How to Choose a Hydrating Lip Color

Fun lip color and healthy, hydrated lips. It’s a shame you can’t have both….right? Wrong. While it’s true the wrong lip color can lead to chronically dry, irritated lips and seep into fine lines, it doesn’t have to be that way. Let us introduce you to the world of hydrating lip color and show you how to pick a lippie that’ll flatter and hydrate your lips.

What Makes a Lip Color Hydrating?

You can’t just pick up any lip product and hope it hydrates—you have to understand what to look for. Let’s break down what makes lip colors hydrating (and not).

Moisture-Locking Ingredients

It’s a no-brainer that ingredients impact how your lippie goes on. Dry and uncomfortable? Smooth and creamy? The ingredients will clue you in. For hydrating lip color, look for ingredients that nourish and protect lips, like:

• Plant oils – jojoba, coconut, and castor
• Butters – shea and cocoa
• Waxes – beeswax and candelilla
• Humectants – hyaluronic acid and glycerin

So, if you’re looking at a new lip product and see lots of these ingredients, you know you’ll have some pretty happy lips. And if you don’t see these ingredients? Let’s maybe remove that one from our cart.

Clean vs. Conventional Lip Color Formulas

Don’t think buying clean matters? Think again. Clean formulas are less likely to have drying ingredients. That’s because conventional formulas tend to rely on alcohols, synthetic fragrances, and preservatives, which are all common culprits of dried-out lips. If you want an easy way to find hydrating lip colors, shopping clean beauty is more likely to benefit your lip health since clean products lead their formulas with soothing, botanical ingredients.

Texture Matters

Finally, the texture of your lip color matters when it comes to hydration. Love a matte look? Unfortunately, matte lipsticks require harsh ingredients to give them that texture, which means dry, irritated lips for you. Look for creamy and balm-like textures in your lippies, which are less likely to have your lips feeling like their own desert.

The Many Different Types of Lip Color and Their Ability to Hydrate

By now you should know not all lip colors are created equal. Some are more hydrating and others less so. This list goes from most hydrating to least to help you find your perfect lip color.

Tinted Lip Balms

Starting off with tinted lip balms, their name says it all. They’re a lip balm (duh) with a faint hint of color. Due to their sheer color, they’re best used in minimal makeup or no-makeup looks. When all you need is a casual swipe before running errands, tinted lip balms give you hydration first, sheer color second and have you feeling a little more put together.

Since they’re lip balms, they’re typically made with hydrating ingredients like butters, waxes, and plant oils, keeping true to their name and delivering moisture to your lips.

Hydration Level: Excellent. Can’t get much better than this.
Who’s it for: Those who want something quick and easy and prefer lip balms over lip color.

Lip Tints

Okay, maybe you want a little more color than that. Who doesn’t? Lip tints are still quite hydrating but give you a little more color to play with. Swipe once for sheer color or work up to a more opaque look with a few extra swipes. Lip tints were made for the “your lips but better” look.

Lip tints are often infused with nourishing plant oils and botanical ingredients, so you’ll get soft lips and a pop of color. So, wear those lip tints every day—your lips won’t mind.

Hydration Level: Excellent. Extra dry lips may require some lip balm before application.
Who’s it for: Those looking for a pop of color that doesn’t sacrifice lip hydration.

Cream Lipsticks

For those evening looks or whenever you want some drama to your makeup, cream lipsticks are the powerhouse of color. Rich pigment and creamy texture are sure to scream “bold.”

But watch out. Cream lipsticks may feel heavier on the lips due to rich pigmentation. And while some may be hydrating (depending on the formula), cream lipsticks tend to use hydration-enemy ingredients like silicones and preservatives. That means potentially irritated lips, and you’d better keep some lip balm handy when the dryness gets to be too much.

Hydration Level: Decent. Requires lip prep and occasional lip balm touch-ups to prevent lips from drying out.
Who’s it for: Those looking for brighter, more opaque color and can tolerate a few potentially drying ingredients.

Matte Lipsticks

We mentioned earlier that texture matters, so it should be no shock that matte lipsticks make the bottom of our list of hydrating lip color. If you take away anything from this section, let it be this: avoid.

Matte lipsticks come with a trade-off—you get long-lasting, bold color, but you sacrifice moisturized lips. That’s because matte lipsticks rely on alcohols, silicones, synthetic dyes, and preservatives to give you lip color that won’t smudge and is striking in pigment. Meanwhile, you’re doing everything you can to not think about how dry and crusty your lips feel.

Hydration Level: Nonexistent. Requires intense lip prep to prevent lips from drying out and will require lip balm touch-ups throughout the day.
Who’s it for: Those looking for brighter, more opaque color and can tolerate extremely drying ingredients.

Are Lip Tints the Ideal Hydrating Lip Color? We Think So

Hydrated lips. Check. Buildable lip color. Also check. Lip tints give you room to play with your makeup look and keep your lip moisture levels up.

So, of course, we made our Luxury Lip Tints with dry lips in mind. Those who have dry lips shouldn’t have to sacrifice wearing color. Give them a try and see why they’re a favorite for many:

• Lightweight and comfortable – your lips can breathe all day long.
• Easy to apply and reapply – no mirror necessary for on-the-go touch-ups.
• Formulated with beeswax and coconut oil – nature’s finest hydrating ingredients.
• Buildable color – wear them sheer or add layers for an opaquer look.
• Great for daily wear – your lips won’t feel worse as the week goes on.

Tips for Making Your Lip Color Even More Hydrating

Choosing a hydrating lip color certainly gives your lips a healthier glow, but you can’t go wrong with a little lip prep. Don’t skip out on these ways that will make your lip color feel even better:

• Exfoliate lips with a scrub two to three times a week. Yes, even lips need exfoliation to remove dead skin and buildup. Those flakes you constantly pick at? They don’t have to be there.
• Apply a lip balm or serum underneath color. A lip balm or serum can add a barrier of protection before applying color.
• Use a nourishing lip mask overnight. After all day wear, your lips need an overnight remedy. A lip mask is a treatment that rejuvenates lips, so you wake up ready for another round of all-day lip color.

Don’t know where to start with lip care? Our Healthy Lips Kit has everything you need to pamper your lips and get them looking their best.

All Lips Should Be Able to Enjoy Color

Dry lips, mature lips, or even just normal lips deserve a lip color that hydrates. Nourishing pigment doesn’t have to be a pipe dream with the right type of lip product. Remember to stick to organic options so your lips can get the best of what nature has to offer and so you can feel confident you’re not compromising your health.