honey and vitamin E that are especially good if your lips feel very dry or chapped.
- Key ingredients: lanolin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, ceramides, vanilla, honey, vitamin E
More of the best lip masks:
Kiehls
Buttermask For Lips
Coconut oil and wild mango butter are infused into this ultra-nourishing lip mask from Kiehl’s. The moisture-rich butter is a parched pout saviour with its smoothing properties. Apply before bed – and a little goes a long way, by the way – and you wake up with hydrated lips. It’s not sticky either.
FAQs
What’s the difference between a lip balm and a lip mask?
Although almost everyone is au fait with the benefits of a lip balm, you might be wondering what the difference is between a regular lip balm and a lip mask. The difference lies in the texture, and the number of actives included in the formula, which can essentially turn a nice, conditioning balm into something more potent and healing. While lip balms, designed to be slicked on as and when throughout the day, favour fast absorption and gently hydrating ingredients, lip masks tend to be thicker, richer and loaded with more intensively nourishing ingredients and at higher dosages. This makes them ideal for layering onto lips overnight, allowing them to sink in slowly, or slicking over lips when they’re feeling especially sore or dry.
What ingredients are in a lip mask?
While ingredients vary from formula to formula, most lip masks tend to contain rich emollients like shea butter which help lock in moisture, as well humectants like hyaluronic acid which provide intensive hydration. You may also find plant and seed oils to soothe and hydrate, many of which are rich in fatty acids and provide skin barrier support and improved healing.
