March 30, 2021

“Lip gloss is back and it’s way better than what you remember from the early 2000s. Modern lip gloss formulas deliver major shine, color and sparkle without making your lips feel like you smeared honey all over them,” explains Katie Berohn in Good Housekeeping.

For consumers seeking silky smooth, gloss-ready lips, supercharged glycolic acid based lip masks are an excellent, affordable treatment to help soothe dry and chapped lips.

Exfoliating lip masks come in a variety of formats, but the most popular varieties are gels, creams, or serums that are painted on the lips. After the mask dries on the lips for an allotted period of time, the treatment is often followed up by a extra-nourishing serum or hydrating balm. 

Sheet masks for the lips are also increasingly popular, as consumers seek out more unique options to treat this delicate area and indulge in a bit of at-home pampering.

“The lips may not be high on your list of self-care concerns, but they can be one of the first places on your face to show signs of aging. So whether you’re chapped from a dry climate or you’re just trying to stay ahead of fine lines, listen in: There are a slew of treatments that are focused solely on nourishing your pout, and in the process, giving it a fresh, youthful appearance,” explains Molly Calhoun on Today.

For consumers with a desire to help soothe dry, flaking, or chapped lips, a lip mask that delivers superior chemical exfoliation via glycolic acid is key to revealing softer, smoother lips.

Exfoliation of the lips is a natural choice for soothing dry, flaking skin. However, many consumers reach for physical lips scrubs, like those made with coffee grinds or sugar, to physically rub off flakes of skin.

Unfortunately, this impulse can be disastrous for the delicate skin on the lips. Manual lip scrubs can rip and tear the skin of the lips and even lead to bleeding. Even worse? Too much rough scrubbing can exacerbate chapped lips, creating a cycle of dry, irritated skin.

“Lip scrubs can be damaging to the delicate mucosa of the lip; they can cause a little bit of abrasion, micro-injury, and even some bleeding if you’re not careful,” Lara Devgan, plastic surgeon, told Allure. “If you’re too rough with exfoliation, you can get hyperpigmentation, and your lips will look a little more brown than pink.”

Instead, a better option to exfoliate the lips is through gentler chemical exfoliation, with glycolic acid.

Glycolic acid is a superlative ingredient for lip masks formulated to help soothe dry, flaking, or chapped skin because this tiny Alpha Hydroxy Acid is “the holy grail” for gentle chemical exfoliation.

Once applied to the lips, glycolic acid works to permeate the cell wall and dissolve the bonds holding dead, dry cells together. This chemical exfoliation helps to shed dry skin off the lips and reveal softer, smoother, healthier skin.

“Exfoliation comes with some serious lip-loving benefits. One main benefit is that it removes dead skin cells. Exfoliating the lips reveals fresh, smooth skin beneath. And an added benefit is that lipstick or gloss can then be applied evenly, and the lips immediately look plumper,” Ife J. Rodney, board-certified dermatologist, told Brydie.

In addition to effective exfoliation, glycolic acid lip masks offer another benefit to consumers. By quickly sloughing off dead, dry skin cells, glycolic acid lip masks pave the way for other nourishing lip balms or hydrators to fully absorb into the lips.

Lip masks formulated with glycolic acid are an effective, gentle treatment for helping soothe dry, flaky, or chapped lips. Through superior chemical exfoliation, glycolic acid lip masks can help reveal softer, smoother lips and get consumers prepped to try out trendy new lip glosses.

Take advantage of our new anti-aging guide, featuring the most innovative, highest-quality ingredients in the personal care industry.