# The best lip oils, balms and glosses.

> Seven ways to care for and shine the mouth — from an overnight mask to a high-shine oil — compared by finish, ingredients, fragrance and UK price.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/best/best-lip-oils-and-balms
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)
- Published: 2026-09-25
- Updated: 2026-09-25
- Category guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/category/lips
- Method: desk research from published formulas, specifications and brand/retailer information — not lab or hands-on tested

## Quick answer

**What is the best lip oil or lip balm?**

Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil is the best lip oil for shine and shade choice, at £34. For everyday care, Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment gives glossy conditioning, fragrance-free in its unscented version, at £20; Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is the overnight pick; Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm is the vegan daily balm; Vaseline is the simplest occlusive.

## Our top picks

- **Best lip oil:** Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil — 19 shades · Juicy, Sparkly, Glaze · 6ml
- **Best lip treatment:** Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment — Peptide + plant butters · untinted · 10ml
- **Best overnight mask:** Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask — Berry Fruit Complex · shea · 20g
- **Best everyday balm:** Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm — Vegan · shea + murumuru · 15g
- **Best gloss:** Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer — 19 shades · shea + vitamin E · 9ml
- **Best honey lip oil:** Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil — Mirsalehi honey · jojoba · 8ml
- **Best simple occlusive:** Vaseline Lip Therapy Original — Petrolatum (100%) · 20g tin

## Side by side

| Product | Award | Finish | Key spec | Guide price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/dior-addict-lip-glow-oil) | Best lip oil | High shine | 19 shades · Juicy, Sparkly, Glaze · 6ml | £34 |
| [Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/rhode-peptide-lip-treatment) | Best lip treatment | Glossy, high shine | Peptide + plant butters · untinted · 10ml | £20 |
| [Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/laneige-lip-sleeping-mask) | Best overnight mask | Nourished | Berry Fruit Complex · shea · 20g | £21 |
| [Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/summer-fridays-lip-butter-balm) | Best everyday balm | Soft sheen | Vegan · shea + murumuru · 15g | from £23 |
| [Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/fenty-beauty-gloss-bomb-universal-lip-luminizer) | Best gloss | High shine | 19 shades · shea + vitamin E · 9ml | £20 |
| [Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/gisou-honey-infused-lip-oil) | Best honey lip oil | High shine | Mirsalehi honey · jojoba · 8ml | £24 |
| [Vaseline Lip Therapy Original](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/vaseline-lip-therapy-original) | Best simple occlusive | Natural shine | Petrolatum (100%) · 20g tin | See official page |

Prices are UK guide prices from the brand’s official page or a named UK retailer, checked 2026-09-25; they may have changed.

## The picks in detail

### 1. Best lip oil: Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil

Dior’s lip oil offers the widest choice of finish in this guide — sheer Juicy, shimmering Sparkly and more saturated Glaze shades — built around cherry seed oil. It is the pick when shine is the look and colour is optional.

What stands out:
- 19 shades on Dior UK across Juicy, Sparkly, Glaze and Pop Glow
- Cherry seed oil base with Dior’s Color Reviver technology
- High shine, worn alone or over liner

Consider first:
- £34 for 6ml — the highest price per millilitre here
- Contains fragrance, menthol and peppermint oil
- Shine first, care second: not a treatment

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/dior-addict-lip-glow-oil
Official page: https://www.dior.com/en_gb/beauty/products/dior-addict-lip-glow-oil-Y0124000.html

### 2. Best lip treatment: Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment

Rhode’s original product pairs palmitoyl tripeptide-1 with shea, babassu and cupuaçu butters in a glossy, untinted treatment. The unscented version is labelled fragrance-free, which makes it an easy everyday conditioning gloss.

What stands out:
- Glossy, high-shine finish without colour
- Unscented version labelled fragrance-free
- Vegan and cruelty-free, per the brand
- £20 for 10ml

Consider first:
- Flavoured versions list fragrance or flavour; only unscented is fragrance-free
- Every version contains stevioside, a sweetener
- No SPF
- Sold through Rhode and Sephora UK only

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/rhode-peptide-lip-treatment
Official page: https://www.rhodeskin.com/en-gb/products/peptide-lip-treatment

### 3. Best overnight mask: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Laneige’s leave-on mask is designed for overnight use, with Berry Fruit Complex, murumuru seed butter and shea. It is a separate evening step rather than a daytime finish.

What stands out:
- Leave-on overnight format
- Shea and murumuru seed butters with Berry Fruit Complex
- A choice of flavours
- £21 for 20g at UK retailers

Consider first:
- Not a daytime finish — a thick layer can dull a gloss worn over it
- Flavour choice varies by retailer
- Applied from a jar rather than a tube

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/laneige-lip-sleeping-mask
Official page: https://www.laneigeuk.com/p/lip-sleeping-mask/

### 4. Best everyday balm: Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm

Summer Fridays’ vegan balm uses shea and murumuru seed butters for a soft sheen, in a range of flavours and sheer tints. It sits between a treatment and a finish, easy to wear alone through the day.

What stands out:
- Vegan, per the brand
- Soft sheen with optional sheer tint
- 14 flavours listed at Space NK
- £23 for 15g

Consider first:
- Flavoured — check the ingredient list if you avoid fragrance
- The brand’s own site prices in US dollars; UK buyers use retailers
- A sheen rather than high shine

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/summer-fridays-lip-butter-balm
Official page: https://www.summerfridays.com/products/lip-butter-balm

### 5. Best gloss: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer

Gloss Bomb pairs a shimmering shade range with shea butter, vitamin E and a conditioning peptide in a gloss Fenty describes as non-sticky. It is the pick for sheer colour with a reflective finish.

What stands out:
- 19 shades on the Fenty Beauty UK page
- Shea butter, vitamin E and palmitoyl tripeptide-1
- £20 for 9ml; a £15 mini
- Large doe-foot applicator

Consider first:
- Shimmer in most shades rather than a plain clear gloss
- A gloss first, not an overnight treatment
- Sold by Fenty Beauty and its named UK retailers

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/fenty-beauty-gloss-bomb-universal-lip-luminizer
Official page: https://fentybeauty.com/gloss-bomb-universal-lip-luminizer/FB50001.html

### 6. Best honey lip oil: Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil

Gisou’s lip oil is built around honey from the founder’s family bee garden, with jojoba and meadowfoam oils for a high-shine, cushioned finish. Choose it for glossy conditioning in clear or tinted shades.

What stands out:
- High-shine finish, worn alone or over colour
- Honey, jojoba and meadowfoam oils
- £24 for 8ml
- Clear and tinted shades

Consider first:
- Contains honey and propolis, so it is not vegan
- The shade line-up rotates with limited editions
- Shimmer in some shades, such as Watermelon Sugar

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/gisou-honey-infused-lip-oil
Official page: https://gisou.com/products/honey-infused-lip-oil

### 7. Best simple occlusive: Vaseline Lip Therapy Original

Vaseline Lip Therapy Original is a single ingredient — petrolatum — in a tin. It seals in moisture and adds a natural shine, with no fragrance or flavour in the Original version.

What stands out:
- A single-ingredient formula: petrolatum (100%)
- No fragrance or flavour in the Original
- A natural shine
- Pocket-sized 20g tin

Consider first:
- An occlusive seal rather than a treatment with actives
- The tin means applying with a fingertip
- No colour

Product guide: https://thecastindex.com/beauty/vaseline-lip-therapy-original
Official page: https://www.vaseline.com/uk/p/vaseline-lip-therapy-original.html/05099802150117

## What to look for

### Treatment, balm or gloss?

A treatment or mask prioritises conditioning; a balm adds sheen; an oil or gloss prioritises shine and colour. Decide which job you want before comparing brands.

### Fragrance and flavour

Many lip products are flavoured. If you avoid fragrance, choose an unscented or single-ingredient option and check the ingredient list for each flavour.

### Animal-derived ingredients

Honey, propolis and beeswax are common in lip care. Gisou’s oil contains honey and propolis; Summer Fridays and Rhode state their formulas are vegan.

### Sun protection

None of these picks carries an SPF. If you need sun protection for your lips, choose a product labelled with SPF.

### Size and price per millilitre

Sizes here range from 6ml to 20g. Compare the price per millilitre or gram as well as the shelf price.

### Liner first

A lip liner defines the edge; oils and glosses add shine over it. Pair a liner with a sheer oil when you want definition without opaque lipstick.

## How we chose

This guide is desk research. We compared lip oils, balms, glosses and overnight treatments using the brands’ published formulas, ingredient lists, specifications and directions, together with UK prices from official pages or named retailers on 25 September 2026. None of the products was tested in a laboratory or worn by our editors for this guide.

We grouped products by the job they do — treatment, balm, gloss or oil — and compared finish, key ingredients, fragrance, vegan status, size and UK price. Every pick has its own product guide on The Cast Index.

Awards describe fit — the job a product is best suited to — rather than a single overall score. Brand claims are reported as brand claims. No brand paid for inclusion, and shopping links elsewhere on the site do not influence which products appear here.

## Questions

### What is the difference between a lip oil and a lip gloss?

Both add shine. Lip oils such as Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil and Gisou’s are oil-based and often sheerer; glosses such as Fenty Gloss Bomb use a thicker base with more shimmer or pigment. Compare the actual formula rather than the category name.

### Which lip balm is fragrance-free?

Vaseline Lip Therapy Original lists petrolatum as its only ingredient, and Rhode’s unscented Peptide Lip Treatment is labelled fragrance-free. Flavoured versions of most balms are not fragrance-free.

### Is Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment the same as Peptide Lip Tint?

No. The Treatment is untinted and glossy; the Lip Tint adds sheer colour. Both use palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and plant butters.

### How do I use a lip sleeping mask?

Laneige positions its Lip Sleeping Mask as an overnight, leave-on step. Apply it as the last step of the evening and blot any residue in the morning before colour or gloss.

### Do lip oils contain SPF?

None of the picks in this guide does. If you need sun protection for your lips, choose a product labelled with SPF.

## Sources

- [Dior UK — Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil](https://www.dior.com/en_gb/beauty/products/dior-addict-lip-glow-oil-Y0000163.html)
- [Fenty Beauty UK — Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer](https://fentybeauty.co.uk/products/gloss-bomb-universal-lip-luminizer-fenty-glow)
- [LOOKFANTASTIC — Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask 20g](https://www.lookfantastic.com/p/laneige-lip-sleeping-mask-berry-original-20g/14234447/)
- [Space NK — Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm](https://www.spacenk.com/uk/skincare/lipcare/lip-balm/lip-butter-balm-MUK200031226.html)
- [Rhode UK — FAQ and sales channels](https://www.rhodeskin.com/en-gb/pages/faq)
- [Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil — official product page](https://www.dior.com/en_gb/beauty/products/dior-addict-lip-glow-oil-Y0124000.html)
- [Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment — official product page](https://www.rhodeskin.com/en-gb/products/peptide-lip-treatment)
- [Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask — official product page](https://www.laneigeuk.com/p/lip-sleeping-mask/)
- [Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm — official product page](https://www.summerfridays.com/products/lip-butter-balm)
- [Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer — official product page](https://fentybeauty.com/gloss-bomb-universal-lip-luminizer/FB50001.html)
- [Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil — official product page](https://gisou.com/products/honey-infused-lip-oil)
- [Vaseline Lip Therapy Original — official product page](https://www.vaseline.com/uk/p/vaseline-lip-therapy-original.html/05099802150117)

## Head-to-head comparisons

- [Dior Lip Glow Oil vs Rhode Lip Treatment](https://thecastindex.com/beauty/vs/dior-lip-glow-oil-vs-rhode-peptide-lip-treatment)