Whether you have a standing lip filler appointment or have a no-needles policy, the best lip plumpers are the perfect pick-me-up for every pout. Lip plumping glosses and balms create temporary, localized swelling in the lips using naturally derived ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, and peppermint, and active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, resulting in a fuller, glam look. Intrigued? Keep scrolling for the 12 best lip plumpers across all price points, plus insight from Allure editors and board-certified dermatologists.
Our Top Lip Plumpers
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme Lip Plumper
Why it’s worth it: Too Faced’s Lip Injection Extreme Lip Plumper is made with antioxidant-packed avocado oil, fatty acid-rich jojoba oil, and moisturizing vitamin E to make lips look and feel full and more hydrated. Board-certified, New York City-based dermatologist Michele Green, explains that avocado oil acts as an “excellent lip balm” that also happens to plump. Choose from five ultra-glossy shades, including the lip-smacking Strawberry and Bubblegum. Like many plumpers, using this gloss regularly will help your lips look plumper and smoother with time.
Tester feedback from Allure commerce editor Sarah Han
“Despite being a ride-or-die bright lip girlie, my routine usually consists of one product, a lip tint or lipstick, but Too Faced is making a case for topping off my tint with a layer of plumper. It’s spicy but only for two minutes or so, and then it feels like it’s barely on your lips. (In comparison, other plumpers I’ve tried have a very slow-burn plumping effect that makes me want to wipe off the product before it’s fully taken effect.) I can’t lie: I kept my expectations low but the results are impressive and actually noticeable IRL and on camera. When I want a fuller lip look (without overlining), I reach for this.”
“If you want your lips to look and feel bigger, this is the product for you. Despite me having lip filler, sometimes I still desire more of a pout and this baby gets the job done, fast.”
Key ingredients: atelocollagen, marine filling spheres, avocado oil, jojoba oils, vitamin E
Finish: glossy
Shades: 5
Best Cooling: Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Big Lip Plumpgasm
Why it’s worth it: Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Big Lip Plumpgasm replaces the stinging feeling some lip plumpers give with a cooling sensation that feels satisfying on the spot. Cayenne pepper extracts will deliver a plumping effect, but cooling agents immediately swoop in to create a long-lasting chill. The formula also uses reflective ingredients to create an illusion of plumper lips instantly. The gloss comes in two nude shades, one that’s fair-medium and another that’s medium-deep, to enhance your lips’ natural color and add a glossy sheen.
“As someone with pretty full lips, I don’t often reach for a lip plumper. (I’ve never been a fan of the burn that comes with typical formulas.) This is the exception. It feels cooling upon application and highlights the curves of my lips. Even better: the medium-deep shade is flattering against my skin tone.”
Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, smoothing silica, sunflower seed oil
Finish: glossy
Shades: 2
Best Overall Shade Range: Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss
Why we love it: “This lip gloss gives the appearance of fuller lips,” affirms Dr. Green. Dior Addict’s hyaluronic acid-infused Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss keeps lips nourished and hydrated for 24 hours. Choose from 26 shades, half in a high-shine finish and the other in a shimmer finish. Wearers appreciate how they can feel a slight tingle, but without a sensation that causes discomfort. They also love the subtle minty flavor and the iconic Dior packaging, because who wouldn’t?
Tester feedback from Allure editorial assistant Jennet Jusu
“I love gloss, so naturally I’d want any I try to be long-lasting with a beautiful shine. I absolutely adore Dior’s Lip Addict Maximizer, which plumps my lips just enough to complete my makeup routine. And the tingles aren’t too intense!”
Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, cherry oil, vitamin E, ethylhexyl palmitate
Finish: shimmery
Shades: 26
Best Neutral Shades: Valentino Puffer Complex Plumper Gloss
Why it’s worth it: Get ready for super smooth, volumized lips with the Valentino Puffer Complex Plumper Gloss. Its ingredient list includes peptides and peppermint oil, which work together to plump your lips up without making your skin burn. Even better: There’s also hyaluronic acid in the mix to hydrate your lips and add to the plumping effect. Lactic acid is another ingredient worth noting, since it’ll gently exfoliate your lips to make sure they’re as smooth and soft as possible (no flakiness here!). The gloss comes in six sheer shades, ranging from clear to a purple hue, and four of them include shimmery flecks that’ll catch the light to make your lips look even juicier.
“I’m reallllllllly not much of a lip plumper girlie, but after trying out this Valentino lip plumper, I can confidently say it’s a fun new addition to my lip stash. It gives your lips that nice tingle without that heavy burning sensation—which, without another formula that shall not be named, quite literally has made my lips swollen for two days!”
Key ingredients: palmitoyl tripeptide-1, peppermint oil, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, vitamin E
Finish: glossy
Shades: 6
Best Balm: RéVive Intensité Moisturizing Lip Balm
Why it’s worth it: Looking for something you can wear overnight or reapply mindlessly throughout the day? The ReVive Skincare Intensité Moisturizing Lip Balm is it. The clear balm boosts collagen, a protein in the skin that’s responsible for adding fullness, to add density and reduce the look of fine lines. Plus, it contains mango seed butter, beeswax, marula seed oil, and ceramides—all emollients that’ll condition your lips for a softer, more moisturized feel. And because it’s clear, you can slather it on any time, sans mirror.
Tester feedback from contributing commerce editor Deanna Pai
“I came for the moisture, but I stayed for the plumping. I’m obsessed with this stuff: It’s not sticky, not scented, and leaves a layer of cushion-y comfort that lasts for hours. It does have a cooling (but not tingly) feel on contact, and I’ve noticed that my lips immediately look a little more plush and plump. It’s basically the lip plumper I wasn’t looking for—but now that I have it, I can’t go without it.”
Key ingredients: peptides, mango seed butter, beeswax, marula seed oil, ceramides
Finish: sheer
Shades: 1
More lip plumpers we love
- If you want to smooth fine lines, the Lawless Forget The Filler Lip Plumping Line Smoothing Gloss purports to increase lip volume by 40 percent—compelling, no? It’s made with a combination of hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamin E, chili extract, menthol, and MaxiLip—a proprietary ingredient that “contains buttery substance that help provide a seal for the lips,” Ben Talei, MD, a double board-certified plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills, California, previously told Allure. The chubby doe applicator covers a plentiful surface area with each swipe, and the vial contains a generous amount of product. You’ll love any one of the 16 shades.
- To moisturize your dry lips, try Buxom’s Plump Shot Collagen-Infused Lip Serum. It’s infused with hyaluronic acid and collagen for an added boost of hydration. “Topical collagen is a humectant, so it’s similar to hyaluronic acid in that it can help to temporarily plump by hydrating,” Dr. King tells Allure. It snagged a 2023 Best of Beauty Award for making lips look fuller and softer and got bonus points for its long-lasting tint.
- For long-lasting results, consider the GrandeLips Hydrating Lip Plumper Gloss. The Allure-editor favorite is formulated with conditioning ingredients like niacin (vitamin B3) and hyaluronic acid. “Niacin causes lip plumping by increasing capillary flow of blood to the lips, making them swell or plumping them,” Dr. Green explains. The formula also includes Volulip, a trademarked cosmetic compound that hydrates and boosts lip volume using ingredients like portulaca pilosa extract, palmitoyl tripeptide-38, and phospholipids.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do lip plumpers work?
Dr. Green explains that topical lip plumpers work by creating temporary swelling in the lips, often using ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, and peppermint. “The skin reaction results in localized swelling, which gives the lips a temporary plumping effect,” she tells Allure. You’ll also notice that some lip plumpers are formulated with peptides. “Peptides are composed of amino acids. Some peptides stimulate collagen and elastin production, which work by increasing moisture as well, producing localized swelling in the lips,” Dr. Green adds.
Are lip plumpers safe?
Cosmetic chemist Ginger King tells Allure that lip plumpers are generally safe. “There is nothing to worry about unless you have super sensitive skin. Irritant-containing lip plumpers can get on the upper lips and cause blotchiness and irritation,” she explains. Check the plumper’s ingredients list to ensure you don’t have a known allergy to any ingredients. You can also perform a patch test before applying the plumping product to your lips.
How should I choose a lip plumper?
Board-certified dermatologist Peterson Pierre, MD, of the Pierre Skin Care Institute in Thousand Oaks, California, recommends looking for lip plumpers enriched with hyaluronic acid. According to Dr. Pierre, the moisture-attracting ingredient offers a plumping effect since it can hold 1,000 times its weight in water. He also recommends looking for lip plumpers infused with moisturizing and conditioning ingredients such as shea butter and ceramides to make your lips smooth and moist.
Dr. Hadley King echoes Dr. Pierre, advising to shop for labels enriched with humectants (such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin), emollients (which include fatty acids and ceramides), and occlusives (like beeswax) for maximum hydration. “The best type of lip plumpers will be using a combination of [capsicum, hot pepper, menthol, polymers, and peptides],” adds Ginger King.
How we test and review products
Before reviewing any makeup, we ask questions about a number of factors: What ingredients are in it? Does the brand offer a wide shade range inclusive of consumers with all skin tones and undertones? Is it safe for readers who have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses? Is it on the affordable side or more of a splurge? Is its packaging consciously designed or needlessly wasteful?
