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 lip balm enriched with tripeptides and moisturising butters, designed to plump and hydrate lips while maintaining the lip barrier.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

60%

Mixed

10 experts · Strong agreement
10Gurus
3Yay
1Mixed
6Nay

What they liked

  • Lightweight, emollient texture that hydrates
  • No irritating plumping ingredients like menthol
  • Good value for the amount of product

What they flagged

  • Caused irritation and cracking for some

What the gurus are saying

The taste divides opinion sharply: several gurus found it unpleasant (described as savoury or like chicken soup), which becomes noticeable with repeated wear, while others did not mention it at all. On plumping, the balm delivers solid hydration and a smooth, non-sticky slip that many prefer to thick occlusives, though actual visible lip fullness is modest and takes time if it appears at all. The peptide formula earns praise for barrier repair and affordable pricing, but a few gurus questioned whether the plumping claims lean on temporary effects from hyaluronic acid or minor irritation rather than the peptides themselves. Best suited to those prioritising lasting moisture and lip health over dramatic immediate plumping, and worth a patch test first if you have sensitive or easily irritated lips.
Synthesized from 10 expert reviews · most recent take November 2025

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 Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Yay
"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 11 takes from The Budget Dermatologist
How To Build A Nighttime Skincare Routine From SCRATCH!
"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."
The BEST Budget Skincare of 2023! | The Budget Derm
"This is a plumping lip balm that over time plumps, hydrates your lips, restores them. It has peptides that help maintain and build collagen. This is not an instant plump like the Dr. Dennis Gross one, but it works over time. Get it before it sells out again. This is the best budget lip product of the year, hands down."
How To Double Cleanse Your Skin | Remove Makeup Safely with The Budget Derm
"This one, I will link below, 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, I will link those below too."
My Peptide Skincare Routine | Anti-aging Tips by The Budget Derm
"The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm has a nice, simple lip applicator. I've tried it, and both this and the Paula's Choice one are awesome, this is the one I've kind of gravitated towards. You can put this on a couple times a day, morning and night, for peptides for your lips to help maintain that lip volume and not neglect the lips."
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."
Is Drugstore Skincare Enough?! | When To Save vs. Splurge on Skincare
"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!
"I feel like I can get the benefits of these peptides a lot more easily in my routine with this one than I do with the alternative. This one is much easier for me to use more often and more consistently, and that is what is going to actually get you the best long-term results. [...] If you want to make lip care a part of your daily routine, plump your lips over time without that tingly feeling, save your money and choose this one by The INKEY List. I believe you should put this in your daily skincare routine and stick with it over time to protect your lips and slow down their signs of aging. [...] For me personally, I am using this one nightly, and [...] when it comes to my long-term anti-aging routine, I think this one by The INKEY List is your pick."
Apply Your Skincare In This Order! | Retinoid Skincare Routine
"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."
12 DAYS OF SKINCARE FAVORITES! | THE BUDGET DERM TOP PICKS 2024
"The tripeptide Plumping lip balms are a must have, super super affordable. I think every brand it seems like has been releasing this similar product this year, these plump tinted peptide lip products, but for the price these are amazing. It comes in clear and then three different shades, this is the mocha, it comes in a pink and a berry. These repair dry cracked lips and over time will give the lips a subtle plump. I wear these constantly, especially overnight, the clear one, and they're amazing."
My Current Nighttime Skincare Routine | WHAT’S NEW From The Budget Derm
"Most nights I use my wonderful clear lip plumping lip balm and you can see actual subtle plumping of your lips with this after you use it a few weeks."
~Nay
"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 5 takes from No BS Beauty
Lip Balms for Anti-Aging & Plump More Youthful Lips 👄 The Best Moisturizing Balms for Dry Lips!
"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."
Peptide Lip Balm Favorites - Can Lip Products Be Beneficial for Anti-Aging?
"This one to me feels like a lip mask. It has a kind of a thick texture that's very, very matte. It's got the Matrix 3000 Duo and Matrix synthesis peptides, the same as the Paula's Choice, and it also has castor seed oil, babass oil, chia seed oil, and olive oil. It has a slight chemical taste to it that dissipates quickly. It has a matte finish and it's definitely thicker than the others. It just feels like a mask. Once it soaks in it doesn't have a shiny finish."
Peptide Rich Skincare Routine for Day & Evening - Anti-Aging Ingredient Focused Routine
"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."
My Favorite Lip Balms & Lip Sleeping Masks 💋 And Lip Balms To Avoid
"The INKEY List came out with one. This one I would say is a nice one for men who don't want a shiny finish because this one has kind of a natural slightly matte finish. Once it soaks in it really isn't very shiny, it kind of has more of a natural finish once it soaks in and it feels really nice and it has no taste or anything like that in there. This one's decent for me, I like it, it's a nice option to have."
~Nay
"The Plumping lip balm, they did side by side pictures which I could tell was in different lighting, it wasn't like an equal side by side comparison and that was quite obvious to people. It also wasn't the sort of product that was really ever going to plump massively in the long term, so they overinflated the claims and as a result people were disappointed."
All 3 takes from Mad About Skin
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"The Plumping lip balm, they did side by side pictures which I could tell was in different lighting, it wasn't like an equal side by side comparison and that was quite obvious to people. It also wasn't the sort of product that was really ever going to plump massively in the long term, so they overinflated the claims and as a result people were disappointed."
SKINCARE BRANDS CANCELLED - Struggling Brands + Why
"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."
BEST LIP BALMS 2023 - Chapstick Is Cancelled❌ (Watch Before You Buy)
"I'm going to give this a ding ding ding, 10 out of 10, absolutely love it. [...] Some of the worst ingredients in lip balms are plumping ones, however some people love a good plumping action in their lip balm, and there is probably just one plumping lip balm on the market that doesn't damage your skin, and it's a relative newcomer. This is the INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm. I think this launched about two months ago and people are going mad for it online, and with good reason. This plumps the lips by going back to basics. The INKEY List's take is the best way to achieve plumper lips is by flooding them with hydration, and this is true. 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 than otherwise. This is just taking it back to basics with a really nice formula, also around 10 pounds, twelve dollars, so a good price point, and it contains multiple different peptides alongside some hyaluronic acid, some other humectants, some calming, soothing ingredients. They did a little study to go alongside this and said people felt 40 percent plumper as a result of using this for two weeks. I'm always skeptical about these studies that are funded by brands, usually they're garbage, however my friend bought this and honestly she's been relentless, WhatsApp after WhatsApp about how amazing this product is over the last two weeks that she's been using it, telling me I have to try it. Obviously the fear of missing out took over, so I ordered it, tried it a couple of times, and I was really impressed. Loads of beneficial ingredients, very few, in fact zero, nasties in here. Whilst the INKEY List are my favorite skincare brand ever, I'm always happy to sing the praises of a good product."
~Nay
"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 3 takes from James Welsh
Skincare Products I Thought I’d Love💜…But Ended Up Hating! 😭 & More TikTok Skincare Videos
"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 it's a 6% Tripeptide Complex, and INKEY do this quite a lot: the complex is mostly not tripeptides, so the tripeptides themselves will be way less than 6%. They're Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, which are in a lot of skincare products. They're basically modified bits of broken-down proteins, meant to go down deep into the dermis, the lower layer of skin, and thicken it by making it produce more collagen and elastin. There's a bit of evidence for these working, but usually in more watery, serum-like products. I don't know if there's any evidence of them getting into skin from an oil-based product like this balm, and they do need to get quite deep down into skin because they're trying to reach that dermal layer. But even if they were working, I don't think this would really explain the plumping effect, even though the marketing does 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 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're a lot less exciting."
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"Their Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm is not for me, it claims to plump the lips [...] purely down to peptides, however the marketing is a little bit deceptive and it's more likely you're seeing temporary plumping effects from hyaluronic acid than the tripeptide formula. It also has [...] an ingredient purposely supposed to irritate your lips so they look plumper, but they kept that quiet, and whilst you don't get that stinging sensation, [...] it kind of tastes like chicken stock."
~Yay
"The Inkey List has that controversial plumping lip balm that sits with those peptides, but I much prefer it to anything else, like menthol or camphor formulas, which are trashier and worse."
~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."
~Nay
"I do not like this. My single biggest problem with this lip balm is that I cannot get past the flavor. The texture is more of an emollient, not a super occlusive lip balm, almost more like a lip oil. It has no scent and no flavor, which sounded like a good idea in theory, but I forgot that I taste my lip balms from time to time, and since it contains ingredients that may be beneficial to your lips that don't taste great, without anything in the formula to offset that flavor, it is rough. I've tried to wear this a couple of times now and I can't, I'm too sensitive to bad flavors I guess. I don't think it's just a bad product, some people may not react to flavor the way I do, but if you like flavor and don't like bad tastes in your lip balms, you might not love this one either."
All 2 takes from AliceintheRabbitHole
Disappointing Products.
"I do not like this. My single biggest problem with this lip balm is that I cannot get past the flavor. The texture is more of an emollient, not a super occlusive lip balm, almost more like a lip oil. It has no scent and no flavor, which sounded like a good idea in theory, but I forgot that I taste my lip balms from time to time, and since it contains ingredients that may be beneficial to your lips that don't taste great, without anything in the formula to offset that flavor, it is rough. I've tried to wear this a couple of times now and I can't, I'm too sensitive to bad flavors I guess. I don't think it's just a bad product, some people may not react to flavor the way I do, but if you like flavor and don't like bad tastes in your lip balms, you might not love this one either."
Critiquing Allure's Best Skincare 2023...
"I was big mad at The INKEY List, I do not like that lip balm at all."
~Yay
"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."
~Nay
"This one hurts but I'm going to have to be real, this product is awful. It didn't just do nothing, it left my lips more dry. I was so stoked to try this product, the brand sent it to me, and when I actually started using it I was like wow, I noticed no results, which is kind of interesting considering that it's a plumping balm. It definitely did not plump my lips, it did not moisturize them, and honestly it did leave my lips more dry afterwards. So I don't know what's going on with this product. A lot of people like it but I could not stand it."
Sponsored
~Nay
"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."
Sponsored
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."
Skincare, Makeup, & Chatting 💁🏻‍♀️💄
"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."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm?

A lip balm enriched with tripeptides and moisturising butters, designed to plump and hydrate lips while maintaining the lip barrier.

Is The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm worth it?

The gurus are split. 3 of the 10 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 6 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 60%.

What is The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm's Guru Score?

The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm holds a Guru Score of 60%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 10 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm best for?

The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm is generally suited to mature skin.

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