Pucker Up! We’re Breaking Down the Differences Between Lip Oil and Lip Gloss

About the Experts:

Ron Robinson is a cosmetic chemist and the founder of the skincare brand BEAUTYSTAT. 

Ginger King is a cosmetic chemist and the CEO of GRACE KINGDOM BEAUTY.

Alyssa Space is a cosmetic chemist and the founder of FORHERCOSMETICS.

Lip Oil 101

A lip oil is more like a lip treatment than a gloss would be, offering numerous benefits for your pout. Because an oil is essential for moisturized lips, many confuse it with a lip balm but the two are very different. Lip oil tends to have a “lower viscosity and thinner consistency” than a balm (which is usually made of waxes), says cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson, founder of the skincare brand BEAUTYSTAT. And with that, let’s get into the specifics on lip oil.

Alyssa Space, cosmetic chemist and founder of FORHERCOSMETICS, shares that lip oil is “a nourishing blend that hydrates and conditions the lips, providing a healthy sheen without the stickiness.” It’s so much more than a beauty product, offering “essential nutrients and moisture” to dry lips. Space says that lip oils often contain natural oils in their formulas like jojoba oil, argan oil, coconut oil, and more, “which are rich in vitamins and antioxidants and leave the lips feeling soft and smooth.”

Lip Gloss 101

While lip oil is focused on providing lip care, lip gloss is all about creating a lip look with a high-shine finish. Glosses can still offer nourishing benefits as well, though the purpose of one is to leave your natural lips with some extra plumpness and a bit of pigment. “A lip gloss is a cosmetic product that adds shine and a hint of color to the lips,” notes Space. “It’s designed to enhance the appearance of the lips by making them look fuller and more luscious. Unlike lip oils, glosses are more about the aesthetic effect than deep hydration.” If you’re wanting a product with a higher color payoff, lip gloss is your best bet.

5 Similarities Between Lip Gloss and Lip Oil

1. Both Offer Glossy Shine

No matte lips here; both gloss and oil can leave your pucker with a bit of shine and shimmer. Space does note that the intensity of the shine can vary between the two products, so it’s ultimately up to personal preference when it comes to deciding between the two and the level of sheen you’re hoping to achieve.

A high-shine oil we love (that also offers a sheer tint) is the E.L.F. COSMETICS Glow Reviver Lip Oil in Pink Quartz. Not only does it add the perfect amount of color to your natural lips or an extra dose of gloss to any lip look, but it also offers some hydrating benefits thanks to a blend of apricot, avocado, jojoba, and pomegranate oils.

For a shiny gloss, we can’t get enough of the VINTAGE BY JESSICA LIEBESKIND Sparkling Lip Gloss. Once you discover how much shine you’ll get with one swipe of the applicator, you won’t want to use any other gloss.

2. Both Can Add a Pop of Color

The impact of the pigment will differ between a gloss and an oil, but both lip products are able to offer a bit of color. Lip gloss tends to be the go-to for extra color but tinted lip oils also exist to provide nourishment and pigment. As far as a gloss goes, the FENTY BEAUTY Gloss Bomb Heat Universal Lip Luminizer + Plumper is a 10 out of 10. The Hot Cherry shade is a personal fave because we find the sheer red tint it leaves behind the right pop of color for our skin tone, though the collection of Gloss Bomb Heat colors offers a shade for everyone. Did we mention it also contains shea butter and vitamin E to nourish and moisturize your lips? It doesn’t get much better than that.

For a tinted lip oil, we often find ourselves using the SOPHIA + MABELLE Lip Slick - Tinted Lip Oil. We tend to struggle with dryness throughout the day but this moisturizing product keeps our pucker quenched all day long and provides the perfect sheer pink tint.

3. Both Work Well With Other Lip Products

Whether you layer them over a lip liner or a lipstick, lip gloss and lip oil can be used to top off your lip look of choice—don’t feel like you can only use them individually. Heck, you can even pair an oil and a gloss—who would’ve thought?

A non-sticky lip oil we use to top almost every lip look is the STEVE LAURANT BEAUTY Lip Oil. It keeps our lips glossy without our hair getting stuck on our pucker, making it ideal for windy days. When using a lip gloss as a topper to our lip look, we generally reach for a plumping product like the TOO FACED Lip Injection Extreme Lip Plumper. It gently plumps our pout and keeps it full throughout the day without requiring any touch-ups.

4. Both Offer Lip Care Benefits

It used to be that lip oil was the go-to for lip care but that’s not the case anymore. “Many glosses now include moisturizing ingredients, making them more similar to lip oils in terms of lip care,” says Space. It all depends on the formula you’re using, especially when it comes to glosses. We like the TOYFACTORY Smart Gloss™ because it’s formulated with shea butter and vitamin E to provide the lip nourishment and tint we’re looking for from a gloss.

Numerous lip oils provide nourishment to your lips but one we’ve been using more frequently is the FLORENCE BY MILLS Glow Yeah Hydrating Lip Oil. Fortified with a mix of nourishing seed oils, it instantly hydrates our lips the second it glides across them.

5. Both Are Easy to Apply

Applying lip liner, a lip stain, and even lipstick can require a bit of effort to ensure you leave your lips looking just right. But even if you aren’t a professional makeup artist, you won’t have any trouble swiping a lip oil or lip gloss on your pout—anyone can use these products with the greatest of ease.

A great lip gloss for beginners is the OFRA COSMETICS Blissful Lip Gloss because it’s easy to apply with its angled applicator tip and offers a fun rose gold shimmer that offers just as high of an impact on its own as it would with another lip product.

As far as lip oil goes, you can’t go wrong with the CIATÉ LONDON Fruit Burst Lip Oil. It offers lightweight moisture that will keep your lips quenched throughout the day so they don’t become chapped.

5 Differences Between Lip Gloss and Lip Oil

1. They Differ in Consistency

As previously touched on by Robinson, lip gloss tends to have a higher viscosity, whereas lip oil has a lower viscosity. This just means that lip gloss tends to be thicker and lip oil tends to be thinner. Space explains this point further by stating, “Lip oils are lightweight and absorb into the lips, whereas glosses tend to be thicker and sit on the surface.”

The BEAUTY FOR CERTAIN High Gloss Lip Oil is one of our fave lightweight lip products that provides the right amount of sheer shine to any lip look.

The consistency of the BAREMINERALS MINERALIST Lip Gloss-Balm is thick due to it being a gloss-balm hybrid, but it’s incredibly nourishing thanks to a blend of cold-pressed sea buckthorn and plum oils. With its neutral shade, you can wear it as-is or swipe it over a lipstick.

2. They Offer Varying Finishes

With the consistencies between the two being different, this leads to their finishes differing as well. “The finish of a lip oil is typically more subtle and natural, while a gloss can range from slightly shiny to highly reflective,” shares Space. A gloss can also offer a more high-impact color payoff than a lip oil could. So if you want a subtle shine, go with an oil (something like the YENSA BEAUTY Super 8 Lip Oil). If you want something with more color or shine, stick to a lip gloss. We’re big fans of the 10 creamy, high-impact shades that make up the IL MAKIAGE Lip Service Lip Gloss collection. There’s a hue for every skin tone.

3. They’re Used for Different Purposes

We did mention that both can offer skincare benefits, however, it’s usually that lip oils serve more of this purpose than a gloss. Cosmetic chemist and GRACE KINGDOM BEAUTY CEO Ginger King notes that lip oil is for lip care and lip gloss is for cosmetic use. “If you want the appearance of shiny plumped lips, lip gloss. If you want protection and moisturization of lips, lip oil,” says King.

We cannot recommend the ONE/SIZE Lip Snatcher Hydrating Liquid Lipstick and Lip Gloss Duo for those in need of a lip gloss that is the ultimate cosmetic superhero in any makeup routine. Featuring a lipstick and gloss, you have everything you need in one product to create the most stunning lip before any night out.

Struggle with dry lips? Consider the LYS BEAUTY Glossy Lip Treatment Oil Duo in OG & Lovable your lip savior. Featuring two nourishing lip oils, chapped lips will be a thing of the past thanks to a nourishing oil blend and vitamin E.

4. One Is More Hydrating Than the Other

Once again, lip gloss can be hydrating, but King shares that lip oils tend to be “more moisturizing and non-sticky due to the formulation.” Lip oil is a lip care treatment, while lip gloss is more often than not a product you solely use in your makeup routine. Yes, a gloss can offer benefits, that’s just not its main purpose.

If you are looking for a lip gloss that is hydrating and pigmented, we love the DEWTUBE Hydrating Lip Gloss. It utilizes jojoba oil and olive oil to nourish your lips while leaving a super shiny, warm blush nude hue behind.

For an oil, we love using the BASIC BEAUTY Summer Lip Oil throughout the day and especially as an overnight treatment to ensure we wake up to a hydrated pout.

5. One Is Stickier Than the Other

Gloss is often stickier than an oil, namely due to its consistency and finish. King shares, “Lip gloss shine lasts longer because of the polymer but it can also inherently be stickier.” This isn’t true of every lip gloss (many of them have updated their formulas to be non-sticky) but most lip glosses are stickier than lip oils.

The ITEM BEAUTY Ruled By Lip Gloss Duo in Sun + Moon offers two non-greasy shades that look best paired over a neutral or light pink lipstick. Finding a non-sticky lip oil is easier as most of them aren’t tacky in their finish though we do have a special place in our hearts for the ARTIST COUTURE Silky Lip Oil. Formulated with vitamin-rich passionfruit and raspberry seed oils, it leaves our lips moisturized and plump after a single swipe.

Choosing the Right Product for You

Deciding on the right lip product for you ultimately comes down to your personal preference and what you’re hoping to achieve with your look for the day. If you want something a little more natural or focused on lip care, go with a lip oil. Hoping to make a statement with your makeup look? Try a lip gloss. “If your lips are feeling dry or chapped, a lip oil is the way to go. It will hydrate and soothe your lips while giving them a natural shine,” echoes Space. “On the other hand, if you’re looking to add a pop of color or enhance your overall look with a glossy finish, a lip gloss would be your best bet.” And, don’t forget, you can pair these two products together if you really want to. They’re your lips after all.

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