Are you wondering why you keep hearing about lip serums, lip treatments and lip masks?
You may have heard Kate Moss recently rave about the best-selling Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.
Moss, 48, revealed that her 19-year-old daughter introduced her to the popular pout-nourishing product.
“This is Laneige. Lila told me about it. It’s a sleep mask, but it’s so good,” she said in a video discussing her skin routine.
Moss is not alone in those of us discovering the benefits of extra care and dedicated treatments for our lips.
With the growth in the skincare market and our general understanding of how certain ingredients improve the health and appearance in our skin, so too comes new skincare categories.
These products address the needs of skin in areas we may not have considered.
The need for dedicated eye creams is one area that has been debated for years. With more research and information about the skin in that area and the demands of our lifestyles we’ve come to better understanding about why we can benefit from eye products. For example, our skin is thinner and more delicate around the eyes and vulnerable to allergic reactions. The there’s the way scientists believe our eyes use a number of muscles to make more than 10,000 movements a day, the micro-motions taxing the muscles and skin in this area. Eventually, the signs of aging, fine lines, wrinkles, loss of density, tone and texture, all become apparent around the eyes.
Dedicated lip skincare
Similarly, a more recent extension of skincare for your face is dedicated products designed to care for the skin on your lips.
This is because your lips are different to the rest of the skin on your face. Lips do not have the same protective outer layer, or stratum corneum, found in other areas of skin, nor do lips have the same amount of oil and sweat glands which means they don’t get the type of hydration and lipids.
Lip balms have previously addressed this with instant-care products, many designed to protect the outer layers from environmental elements like sun, wind and weather damage, as well as forming a barrier to preventing any moisture loss. However they often don’t have the required active ingredients to replenish moisture if your lips are already dry.
Many new treatment products offer more intensive and concentrated care, using the likes of hyaluronic acid to penetrate the layers and deeply hydrate lips. The difference can be related to using a serum on your face, instead of just a moisturiser – the ingredients are designed to go deeper and work for longer.
The ingredients in lip treatments, masks and serums provide hydration that is also claimed by many products to slightly plump out our lip lines and smooth the surface of lips as well as minimise flaking.
Other beneficial ingredients sometimes included are ceramides, to further help prevent moisture loss, firming peptides to support the lip’s natural shape and encourage repair and even retinol or bakuchiol, anti-aging ingredients intended to tackle dark spots and fine lines around the lips.
Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Serum Intense Hyaluronic Lip Care, Jane Iredale HydroPure Hyaluronic Acid Lip Treatment; Milk Makeup Melatonin Overnight Lip Mask; Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask; Paula’s Choice Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide Lip Booster; Verso Lip Serum; ILIA Lip Wrap Overnight Treatment; bareMinerals Ageless Phyto-Retinol Lip Mask
Lip treatments are often designed to offer instant comfort as well as long lasting results.
Since 2007, Dior’s tingle-inducing tinted Lip Maximiser glosses have been a hit and now the brand has added a lip care serum to the collection, taking a more skincare-led approach to creating the appearance of a fuller and smoother mouth. Lip Maximiser Serum has two types of hyaluronic to increase moisture content, sensorial oils and waxes to protect the surface of lips and a peptide said to stimulate collagen production. The sheer, colourless serum feels creamy and soothing and is the perfect ‘no makeup’ addition to perfecting your lips.
Jane Iredale’s new HydroPure Hyaluronic Acid Lip Treatment also uses hyaluronic acid to attract and lock in moisture, creating a barrier to help protect cracked lips. It also has plant butters and oils, Padina Algae extract, said to have reparative properties by stimulating collagen synthesis, and ginger extract for an almost imperceptible tingle, intended to invigorate and visibly plump lips.
One of the most beloved treatments available for several years is K Beauty brand Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Masks, now available in a range of flavours – not that you’re supposed to lick them! Intended to deliver long-lasting hydration, the mask is enriched with vitamin C and antioxidants from a blend of berries to smooth away dead skin cells, keep lips youthful and soothe dry lips. Mineral water, evening primrose root extract and Hunza apricot extract are used for moisture. The brand developed the mask to be worn at night so users could avoid the hassle of wearing lip balm, as well as those who wanted to return hydration after a day wearing lipstick.
While some treatments are suggested for use at night, there is no reason each of the serums, treatments or masks can’t be used during the day. With a sometimes thicker balm or slippery serum, texture they aren’t recommended for use under lip colour products, however.
