Key ingredients: sugar crystals, jojoba seed oil, grape seed oil, rice bran extract, rosemary extract, sunflower seed extract
Best Brightening: 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, which might explain why both Dr. Gordon and Dr. Reed are fans). “It energizes and conditions your lips and comes at a great price,” says Dr. Gordon. 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: 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’s 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 crystals, 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 Connecticut-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. Heads up: 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.
When should you exfoliate your lips?
Like the rest of your skin, exfoliating your lips can be helpful for creating a smoother, softer texture, but overdoing it will only exacerbate dryness and flaking. “If you see flakes, my first recommendation is to give the skin what it’s asking for, which is hydration,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, previously told Allure. “After moisturizing the lips, if there are still flakes, you can use gentle sugar scrubs.” It’s not an exact timeframe like other daily- or weekly-use products, but whipping out your lip scrubs only when absolutely necessary is key to maintaining the moisture barrier of the delicate skin on and around your lips.
Meet the experts
- Jennifer Gordon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas
- Kellie Reed, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Austin, Texas
- Quynh-Giao Sartor, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Houston, Texas,
- 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
- Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
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.