Editor Tip: Our editors have been gushing over this sugar lip scrub for years. “Massage this scrub in, tissue it off, and your flaky lips are transformed into soft, supple, and moisturized ones—so much so that you won’t even need balm,” said one former Allure tester.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, jojoba seed oil, grape seed oil, rice bran extract, rosemary extract, sunflower seed extract
Best Brightening Lip Scrub: Milani Supercharged Lip Scrub
Why It’s Worth It: Milani’s Supercharged Lip Scrub is made with sugar granules that polish away dead skin, but you also get a delightfully surprising tone-evening treatment out of this buffer, too. This formula is infused with tangerine, ginseng, and turmeric extracts (all of which naturally contain superpower antioxidant vitamin C) to brighten any discoloration and even the overall color of your lips.
Editor’s Tip: The sweet citrus flavor of this scrub makes it all the more delectable to apply.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, tangerine extract, ginseng extract, turmeric extract
Best Drugstore Lip Scrub: Burt’s Bees Conditioning Lip Scrub
Why It’s Worth It: The honey crystals in Burt’s Bees Conditioning Lip Scrub slough away dead skin, leaving lips soft and smooth. But the beeswax oils in the drugstore exfoliator make it truly special, as they condition and prep dried-out lips so you can follow up with your tinted lip balm of choice for all-day moisture.
Editor Tip: The honey crystals in this lip scrub melt rather quickly, so think of this product more as a conditioning treatment that lightly buffs skin—rather than a classic lip scrub.
Key Ingredients: Honey, castor seed oil, beeswax, cocoa seed butter, lanolin
Why should you exfoliate your lips?
Just like the rest of your skin-care routine, your lip regimen can benefit from exfoliation every once in a while. To achieve super-soft lips, it’s important to get all the dead skin off the surface, according to Connecitcut-based board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD. “Lips accumulate the same number of dead skin cells that the rest of our face does,” she tells Allure. “For optimal moisturization and to promote absorption of other products, exfoliation is key.” That will not only make them smoother but will also allow lip colors to appear more vibrant. The exfoliation process can be a tad drying on the skin, so rehydrate and seal in much-needed moisture with your go-to lip balm or mask for a smooth, plump feel.
Meet the experts
- Robert Finney, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at The Dermatology Specialists in New York City
- Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Branford and Hamden, Connecticut
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
