Index / Topicals / Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm
Topicals

Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm.

Topicals
Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm
Lip

About this product

A pigmented lip balm by Topicals featuring castor oil, shea butter, and vitamin E for hydration and gloss.

Guru Score

74%

Mixed

4 experts · Moderate agreement
4Gurus
3Yay
0Mixed
1Nay

What the gurus are saying

Gurus are split on whether this thick, pigmented lip balm truly serves darker skin: most praise its hydrating feel and vibrant color on deeper tones, while others point out it lacks SPF and pigment-modulating actives. Since darker lips are prone to hyperpigmentation from sun exposure and chronic inflammation, this is a significant gap in a product positioned for black skin. Using lip liner first helps with even application.
Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take September 2026

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
"I have the topicals slick salve. I've talked about this before, but this is one of my favorite lip balms. I even have one lying around somewhere."
All 2 takes from Dimma Umeh
WEEKLY VLOG: THIS CANNOT BE RIGHT + MY HAIR IS A MESS + TREE TAKEDOWN + LUNCH DATE + MORE
"I really quite enjoy this lip balm. It's the one from Topicals. I really quite like it. I find it hydrating."
VLOG: WHERE ON EARTH HAVE I BEEN?? MY EUROPE HONEYMOON + LATE BIRTHDAY GIFTS + more
"I have the topicals slick salve. I've talked about this before, but this is one of my favorite lip balms. I even have one lying around somewhere."
~Nay
"This is a standard emollient lip balm with castor oil, shea butter, and vitamin E, but there are no tyrosinase inhibitors in the formula and no SPF, even though the lips are often the first part of the body to tan and black lips hyperpigment from sun exposure and chronic inflammation. A lip product targeting black skin should contain at least SPF 30 or pigment modulating actives, and this doesn't. At $16, Aquaphor does the same job. It wasn't really made with black skin in mind."
~Yay
"I got a discount on this lip balm trio from Topicals and I love that it is all individually boxed. I feel like topicals came through in terms of fulfilling a category that I think nobody had really mastered. This is a thick lip balm, it feels like Ole Henriksen, but look at that pigment. The only catch with it being this level of pigmented is that it's almost more makeup, I had to put on lip liner first and make sure it's all spread out. But if you have a deeper skin tone and you've been looking for a more pigmented lip balm for your lips, topicals came through."
~Yay
"Topicals has a Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm trio for $34. You're going to get, as it denotes, three of their lip balms, and their lip balms are good. They feel really good on the lips."
All 2 takes from The Style and Beauty Doctor
Holiday Gift Sets That Actually Deserve Your Money 😤💄
"Topicals has a Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm trio for $34. You're going to get, as it denotes, three of their lip balms, and their lip balms are good. They feel really good on the lips."
What We're Getting from the Sephora Savings Event
"That looks so pretty Doesn't it look so different from what it looked like"

Frequently asked.

What is Topicals Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm?

A pigmented lip balm by Topicals featuring castor oil, shea butter, and vitamin E for hydration and gloss.

Is Topicals Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 74%.

What is Topicals Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm's Guru Score?

Topicals Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm holds a Guru Score of 74%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.

Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

Lower-priced lip products the gurus still rate highly, versus this mid-range pick.

See how they stack up →

Similar products worth a look.

Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

Compare side by side →

Put this score on your own site.

Free to use, no sign-up. The badge reads live from our data, so it updates itself when the experts change their minds.

Topicals Slick Salve Glossy Lip Balm: a Guru Score of 74% from 4 experts on The Guru Index

This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Subscribe to the digest