The best lip, according to the gurus
Lip products live or die on comfort, so the gurus weigh how a formula feels as heavily as how it looks.
This category covers lipstick, gloss, liner and lip care. The experts judge color products on payoff, wear and whether they dry out or flake, and they judge balms and treatments on real, lasting comfort rather than a brief slick that wears off in minutes. A beautiful shade that leaves the lips parched rarely survives their review intact.
The trade-off is longevity versus comfort. Long-wear liquid lipsticks win praise for lasting through a meal but draw steady criticism for drying the lips, while comfortable balmy formulas feel great but transfer and fade. The ranking below favours the products that strike a balance the gurus can live with, or nail one end of the trade-off well enough to forgive the rest.
The gurus behind this ranking
Ranked from the public takes of 39 gurus, including 11 dermatologists, 6 makeup artists and 3 beauty journalists.
These are independent experts we follow, not an in-house panel. We collect opinions they have already shared publicly on YouTube; they are not connected to The Guru Index and have not endorsed this ranking. "Guru" is our own editorial title for the voices we trust.
- 1Tower 28Beach Please Lip and Cheek Cream BlushGuru CertifiedTop Pick90% · 7 gurus
- 2Make Up For EverArtist Color PencilTop Pick89% · 5 gurus
- 3Summer FridaysLip Butter Bomb85% · 5 gurus
- 4EltaMDUV Lip Balm Broad-Spectrum SPF 36Top Pick83% · 8 gurus
- 5TorridenSolid-In Ceramide Lip EssenceTop Pick82% · 7 gurus
- 6VaselineLip Therapy OriginalTop Pick80% · 6 gurus
- 7MeritSignature Lip Lightweight Lipstick79% · 6 gurus
- 8RhodePeptide Lip TreatmentTop Pick78% · 10 gurus
- 9Glow RecipePlum Plump Hyaluronic Gloss Balm78% · 6 gurus
- 10Tower 28ShineOn Lip Jelly78% · 5 gurus
- 11K SkinLip Balm SPF 30Top Pick78% · 5 gurus
- 12Fenty BeautyGloss Bomb Universal Lip LuminizerTop Pick77% · 7 gurus
- 13CNP LaboratoryPropolis Lip Serum77% · 5 gurus
- 14Charlotte TilburyMatte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow TalkTop Pick76% · 8 gurus
- 15Summer FridaysLip Butter BalmTop Pick75% · 16 gurus
- 16TatchaKissu Lip SerumTop Pick75% · 12 gurus
- 17LaneigeLip Glowy Balm75% · 7 gurus
- 18LaneigeLip Sleeping MaskTop Pick73% · 22 gurus
- 19AbibPDRN Collagen Lip Mask Glazed Jelly73% · 6 gurus
- 20Dr. Dennis GrossDermInfusions Plump + Repair Lip Treatment72% · 6 gurus
- 21AquaphorLip Repair Stick Plus Sunscreen72% · 5 gurus
- 22Summer FridaysDream Lip Oil71% · 5 gurus
- 23RemedyLip BalmTop Pick70% · 11 gurus
- 24Naked SundaysGlow + Go Lip Oil SPF 5070% · 9 gurus
- 25The OrdinaryPHA 5% Exfoliating Lip SerumTop Pick70% · 6 gurus
Does this list mix lipstick with lip balm and treatments?
Yes. All lip products are ranked together by guru consensus. The product page takes make clear whether a product is color or care and how it performed.
Why do long-wear lip products sometimes rank lower?
Because the gurus weigh comfort heavily, and many long-wear formulas dry out the lips. A long-wear product can still rank highly when the experts find it comfortable enough to forgive the wear.
How is this ranking decided?
We rank by the Guru Index consensus score: the warmth of every independent expert take we have logged for each product, with a minimum number of reviewers required so a single enthusiastic review can't top the list. Nothing here is paid placement.
What does Guru Certified mean?
Guru Certified marks a product that a broad group of experts agree on, not just one fan. It is our breadth stamp, distinct from a Top Pick, which is a single guru crowning a product best in its category.
How often does the list update?
The results refresh every day from the latest expert reviews, so the ranking reflects what the gurus are saying now, not a frozen editor's pick.