Laneige Lip Balm is one of the most popular products sold by the international cosmetics brand. The brand claims that this product “coats lips in nourishing hydration” and “visibly smooths lip wrinkles.”
But does the lip balm contain research-backed ingredients for moisturization and wrinkle reduction? Does Laneige Lip Balm contain any unhealthy ingredients? What's the best dupe? And is Laniege better or worse than popular lip balms like ChapStick?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Laneige Lip Balm to give our take on whether or not the product is likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also share a video on the best dupe, and compare Laniege to other popular lip balm brands to pick our winners.
Key takeaways:
- Contains skin-protecting active ingredients
- Contains fragrance, which can be harmful to human health
- We do not currently recommend Laneige Lip Balm
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Laneige Lip Treatment Balm are shown above.
This is a surprising number of ingredients for a lip balm, but there are some research-backed active ingredients.
Shea butter is an effective natural skin moisturizer, as described in a medical review on this ingredient published in the Dermatologic Therapy journal.
Titanium dioxide is a safe and non-toxic colorant that provides protection from UV rays, as we discussed in our review of another cosmetics brand containing this ingredient called Il Makiage.
Astrocaryum murumuru seed butter was shown in a 2022 medical review to be rich in natural fatty acids, which suggests it may hydrate the skin.
Coconut oil is one of the most well-studied whole food cosmetic ingredients. A medical review on the cosmetic use of plant oils described coconut oil as having anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects.
Glycerin is another hydrating ingredient that’s typically derived from vegetable oils like palm oil.
Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is a member of a class of compounds called peptides, and these compounds were shown to have a potentially anti-aging effect in a meta-study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science.
While there are a number of research-backed ingredients in this formulation, there is also one ingredient that may be questionable from a health perspective.
Fragrance is that ingredient, and a medical review published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal concluded the following:
“Fragranced product emissions can affect not only indoor air quality but also human health, workplace productivity, and societal wellbeing.”
Overall, we consider Laneige Lip Treatment Balm likely to be effective for anti-aging, for improving lip hydration and for improving skin quality generally. However, we don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of fragrance.
What’s the Best Dupe?
A TikTok creator named Alyssa Lorraine has a video with nearly 1 million views suggesting a Laneige Lip Balm dupe:
@_alyssa_lorraine_ addicted to these rn 😍 in my Amaz0n 💘 #lipbutter #lipmask #lipbalm #amazonmakeup #laneigedupe ♬ kill bill sza - xxtristanxo
Laniege vs. Popular Lip Balms
Here's how Laniege compares to other popular lip balm brands in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
ChapStick
Regular, flavored formulations contain both fragrance and artificial dye, but ChapStick 100% Natural Lip Butter contains no harmful additives at all.
Winner: Tie
City Lips
Contains some research-backed active ingredients, but also contains synthetic dyes.
Artificial dye can be absorbed through the skin, and is clinically shown to be harmful to health, as we documented in our City Lips reviews article.
Winner: Laniege Lip Balm
Carmex
Contains an antiseptic ingredient that's clinically shown to cause skin discoloration in some cases.
Winner: Laniege Lip Balm
Our Clean Lip Balm Pick
Dr. Bronner's Organic Lip Balm is our top healthy lip balm pick.
This product has the healthiest formulation of any lip gloss we’ve reviewed. Like Laneige, it contains hydrating natural ingredients like organic avocado oil and organic jojoba seed oil.
However it's fragrance-free and contains no additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Laneige Lip Balm Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Many research-backed ingredients
- Relatively affordable
- Should moisturize lips
- May provide anti-aging effect
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Contains fragrance
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- Brand fails to respond to BBB customer complaints
