{"id":557114228809,"title":"City Lips Review: Skincare Magic or Overpriced?","created_at":"2022-11-01T16:20:44-04:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"City Lips Review: Skincare Magic or Overpriced?\",\n \"keywords\": \"city lips, city lips review, city lips reviews, city beauty lips, city lips amazon, city lips lip plumper, reviews of city lips, reviews on city lips, city lips before and after, does city lips work, city beauty city lips reviews, city lips plumper, city lips plumping lip gloss, city lips reviews before and after pictures, city lips reviews 2022\",\n \"description\": \"Our research team reviews every ingredient in City Lips to give our take on whether the product is likely to improve the appearance of the lips and reduce wrinkles. We highlight some questionable additive ingredients and share a real user review including before-and-after images.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/city-lips-review\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"creator\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"editor\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Brian Moore\",\n \"honorificSuffix\": [\n \"M.D.\",\n \"F.A.A.D\"\n ],\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/brian-moore\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brian-moore-md-faad-2b1b77a2\/\",\n \"https:\/\/www.apexskin.com\/our-team\/dr-brian-moore-md\/\"\n ],\n \"jobTitle\": \"Dermatology Advisor\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"dermatology, skincare, pigmented lesions, anti-aging, medical research, clinical trials, sunscreen, moisturizer, wrinkles, makeup, shampoo, soap\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": [\n \"Columbia University\",\n \"University of Toledo\"\n ]\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"image\": {\n\"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/City_Lips_Thumbnail.png?v=1667334440\",\n\"width\": \"3418\",\n\"height\": \"3418\"\n},\n\"citation\": [\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30287361\/\", \n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28551585\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/tula-skincare-review\"\n],\n\"mentions\": [{\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"City Beauty\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"sodium hyaluronate\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"carmine\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"artificial dye\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Hannah's Southern Creations\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Amazon\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Fakespot\"\n }\n],\n\"datePublished\": \"2022-11-01\",\n\"copyrightHolder\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n},\n\"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/\",\n \"description\": \"Illuminate Labs is the most transparent supplement company in the U.S., and is a leading publisher of research-based health information.\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"supplements, science, nutrition, exercise, health, medication, pharmaceutical, wellness, diet, weight loss, medical research\",\n \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/editorial-guidelines\",\n \"memberOf\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"U.S. Chamber of Commerce\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Certified B Corp\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/en-us\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Natural Products Association\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.npanational.org\/\"\n }\n ],\n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Illuminate_Labs_Favicon_48x48_7595c3cc-e27b-47b8-a4fe-edcc7ed9b29a.png?v=1666502785\", \n \"width\": 48,\n \"height\": 48\n},\n \"foundingDate\": \"2019-01-30\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/illuminate-labs-supplements\",\n \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpgSJAsIPb-fZ25djtTxBEA\"\n ]\n }\n}\n\/\/ ]]\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/City_Lips_Review_Article_Header_Image_Optimized.png?v=1667334058\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dc\"\u003eC\u003c\/span\u003eity Lips is a popular lip gloss sold by the brand City Beauty. The brand claims that this product can deliver “deep hydration for instant plumping” and “smoothing out the appearance of lip lines and wrinkles.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBut does City Lips actually contain ingredients proven to have these effects or are these just marketing claims? Does it contain any unhealthy added ingredients? And how do real users rate it?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in City Lips based on medical studies to give our take on whether it’s actually likely to improve lip and skin quality, and if it contains questionable ingredients. We’ll also share a real user review of the product including before-and-after images and explain what retailer has the best price for this product.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIngredient Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" alt=\"City Lips ingredients\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/City_Lips_Ingredients_Optimized.png?v=1667334083\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCity Lips contains up to 67 ingredients depending on the product. It does contain some ingredients proven to improve skin quality.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSodium hyaluronate\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, which was shown in a 2018 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30287361\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to significantly reduce wrinkles and increase skin hydration. Sodium hyaluronate has a lower molecular weight than hyaluronic acid meaning it can penetrate deeper into skin. We consider this one of the most effective skincare ingredients.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJojoba seed oil\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is an anti-inflammatory and skin hydrating ingredient.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eUnfortunately City Lips contains a large number of questionable additive ingredients.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCarmine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a dye that was found in a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/28551585\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e journal to be “considered toxic for rats, pigs and humans.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBenzoic acid\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e is a preservative ingredient, and while preservatives are necessary in some formulations, we recommend using preservative-free skincare whenever possible. This ingredient may be irritating to skin.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCity Lips also contains a large number of artificial dyes, including \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlue 1 Lake\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eYellow 5 Lake\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e among others. As we documented in our \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/tula-skincare-review\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTula skincare reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e article, artificial dye may cause skin irritation and negative health effects, and we recommend avoiding them entirely.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOverall we do believe that City Lips is likely to improve skin quality and reduce wrinkles, due to the inclusion of sodium hyaluronate, however we don’t recommend the product because of all of its additive ingredients.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCity Lips Real User Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the most popular reviews of City Lips comes from a YouTube creator called Hannah’s Southern Creations. She shows how to properly apply the product, and shares before-and-after images. This review focuses more on the aesthetic effects of the product rather than the health effects:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M2gHOdAuRN0\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOur Clean Lip Gloss Pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Lip_Gloss_Image.png?v=1667334137\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe lip gloss product we recommend is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3DO35gP\" rel=\"sponsored\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBurt’s Bees Lip Shine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis product has the healthiest formulation of any lip gloss we’ve reviewed. Like City Lips, it contains hydrating natural ingredients like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003esunflower seed oil\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003ebeeswax\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. The main difference is that it’s free of artificial dyes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt’s also much cheaper than City Lips. Burt’s Bees’ lip gloss currently costs $7 for 0.5 ounces (oz) which equals \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e$14 per ounce\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. City Lips costs $35 for 0.16 oz, which equals over $175 per ounce.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eInterested consumers can check out Burt’s Bees Lip Shine \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3T42RXq\" rel=\"sponsored\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eat this link\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e to their Amazon product listing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBurt’s Bees’ gloss does contain carmine. We have yet to find a lip gloss product without any questionable additive ingredients. If we do, we will update this section to recommend it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhere to Buy City Lips for the Best Price\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCity Lips is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown at the time of updating this article:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWalmart: $63 (third-party seller, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.walmart.com\/ip\/City-Beauty-Lips-Plumping-Lip-Gloss-Hydrate-Volumize-All-Day-Wear-Hyaluronic-Acid-Peptides-Visibly-Smooth-Wrinkles-Cruelty-Free-Crimson\/1434032584\"\u003elink\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBrand website: $35 (plus $6.95 shipping, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/shrsl.com\/488u2\" rel=\"sponsored\"\u003elink\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAmazon: \u003cstrong\u003e$35 (free shipping\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/48tk6KC\" rel=\"sponsored\"\u003elink to official Amazon listing\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCity Lips is currently 17% cheaper at Amazon than on the brand's official website when factoring in shipping fees.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCity Lips Real Customer Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAs referenced above, City Lips is sold on Amazon which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The product has been reviewed over 1,400 times and has an average review rating of 3.8 stars at the time of writing this article.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Samantha O’Dell” who claims that it looks great and remains intact even through meals:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“If you want all day beautiful, shiny, moisturized lips, get this gloss. I have several colors of city lips but Sun Diego is my favorite for a touch of color and shine. This gloss last for hours even with eating and drinking.”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Loni” who claims the product does not have the advertised plumping effect:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“I got this for the advertised plumping but it makes no difference at all. I have seen some that say they can tell its working because of a tingling sensation, I didn’t get any of that. The color Sun Diego is nice but it makes lips shiny like it’s the 90s which is not a look I love. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eI was planning to use this for the initial plump and then use a lipstick or something more matte over it, but there’s no point because there is no plumping result\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCity Lips Pros and Cons\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eHere’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of City Lips in our opinion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003ePros:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLikely to reduce wrinkles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eContains hydrating ingredients\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eGreat product design\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eCons:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eContains artificial dye\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eContains a preservative\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eExtremely expensive\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCity Lips is likely to moisturize the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles because it contains research-backed ingredients. However, we do not recommend the product overall due to the inclusion of questionable additive ingredients like artificial dye and a preservative.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eReal users seem to have mostly favorable reviews about the aesthetic benefits of this product.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eCity Lips is extremely expensive, costing around 10x other popular lip glosses per ounce.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAmazon appears to be the best place to buy City Lips, because it offers free shipping. The actual product price is the same on Amazon and on the City Beauty website.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2022-11-01T19:54:38-04:00","updated_at":"2023-09-25T15:14:35-04:00","summary_html":"We review every ingredient in City Lips to give our take on whether the product is likely to improve the appearance of the lips and reduce wrinkles. We highlight some questionable additive ingredients and share a real user review including before-and-after images.","template_suffix":"","handle":"city-lips-review","tags":"_related:cosmetics"}

City Lips Review: Skincare Magic or Overpriced?

City Lips Review: Skincare Magic or Overpriced?


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Read our Editorial Guidelines to learn more about what makes our site the premier resource for online health information.

City Lips is a popular lip gloss sold by the brand City Beauty. The brand claims that this product can deliver “deep hydration for instant plumping” and “smoothing out the appearance of lip lines and wrinkles.” 

But does City Lips actually contain ingredients proven to have these effects or are these just marketing claims? Does it contain any unhealthy added ingredients? And how do real users rate it?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in City Lips based on medical studies to give our take on whether it’s actually likely to improve lip and skin quality, and if it contains questionable ingredients. We’ll also share a real user review of the product including before-and-after images and explain what retailer has the best price for this product.

Ingredient Review

 

City Lips ingredients

City Lips contains up to 67 ingredients depending on the product. It does contain some ingredients proven to improve skin quality.

Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, which was shown in a 2018 medical review to significantly reduce wrinkles and increase skin hydration. Sodium hyaluronate has a lower molecular weight than hyaluronic acid meaning it can penetrate deeper into skin. We consider this one of the most effective skincare ingredients.

Jojoba seed oil is an anti-inflammatory and skin hydrating ingredient.

Unfortunately City Lips contains a large number of questionable additive ingredients.

Carmine is a dye that was found in a medical review published in the Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety journal to be “considered toxic for rats, pigs and humans.”

Benzoic acid is a preservative ingredient, and while preservatives are necessary in some formulations, we recommend using preservative-free skincare whenever possible. This ingredient may be irritating to skin.

City Lips also contains a large number of artificial dyes, including Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake among others. As we documented in our Tula skincare reviews article, artificial dye may cause skin irritation and negative health effects, and we recommend avoiding them entirely.

Overall we do believe that City Lips is likely to improve skin quality and reduce wrinkles, due to the inclusion of sodium hyaluronate, however we don’t recommend the product because of all of its additive ingredients.

City Lips Real User Review

One of the most popular reviews of City Lips comes from a YouTube creator called Hannah’s Southern Creations. She shows how to properly apply the product, and shares before-and-after images. This review focuses more on the aesthetic effects of the product rather than the health effects:

Our Clean Lip Gloss Pick

The lip gloss product we recommend is Burt’s Bees Lip Shine.

This product has the healthiest formulation of any lip gloss we’ve reviewed. Like City Lips, it contains hydrating natural ingredients like sunflower seed oil and beeswax. The main difference is that it’s free of artificial dyes.

It’s also much cheaper than City Lips. Burt’s Bees’ lip gloss currently costs $7 for 0.5 ounces (oz) which equals $14 per ounce. City Lips costs $35 for 0.16 oz, which equals over $175 per ounce.

Interested consumers can check out Burt’s Bees Lip Shine at this link to their Amazon product listing.

Burt’s Bees’ gloss does contain carmine. We have yet to find a lip gloss product without any questionable additive ingredients. If we do, we will update this section to recommend it.

Where to Buy City Lips for the Best Price

City Lips is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown at the time of updating this article:

Walmart: $63 (third-party seller, link)

Brand website: $35 (plus $6.95 shipping, link)

Amazon: $35 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)

City Lips is currently 17% cheaper at Amazon than on the brand's official website when factoring in shipping fees.

City Lips Real Customer Reviews

As referenced above, City Lips is sold on Amazon which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The product has been reviewed over 1,400 times and has an average review rating of 3.8 stars at the time of writing this article.

The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Samantha O’Dell” who claims that it looks great and remains intact even through meals:

“If you want all day beautiful, shiny, moisturized lips, get this gloss. I have several colors of city lips but Sun Diego is my favorite for a touch of color and shine. This gloss last for hours even with eating and drinking.”

The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Loni” who claims the product does not have the advertised plumping effect:

“I got this for the advertised plumping but it makes no difference at all. I have seen some that say they can tell its working because of a tingling sensation, I didn’t get any of that. The color Sun Diego is nice but it makes lips shiny like it’s the 90s which is not a look I love. I was planning to use this for the initial plump and then use a lipstick or something more matte over it, but there’s no point because there is no plumping result.”

City Lips Pros and Cons

Here’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of City Lips in our opinion.

Pros:

  • Likely to reduce wrinkles
  • Contains hydrating ingredients
  • Great product design

Cons:

  • Contains artificial dye
  • Contains a preservative
  • Extremely expensive
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Conclusion

City Lips is likely to moisturize the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles because it contains research-backed ingredients. However, we do not recommend the product overall due to the inclusion of questionable additive ingredients like artificial dye and a preservative.

Real users seem to have mostly favorable reviews about the aesthetic benefits of this product.

City Lips is extremely expensive, costing around 10x other popular lip glosses per ounce.

Amazon appears to be the best place to buy City Lips, because it offers free shipping. The actual product price is the same on Amazon and on the City Beauty website.




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