The 16 Best Lip-Plumping Products for the Perfect Pout
No need to set foot in a derm’s office.
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.
Beauty trends come and go as quickly as the seasons change—sometimes even quicker. Remember pencil-thin ‘90s brows? Or maybe you dabbled with glitter roots during festival season? While there will always be wacky trends entering the beauty realm at lightspeed, a heap of them have proved their staying power; namely, lip enhancements.
For the uninitiated, lip augmentation is an increasingly popular, non-surgical, semi-permanent cosmetic procedure that adds volume to thin lips. But, there’s an alternative (and more frugal) way to perfect your pout without committing to lip enhancement treatments long-term and the hefty price tag that comes along with the endeavor: lip plumpers.
That’s right, the plumper, softer pout of your dreams is just one lip gloss or serum away. These formulas impart a subtle (or not-so-subtle) tingling sensation and make your lips swell without you ever having to set foot in a derm’s office.
“A lip plumper is designed to give a transitory fullness to the upper and lower lip bodies,” Dr. Anthony Rossi, MD, tells ELLE.com. As simple as it sounds, there are a few key players that make lip plumpers work as well as they do. “Some lip plumpers hydrate the lips using moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which absorb up to 1000 times its weight in water.”
Other lip plumpers use ingredients that can cause a little localized allergic reaction, and sometimes sting when applied. “Ingredients such as propolis or extracts of cinnamon, menthol, and capsaicin are added to stimulate blood flow and give a swollen look,” Rossi explains.
Cosmetic chemist Ginger King echoes this sentiment and adds that the slight tingle you feel is usually from menthol. She also attributes vinyl butyl ether, a chemical compound also commonly used in these products, as a cause for the sensation. King’s suggestion when using these products: exfoliate your lips first. “Using a lip exfoliator prior to any lip gloss can help promote microcirculation, leading to a more healthy-looking, plump appearance,” she says. She also suggests applying a regular balm as a base and gently scrubbing on top of it with an exfoliating tool (like this silicone brush she designed for her brand, FanLoveBeauty).
Rossi advises staying away from plumpers with stronger ingredients if your lips tend to itch more after application, and instead look for those with hyaluronic acid. While lip plumpers can’t permanently plump your lips, you should still take care of your lip health. “There really is no natural way to do this, but you can improve lip health by staying hydrated to prevent dry chapped lips, using moisturizer and SPF to make sure UV damage doesn’t cause solar elastosis which ages the skin, and even skin cancer,” he says.
Shop the best lip-plumping glosses for your dream pout, ahead.
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Heat Universal Lip Luminizer + Plumper
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Heat Universal Lip Luminizer + Plumper
Fans of the OG Gloss Bomb will love its sister, which imparts a sheer but noticeable tint while a tingling sensation gives your lips a comfortable plump.
LAWLESS Forget The Filler Lip Plumper Line Smoothing Gloss
The bent applicator tip smoothly coats your lips to leave a glossy sheen reminiscent of your favorite beauty supply store lip gloss. With shea butter and hyaluronic acid, your pout is nourished and glossed to perfection.
Caliray Glazed & Infused Lip Plumper Gloss
Caliray Glazed & Infused Lip Plumper Gloss
While Caliray’s lip plumper is formulated with biomimetic peptide to plump the lips, you can feel comfortable knowing there are other ingredients—prickly pear extract, avocado oil, green coffee seed extract, etc.—to help your lips stay hydrated and nourished.
PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster
PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster
This treatment glides on as smooth as your favorite balm. Formulated with Ultra Filling Spheres, an ingredient that blends hyaluronate and konjac root, and humectants for moisture, the PCA Lip Booster can be used daily to plump up your lips over time.
Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish
Buxom Full-On Plumping Lip Polish
Buxom offers over 50 shades to choose from, so you can enhance your lips regardless of your lipstick color. Plus, it gives a tingly, cooling sensation that lasts a few minutes.
Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss
Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss
This Dior classic is a Bella Hadid favorite and comes in six different high-shine colors. It also harnesses the power of hyaluronic acid to add volume and moisture, because plumped, chapped lips aren’t cute at all.
Sephora Collection Outrageous Effect Volume Lip Gloss
Sephora Collection Outrageous Effect Volume Lip Gloss
Yes, Sephora carries thousands of brands, but don’t sleep on Sephora Collection. The high-shine formula combines ginger root oil and peppermint oil that maximizes volume and instantly hydrates the lips for just $12.
Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme
Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme
Too Faced gained cult status for its fan-favorite eyeshadow palettes, mascara, and its iconic Lip Injection gloss. The formula feels as spicy as eating a plate of hot buffalo wings—but in a good way.
DuWop’s Lip Venom was around long before the lip-enhancement hype. One of the first lip-plumping glosses on the market, the secret is in the sauce: essential oils made with cinnamon, ginger, and wintergreen. These ingredients combined cause all the blood to rush to the lips to give you a picture-perfect pout in minutes.
e.l.f. Cosmetics Lip Plumping Gloss
e.l.f. Cosmetics Lip Plumping Gloss
You’d be pleasantly surprised to see what this $5 lip gloss does compared its pricer competitors. E.L.F whipped up a nourishing blend of vitamin E and coconut oil for a supple finish.
La Mer The Lip Volumizer
Look past the pretty penny you’ll spend and focus on the results. La Mer’s Lip Volumizer formula aims to soften and plump lips while reducing the appearance of wrinkle lines, and it succeeds with flying colors.
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30
Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30
Formulated by a renowned, board-certified plastic surgeon, this treatment is beloved by beauty editors and enthusiasts alike for its dramatic plumping effect. You have the blend’s vitamin B3 to thank for that—an ingredient known to cause blood vessels in your lips to (safely) swell. The thick, high-shine gloss also contains lip-softening ceramides and actives that protect your lips from the sun.
Truly Beauty Unicorn Lip Plumping Balm
Truly Beauty Unicorn Lip Plumping Balm
This whipped rainbow-colored formula could be mistaken for a dessert at first glance. It’s actually a potent lip plumper that uses peppermint oil for its lip-enhancing effects. It also leaves behind a slight shine and oh-so-buttery soft feel.
Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss
Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss
This lip gloss’s non-sticky formula gives lips an Instagrammable shine, a subtle hint of color, and of course, a slight volumizing effect (via its blend of peptides, hyaluronic acid, and collagen).
Skinmedica HA Smooth and Plump Lip System
Skinmedica HA Smooth and Plump Lip System
As the name suggests, the key ingredient in this two-step treatment is hyaluronic acid, which can leave lips looking healthier overall. Consistency is key with this system—as the brand’s clinical trials suggest that optimal results come with using the product three times a day.
Milk Makeup Electric Glossy Lip Plumper
Milk Makeup Electric Glossy Lip Plumper
This tinted gloss is supercharged with Sichuan pepper to pump up the volume on your lips. Even better is its plush texture that doesn’t feel sticky or tacky.
Watch Next
The 13 Best Hair Masks That Encourage Growth
Alicia Keys Is in a Broadway State of Mind
The 21 Best Neck Creams Reviewers Obsess Over
The 18 Best Pore Minimizers for Baby-Smooth Skin
