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If you were to take a peek at the cosmetics graveyard in my vanity drawer you would likely find a slew of retired lip “plumpers,” glosses and balms that claimed to make my lips appear fuller. And while many of them certainly do create a more buxom pout temporarily, many of them don’t offer the kind of long-term skin care benefits I want from my lip products.
I need something that will address my year-round lip dryness, minimize the appearance of fine lip lines and won’t inflame my already sensitive skin using formulas containing chili pepper or other irritants commonly used to make lips swell. It would also be great if it could cost me less than some clinical formulations that, though effective, cost as much as $40 a tube. If you have requests similar to mine, please direct your attention to The Inkey List’s tripeptide-packed plumping lip balm.
At just $13 a pop, this daily lip treatment utilizes a very specific 6% triple peptide complex to achieve what I believe to be a noticeable difference in not just a lasting lip fullness, but also in lip health.
These effects would make perfect sense given that certain peptides can improve skin elasticity, fill in fine lines and restore skin to a certain degree by promoting the production of collagen. The balm also contains a 2% concentration of what the brand calls “ultra filling spheres,” a type of delivery system that may ensure hyaluronic acid penetrates the skin. If you’re not already aware, hyaluronic acid is a time-honored humectant that draws moisture into the epidermis to offer long-term and improved hydration.
According to The Inkey List, the combination of these straightforward, yet effective, ingredients is clinically proven to plump lips by up to 40% in just four weeks. And while I can’t personally confirm or deny this, I can say that my lips do appear smoother, bouncier and significantly more hydrated ever since I started using the balm six or seven months ago. I usually deal with a cycle of lip flaking or cracking at corners and the balm has completely done away with that.
There are a few things you should keep in mind, however, if you want to get the greatest effect from this product. One being, consistency. The directions suggest applying the product on and slightly above the lips at least three times a day for four weeks in order to reap the benefits. I would also suggest using it on slightly damp lips — after an all-over spritz of facial toner or water for instance, like I use during my skin care routine. The reason for this being because of the hyaluronic acid, which, in order to hydrate the skin’s surface, needs to pull moisture from somewhere, including from deeper layers of the epidermis if applied to dry skin.
Also, if you’re expecting a thick and occlusive texture like you would from many traditional lip balms, this isn’t it. It’s actually more serum-like in feel and leaves a shiny, yet comfortable finish to the lips. This thinner consistency might not feel moisturizing enough for you at first, especially if your lips are excessively dry. For this reason, I always follow up with a swipe of Aquaphor (a lá skin slugging) after I let the treatment soak into my lips for a few minutes.
Dermatologists not affiliated with the brand have previously said positive things about The Inkey List and its methods for product formulation. Essentially, this no-fuss skin care company has made its entire brand identity about distilling one or two active ingredients into their products that they can prove will actually deliver. This keeps costs low and, for the most part, users happy — though it’s always important to remember that everyone responds to products and ingredients differently.
I’ve only ever tried the original version of the tripeptide balm, which is completely odorless and colorless, but the brand recently launched tinted versions of this plumping lip treatment like a sheer pink and berry. Whatever your fancy, pick yourself up a tube from any of the links above or see some promising testimonials from people other than myself.
Promising Sephora reviews:
“Guys this definitely works. It’s not going to be a huge difference, but you will see a difference. It’s been one month of me using three or four times a day every day and I have seen a difference in my lip size. This is the kind of product that I will always use moving forward so they better not discontinue.” — Sophia89
“Obsessed. you can notice the difference almost instantly but it’s subtle enough that it still looks completely natural.. and no tingly/ burning feeling!! can’t wait to see how they look after a few weeks.” — alexafarrah
“This works really well and is super long lasting. It stayed on overnight and I can already see it reversing the effects of when I used to smoke. I don’t think it will give you huge lips if you never had them but it does have a great anti aging effect if you’ve lost some volume.” — aqualeesi
“this is a great product but you gotta know how to use it. This has HA [hyaluronic acid] in it which absorbs water like crazy. This product has no water in it so the HA will absorb whatever water is in/on your lips so if you put on dry/normal lips it will dry you out. Wet your lips w water BEFORE you put this on and it will be a dream. If you don’t it will 100% dry your lips out which is why so many people are complaining about it drying them out but you gotta know your ingredients.” — plmoknijbuhvygc