February 28, 2026

Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter

There’s an ocean of lip balms out there, but very few actually deliver on the promise of soothing rough, chapped lips. Our beauty experts weeded through the greasy and goopy, the ill-tasting, and the smelly to find the ones actually worth applying — like a lightweight salve that calms cracked lips, a glossy mask, and a tinted balm that comes in lovely sheer and shimmery shades.

Our favorite lip balms→

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