Index / The Inkey List / Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm
The Inkey List

Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm.

The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm
Lip

About this product

A clear lip balm formulated with tripeptide complex and hyaluronic acid designed to hydrate, repair the lip barrier, and provide a plumping effect.

Best for

Mature skin
Lip

The Guru Index verdict

67%

Mixed

~Mixed · 67%
8Reviewers
4Approved
1Mixed
3Skip
#6 in Lip

What the gurus are saying

The gurus who tested this balm found it genuinely effective at repairing dry, damaged lips and keeping them hydrated, with peptides that work to strengthen the barrier over time. Most also saw a subtle plumping effect over a couple of weeks, though some found the plumping less dramatic than the marketing suggests. The main split comes down to taste: several people found it left an unpleasant flavor in their mouth that made regular use uncomfortable, while others had no complaint on that front. At around 13 dollars, the formula is nearly identical to pricier rivals, making it solid value for those who don't mind the taste.
Synthesized from 8 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Hyaluronic acidVitamin EPeptidesSqualaneFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Hydroxystearic/​Linolenic/​Oleic Polyglycerides, Glyceryl Rosinate, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Candelilla Cera, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil, Squalane, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Oil, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Behenate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil Unsaponifiables, Tribehenin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Portulaca Pilosa Extract, Trihydroxystearin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sucrose Cocoate, Brassica Alba Sprout Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Glucomannan

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"The tripeptide plumping lip balm from The INKEY List has been a go-to of mine for well over a year now. I would put this on right before bed."
All 8 takes from The Budget Dermatologist
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"The tripeptide plumping lip balm from The INKEY List has been a go-to of mine for well over a year now. I would put this on right before bed."
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"I like to go in with a lip repair product after wearing heavy lip stain or lip products all day. This one, it's by The Inkey List, it's a tripeptide plumping lip balm, and it is insanely effective at repairing that lip skin barrier. It also comes now in tinted shades."
My Peptide Skincare Routine | Anti-aging Tips by The Budget Derm
"I've tried this one by the Inkey List, the Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm, and I've tried this one by Paish Choice, the Hyaluronic Acid Plus Peptide Lip Booster. The formulation in these is actually extremely similar, they have the same peptide profile, but this one is much more affordable so for me I probably go with this one because I don't know that this is giving you much extra. I do like this nice little metal cooling applicator tip that is really nice on this product. You can put this on a couple times a day, morning and night, peptides for your lips to maintain that lip volume."
BUDGET Skincare Swaps! | The Budget Dermatologist
"This one has been amazing in my own skin routine this year. It will hydrate the lips, repair cracked damaged lip barrier, and then help plump and build collagen with their peptides in this."
Answering Your Top 5 Skincare Questions! | The Budget Derm
"My recommendation of the best lip repair product is from The Inkey List, it's called the Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. It is so affordable and it basically has the same formula as a more expensive one by Paulas Choice. This one has a very nice metal applicator tip whereas that one is plastic, but the formula is very similar if not the same, and it works incredible. The consistency is clear and it's just a nice little hydrating occlusive ointment. My sister had dry, cracked lips for years that nothing could fix, so I let her try this for a few days and she texted me the day after she got home saying her lips are totally fixed, they are not dry and cracked anymore, and that this stuff is amazing. It really works and it's very affordable."
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"I put on this clear peptide lip balm that does a really good job keeping the lips from being dry and cracked. The peptides are really repairing and then over a couple weeks you'll notice a subtle plumping. This one's $13 by The Inkey List."
Spend or Save Match-up: The Inkey List vs. Dr. Dennis Gross Lip Plumpers!
"This one has 6% tripeptide complex and hyaluronic acid spheres to give your lips just the ultimate plumped look and supposedly this can plump your lips by up to 40% in four weeks. I actually did a before and after video on my channel where I use this product and you can see what it did to my lips in under 2 minutes, spoiler alert it really worked and it worked in a big way. I actually really loved the results from this so I do really love this product. With the Inkey List you can expect results more in the short term over two to four weeks."
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"I've been using for a very long time the Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. This is the clear version. It also comes in several colors. You can wear this during the day as well. This has peptides in it which do a very good job of repairing damaged lip skin, which is a common side effect that happens when you're on retinoids or just aging and dry skin in general."
Skip
"I didn't love the one from The Inkey List. At first, I really liked it. Then, the more often I used it, the more I started to dislike that it had no taste at all, which almost left it with a taste. It's not a bad product, but it's just, I don't know."
All 3 takes from No BS Beauty
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"I didn't love the one from The Inkey List. At first, I really liked it. Then, the more often I used it, the more I started to dislike that it had no taste at all, which almost left it with a taste. It's not a bad product, but it's just, I don't know."
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"The Inky List also has a peptide lip balm which is also nice. This one contains shea butter, castor seed oil, two different peptides in shea butter. If you're on a budget, the one from The Inky List is also worth checking out."
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"I tried this one the other day. I wanted to love it. The Inkey List plumping lip balm and every time I use it, it just ends up tasting just gross. I don't know how else to describe it."
Skip
"One of my least favorites has to be The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. Out of all the lip balm launches we saw this year, this is my personal least favorite. While it has a really nice unique slip to it when you first put it on that makes it feel more than just like a thick occlusive Vaseline type layer, I will never get over the taste. If you put something on your lips you are going to taste it whether you like it or not. It's one of the main reasons brands add fragrance to lip products and advertise them as different flavors because you can taste it, and unfortunately this one tastes a little bit like chicken soup, which isn't the worst taste in the world, but it's definitely not pleasant."
All 2 takes from James Welsh
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"One of my least favorites has to be The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. Out of all the lip balm launches we saw this year, this is my personal least favorite. While it has a really nice unique slip to it when you first put it on that makes it feel more than just like a thick occlusive Vaseline type layer, I will never get over the taste. If you put something on your lips you are going to taste it whether you like it or not. It's one of the main reasons brands add fragrance to lip products and advertise them as different flavors because you can taste it, and unfortunately this one tastes a little bit like chicken soup, which isn't the worst taste in the world, but it's definitely not pleasant."
Did The Inkey List Lie? The Truth About Their New Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm💜 James Welsh
"I think this is a pretty solid lip plumper, but the marketing might just be a little bit misleading. There are three types of ingredients in this that make it work. First, there are the Tripeptides, which are in the name. They say they're 6% Tripeptide Complex, and Inkey do this quite a lot, the complex is mostly not Tripeptides. The Tripeptides will be way less than 6%. The Tripeptides are Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and 38. And these are in a lot of skincare products. They are basically modified bits of broken down proteins. And they're meant to go down deep into the dermis, which is like the lower layer of skin, and they're meant to thicken the skin by making it produce more collagen and elastin. There is a bit of evidence for these working, but they're usually more like watery, serum-like products. I don't know if there's any evidence of these getting into skin from an oil based product like this balm. And they do need to get quite deep down into skin because it is trying to get to that dermal layer. But even if they were working, I don't think this would really explain that plumping effect, even though the marketing does really make it sound like they're doing the work. Your dermis is really thin and these sorts of ingredients would take months to have any sort of effect. But they're claiming a 20% increase in volume in two weeks. So I think what's way more likely to be working is temporary plumping ingredients which aren't listed in the product name because they are a lot less exciting."
Approved
"The Inkey List has that Plumping Lip Balm that sits with those peptides, but I much prefer that to anything else, like menthol and camphor, which are more harsh. I really hate to see those in a lip balm, even more than in skincare. I hate menthol and camphor lip balms. Those are certainly a worse option than hyaluronic acid for plumping."
~Mixed
"When I first put this on I didn't see any lip plumping. I used this for about a month non-stop and I don't really know if it plumped my lips. It has the weirdest taste, like an oily Vaseline that kind of leaves a taste in the back of my throat. It definitely makes my lips look good, it is non-irritating, it's really easy to use, easy to carry and travel with, and easy to buy and find at Sephora and Ulta. But I can't really say it plumped my lips, definitely not immediately. Even after a month, they were a little more hydrated I guess, but I don't know if they plumped a ton. For the money it's a decent lip product, but I don't think it's revolutionary, and I would say that this is the least plumping out of all of them."
Approved
"They feel really moisturized and for $17 Canadian I feel like that is a pretty good price. You are getting 10 mls of product, this is going to last a fairly long time, and it has anti-aging ingredients in it. It contains peptides and some butters. I like it. I feel like this would be something that I would purchase again and I do feel like this is going to be excellent for fall and winter."
Approved
"Their Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm is genuinely amazing. It's getting a lot of praise online, people are saying how wonderful it is. Everybody loves that product, and for good reason. It's back to what The Inkey List do well: high quality formulations at affordable prices."
All 2 takes from Mad About Skin
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"Their Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm is genuinely amazing. It's getting a lot of praise online, people are saying how wonderful it is. Everybody loves that product, and for good reason. It's back to what The Inkey List do well: high quality formulations at affordable prices."
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"I'm going to give this one a 10 out of 10. There is probably just one plumping lip balm on the market that doesn't damage your skin, and it's this: The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. This plumps the lips by going back to basics. The best way to achieve plumper lips is by flooding them with hydration. If we damage and dry our lips with the wrong ingredients, then in the long term our lips are going to look a lot less plump and hydrated. This is just taking it back to basics with a really nice formula. It's around 10 pounds, 12 dollars, so a good price point. This contains multiple different peptides alongside some hyaluronic acid, some other humectants, some calming and soothing ingredients. They did a little study that said people felt 40 percent plumper as a result of using this for two weeks. My friend bought this and has been relentless WhatsApp after WhatsApp about how amazing this product is. I ordered it, tried it a couple of times, and I was really impressed. Loads of beneficial ingredients, very few well in fact zero nasties in here."
Skip
"I was having really chapped lips, especially the corner in my mouth was getting cracked. It's 100% that Inkey List lip balm that I was trying out, so that is a no-go for me. I looked at the ingredients and I could not find anything that was suspect, so I have no idea what it is about that, but I'm back on my petroleum game."
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All 3 takes from Dr Dray
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"I've been using it over the past week and I'm thinking it's causing irritation on my lips. I've got a little stingy crack here in the corner. It's a new onset since I've started using it, so it's got to be that. It says Plumping, and I wonder if it has some ingredients that are kind of irritating and cause a little bit of swelling, which is how they plump."
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"The Inkey List lip plumper, it hasn't irritated my lips. Is it the best lip balm product I've ever used? No, but it's pretty nice."
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"I was having really chapped lips, especially the corner in my mouth was getting cracked. It's 100% that Inkey List lip balm that I was trying out, so that is a no-go for me. I looked at the ingredients and I could not find anything that was suspect, so I have no idea what it is about that, but I'm back on my petroleum game."
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