Lip Plumping Products Are Trending, But Do They Actually Work?

What is a lip plumper?

So, what makes a lip plumper different from your average lip gloss or balm? Lip plumpers often contain similar hydrating and nourishing ingredients as those found in other glosses and balms, such as glycerin, but they really focus on ingredients that are mild irritants. Irritants are normally ingredients you want to avoid in skincare, but in lip plumpers they cause a rush of blood flow to the lips, causing blood vessels to expand, giving lips a temporary swollen and plumped effect.

How do lip plumpers work?

Essentially, lip plumpers work by boosting hydration, literally bumping up how much water your lips can hold, and causing blood vessels to expand. Hyaluronic acid and peptides are commonly used to encourage the lips to hold onto more moisture while gentle acids and ingredients like sichuan pepper and capsicum cause a mild tingling and prompt blood flow.

Are lip plumpers safe for everyone?

Unlike injectables, lip plumpers are safe for everyone to use. That said, if you have easily irritated lips or sore skin around the perimeter of your lips, then you might want to apply less or wait until your lips have sufficiently healed before using a lip plumper.

Our favourite lip plumping products

The latest lip plumping innovations give lips a healthy-looking, full effect that looks beautifully natural. Here are the best lip plumping products…

Dr. Dennis Gross DermInfusions Plump + Repair Lip Treatment, £ 46,00 is a new favourite. It goes big on plumping and nourishing ingredients with four molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to increase moisture at the lip’s surface and deeper, a peptide complex, squalane, bisabolol, and centella asiatica. Lips look and feel plumper instantly, and thanks to the invigorated blood flow, it enhances the natural coloring of your lips for a healthy-looking plumped flush.

Milk Makeup Electric Glossy Lip Plumper, £ 23,00 is a popular all-rounder. It quickly envelopes lips in a warm tingle, flooding them with blood and prompting them to quickly plump up. Plant-derived collagen delivers moisture and boosts elasticity, while jojoba oil intensely nourishes. And should you not want to follow your lip plumper with lipstick or a tinted gloss, this formula comes in five juicy shades in addition to clear.

Paula's Choice Hyaluronic Acid + Peptide Lip Booster, £ 25,00 is ideal for naturally thin lips or lips that have started to thin with age. It contains hyaluronic acid filling spheres, peptides and squalane which fill out lines, reduce moisture loss, boost hydration and plump.

Natura Bissé Diamond Lip Booster, £ 71,00 contains turmeric oil, capsicum, omega 5, and vitamins E and F, to protect, nourish, and prompt blood flow. Not only does it have a nourishing and plumping effect on skin, but it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines around the mouth that encroach onto lips.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Big Lip Plumpgasm, £ 27,00 will instantly your pout and give your lips the perfect glossy effect, as well as plump your lips overtime Plus it's available in the iconic PillowTalk shades, which we all love to love.

Fresh Rose Petal Soft Lip Cream, £ 22,00 drenches lips in hydration, giving them a fuller, softer appearance. Renewing apricot kernel, grapeseed, and blackcurrant seed oils intensely nourish lips for a non-sticky, perfectly hydrating treatment.

Final word on lip plumping products

Our rediscovery of lip plumpers was long overdue. Worn on their own with bare skin, or used as a plumping prep treatment before applying lipstick or a tinted gloss or stain, they are effortless but impactful. The best bit? There’s no skill or secret makeup artist application technique to master to achieve the best results: just apply, tingle, and go.