These Are the Best Lip Scrubs for Flake-Free Lips
Polished lips, no irritation.
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If you’ve been complaining about how your lip balms don’t seem to do anything for your dry, chapped lips, you might be the one responsible for it.
So don’t throw them away just yet. There’s a chance your lip balm is having trouble slipping through the cracks of your lips, so to speak. And that’s when you need a good lip scrub.
Lip scrubs clear the way for your lip balm, and make your lips look and feel smoother at the same time. A lip scrub or a lip exfoliator simply exfoliates your lips by removing dead skin cells. And the benefits of it are three-fold.
You get rid of those flaky-looking lips. And your lip balms penetrate better and moisturize your lips better. And lastly, your lipsticks apply better and look smoother.
If you’re like me and not into DIY lip scrubs, rest assured that there are amazing lip scrubs in different forms that can give you flake-free lips instantly.
They come in pots or sticks and pack impressive emollients to butter up those lips. If you’re on the lookout for one, below are the best lip scrubs to gently exfoliate your lips.
Best Lip Scrubs
1. Fresh Sugar Lip Polish Exfoliator
Sugar Face Polish was my gateway product to Sugar Lip Polish. I don’t like to scrub my face with physical exfoliants but that formula was so gentle that I had to try the lip one. And I’ve been a fan ever since. This lip scrub utilizes brown sugar to exfoliate the skin. And it cares for the lips with jojoba oil and shea butter. It tastes and smells amazing and is going to leave your lips more kissable than ever. It’s a gentle nourishing formula to exfoliate dry lips, and plump and soften them.
Key Ingredients: Brown sugar, shea butter
Size: 0.35 oz/10 gr
Good To Know: Paraben-free
2. Burt’s Bees Conditioning Lip Scrub
This drugstore lip scrub is for you if you prefer something with better consistency and don’t enjoy the traditional feeling of physical scrubs. Because, unlike regular options, this one doesn’t have a prominent grit. Basically, it’s heavy on the balm and easy on the scrub. It’s all-natural and it’s incredibly moisturizing for the lips, leaving them soft and smooth. It’s made with honey, which is as hydrating as it gets for dry lips.
Key Ingredients: Honey crystals, vegetable oil
Size: 0.25 oz/7.08 gr
Good To Know: Natural, cruelty-free
3. COSRX Honey Sugar Lip Scrub
This one has such a satisfying consistency. When you apply your scrub to the lips, you usually see the balm going on evenly with a few sugar particles here and there. But this one goes on evenly and has a very firm consistency. You really feel the grittiness on the lips. But it’s not irritating or scratchy on the lips. The sugar crystals are fine enough to gently exfoliate. Plus, the Korean lip scrub nourishes and moisturizes your lips with honey and shea butter.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, shea butter, honey extract
Size: 0.70 oz/20 gr
Good To Know: Cruelty-free
4. Fenty Beauty Pro Kiss’r Lip-Loving Scrubstick
This is a stick lip scrub for those who don’t want to get their hands dirty. And instead of sugar crystals, this one exfoliates with apricot seeds. But they are tiny and you don’t need to worry about irritating the sensitive skin on your lips. The very buttery formula contains coconut oil, shea butter, and other occlusives to eliminate dry lips. As you put the scrub on, you’ll see tiny scrubbers. Massage them onto the lips and then gently wipe those off and let the remaining balm keep your lips plump and smooth.
Key Ingredients: Apricot seeds, coconut oil, jojoba oil
Size: 0.1 oz/3 gr
Good To Know: Cruelty-free
5. Dior Addict Lip Sugar Scrub
Similarly, this is another scrub with twist-up packaging. This is two in one formula that exfoliates and moisturizes. The no-rinse mess-free formula is packed with sugar crystals that melt into the skin and disappear. And it leaves the lips smooth and moisturized all thanks to its rich emollient texture made with mango seed butter. And it’s going to change your lipstick game forever.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, mango seed butter
Size: 0.12 oz/3.40 gr
6. Tree Hut Sugarlips Lip Scrub
If you enjoy the scent, you’re going to love this one because it’s a treat for the senses. The lip scrub exfoliates with sugar crystals. And it moisturizes with mineral oil, shea butter, and peppermint oil. It goes on easily, melts onto the lips, and brings back a natural flush of color on the lips. Plus, the drugstore lip scrub is super budget-friendly too.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, mineral oil, peppermint oil
Size: 0.34 oz/9.8 gr
Good To Know: Vegan
7. Frank Body Original Lip Scrub
This coffee-infused lip scrub is a must-have for dry, pale lips dealing with a loss of color. Coffee has an energizing effect on the skin, which is great when you want to make the lips look pinkier and more youthful. The scrub exfoliates with sugar and coffee powder to smooth the lips. And it moisturizes with coffee seed oil and macadamia seed oil for softer, plumper lips.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, coffee grinds, macadamia oil
Size: 0.51 oz/15 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, paraben-free
8. iS Clinical Lip Polish
If you’re dealing with more than dry, flaky lips, such as hyperpigmentation or lip lines, this potent formula is for you. It contains the antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E to treat lip discolorations. It exfoliates with sugar crystals and moisturizes with olive oil. So if you need more than just exfoliation, this is a whole lip treatment itself to deal with dry lips, lip lines, and lip discolorations.
Key Ingredients: Sugar crystals, olive oil, vitamin C, vitamin E
Size: 0.5 oz/15 ml
Good To Know: Paraben-free
So these are some of the best lip scrubs to get smoother, softer, pinkier lips. You can always try DIY lip scrubs. Either way, don’t neglect your lips and remember to exfoliate at least once a week, and then follow up with a lip balm. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for here, keep reading for things to keep in mind when choosing a lip scrub.
What to Look for in a Lip Scrub
Gentle Exfoliants
The skin on the lips is very thin and sensitive. To avoid irritating it, look for gentle exfoliants in your lip scrubs. Avoid harsh granules with scratchy particles such as shell powder. Instead, look for sugar crystals that gently exfoliate but don’t irritate. You can also look for enzyme exfoliators like papaya and pineapple which are gentle chemical exfoliants.
Emollients
A proper lip scrub delivers exfoliants with a very moisturizing base. This makes exfoliation incredibly gentle and easy. For that reason, look for moisturizing ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, or jojoba oil. This helps moisturize the skin on the lips leaving them soft and smooth.
