In my opinion, lip plumpers get a bad rap. Rewind a decade or so, and some of the volume-boosting products would tingle a bit too much. As in, they sort of hurt. But thanks to a few ingredient substitutions (goodbye mint, hello hyaluronic acid), elegant new formulas have resulted in a fresh wave of lip plumpers—and it’s time they get on your radar. “One gives a quick, spicy boost; the other is a slow burn of plumping,” board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, previously told MC. These lip plumpers tickle rather than tingle, deliver high shine more often than not, and improve lip volume from the inside out thanks to nourishing, hydrating ingredients.
Of course, filler is the way to go for a permanently plumper pout. That said, if you’re not ready to commit or are on a mission to avoid needles at all costs, a lip plumper can deliver amazing, temporary results. Take it from me, someone who has experimented with everything from injections to lip tattooing, and even went on a filler dissolving journey—lip plumpers are the quick, easy solution that adds a little extra oomph without the pain or permanence of needles.
Ahead, you’ll find my 10 tried-and-true favorites and shopping tips, plus the science behind lip plumpers, courtesy of cosmetic chemist Ginger King and Dr. Gohara.
Contents
The Best Lip Plumpers
Lawless
Forget the Filler Lip Plumper
This gloss lives up to its name. Within a few seconds of swiping it on, you’ll still notice an immediate plumpness with the prettiest, high-shine sheen. The incredible shade range boasts a ton of nudes and pinks, making it suitable for everyone, but the best part? The formula is made with a peptide complex that smooths lines and increases collagen over time.
Shades: 17
Ingredients: Maxi-Lip; Shea butter; Rosehip oil
What I Love: Large wand hugs the lips; Range of shimmers, pinks, nudes, and browns; Comes in multiple size options
What I Don’t: Some colors are more pigmented than others
Review for MC: “I’ve always heard that Lawless made great products, but to be totally honest, I hadn’t tried much of them myself. I was sent the Forget the Filler line and was blown away by how beautiful the formulas applied to my lips. From the curved wand to the juicy sheen, and the beautiful range of shades, this has become one of my everyday lip glosses.” — Siena Gagliano, Beauty Editor
Sephora
Outrageous Plump Hydrating Lip Gloss
If you want the look of fuller, ultra-glossy lips without the dreaded stickiness, this Sephora Collection gloss delivers. The texture has just enough grip to hang around longer than most sheer glosses, while still feeling comfortable on the lips. Its ingredient lineup does much of the heavy lifting: sunflower seed oil and ginger root oil act as emollients that help lock in moisture drawn in by hydrating hyaluronic acid. There’s also a subtle hit of peppermint oil, which gently stimulates circulation to create that slightly plumped, just-bitten effect. Even better? It rings in at under $15.
Shades: 8
Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid; Sunflower seed oil; Gingerroot oil; Vitamin E
What I Love: Longest-lasting lip gloss I’ve tried; The Universal Volume layers over every lip product; Super affordable price
What I Don’t: Contains peppermint oil, which is a mild irritant and can cause some irritation on sensitive skin types
Review for MC: “This is one of the most underrated beauty products, and I’ll die on this hill. The shade Universal Volume is my everyday go-to that can be layered on top of every lip product I own, and it lasts a surprisingly long time.” — Siena Gagliano, Beauty Editor
Kosas
Wet Lip Oil Plumping Peptide Lip Treatment Gloss
This gloss completely rewired my expectations of what a lip product can do. It wears like a nourishing oil—slick, smooth, and totally non-sticky—but delivers the high shine and pigment of a classic gloss. Hyaluronic acid helps flood the lips with moisture for a fuller appearance, while palmitoyl tripeptide-1, a collagen-supporting peptide, works behind the scenes to keep them looking healthy and plump.
Shades: 11
Ingredients: Palmitoyl tripeptide-1; Hyaluronic acid
What I Love: The plumping effects don’t cause any tingling; Great color payoff
What I Don’t: Sometimes the gloss will leak from the bottle if kept on its side
Review for MC: “This is the most comfortable lip gloss I’ve tried. It’s totally weightless, yet keeps my lips hydrated throughout the day. I also love how some of the darker shades act like a stain on my lips. So even if the glossy sheen wears off, I still have a wash of color leftover.” — Siena Gagliano, Beauty Editor
Patrick Ta
Major Volume Plumping Lip Gloss
If you’ve ever read any of my beauty stories, you’d know that Patrick Ta is a name I often throw around. The brand boasts some of my favorite makeup products—looking at you, Major Moisture Lip Balm and Major Dimension Essential Artistry Edit Palette—and this lip plumper fits right in. If you think the names are cute, you’ll be even more impressed by the shade range. It’s got everything from reds to pinks to browns and nudes, all complete with a high-shine finish, varying from sheer to rich.
Shades: 11
Ingredients: Vitamin E; Peppermint; Jojoba Oil
What I Love: Gorgeous shade range that varies from sheer to rich; Plush doe-foot applicator; High-shine
What I Don’t: Packaging may leak in my experience
Review for MC: “There are very few beauty brands I love as much as Patrick Ta, so you can imagine I’d be a fan of his lip gloss plumper. Like all of his line, this formula excels in its super shiny finish and gorgeous shade range.” — Siena Gagliano, Beauty Editor
YSL
Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss
YSL makes my all-time favorite lip shade: Nude Lavalliere—a milky pink nude—and it’s available across the brand’s lip formulations. While I’m partial to the iconic color, the plumping oil-gloss, in particular, gives all its colors the glossiest, juiciest sheen. The latter is thanks to a blend of hyaluronic acid that gives the lips a fuller appearance by flooding them with hydration.
Shades: 13
Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid; Vitamin E
What I Love: Both shimmer and high-shine finishes; Humectants add a dose of hydration
What I Don’t: Infused with spicy ginger oil, which may irritate sensitive skin
Review for MC: “This formula is my everyday must-have. I personally wear Nude Lavalliere daily for its gorgeous milky color, but that’s only the start of why I love it so much. The non-sticky, high-shine finish is the cherry on top.” — Siena Gagliano, Beauty Editor
Maybelline
Lifter Gloss
Don’t underestimate affordable makeup options. Maybelline’s nourishing formula is easily one of the best lip plumpers out there—and with such an affordable price point, it’s tempting to stock up on all 20 (!!!) shades. Perhaps the best part about this plumper is its chunky wand—swiping on the gloss feels like a dream. Reviewers say this gloss applies smoothly and gives off that cool, “wet” look without any stickiness. For $10, why not pick up a color or two?
Shades: 20
Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid; Vitamin E
What I Love: Under $20; Comes in 20 shades; Moisturizing formula; Applies smoothly
What I Don’t: I find that it doesn’t last the longest
Customer Review: “This is the best lip gloss I have tried! I wanted something natural-looking. I got amber (goes well with any skin tone), and I also got crystal for when I want sparkly lips (rarely). The feeling of this lip gloss is amazing. Not sticky, not annoying, and not too heavy. This will now be my forever lip gloss from now on!” — Ulta
Revision Skincare
Youthfull Lip Replenisher
A decline in collagen and elastin levels with age results in loss of firmness and an increase in fine lines—both of which affect the lips. If you’ve begun to notice lines around your lips and a decrease in moisture, consider Youthfull Lip Replenisher from Revision. The long-lasting treatment has a pretty lengthy list of good-for-your-lips ingredients (including hydrating hyaluronic acid, peptides, and shea butter) that come together to plump the area, restore a rosy tint, and keep moisture at a high.
Shades: 2
Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid; Peptide complex; Vitamin C
What I Love: Moisturizing formula; Minimizes the look of fine lines; Long-wearing; Plumps lips over time with consistent use
What I Don’t: Only comes in two shades
Customer Review: “After years of hearing people mention having a ‘holy grail’ product, I finally have my own. This stuff is incredible! I originally got it after a lip moisturizing treatment because it was recommended as a great post-treatment maintainer, but it works all the time fantastically. I have always had great lips, but they’ve been thinning due to age. This makes them look insanely plump, incredibly moisturized, and very ‘I used a filter, but in real life.'” — Amazon
Grande Cosmetics
Grandelips Hydrating Lip Plumper Gloss
Another lip plumper I am constantly reaching for is from Grande Cosmetics. While some products lean on the goopier side and provide a mirror-like quality, this one gives more of a silky, lightweight sheen. That in mind, it’s still seriously hydrating. With hyaluronic acid and the brand’s proprietary plumping agent, your lips will feel soft, smooth, and bigger—sans any stinging. I’m a big fan of the packaging too—one click on this plumper’s pen is all you need to coat your lips.
Shades: 1
Ingredients: Plumping peptide complex; Hyaluronic acid; Vitamin B3
What I Love: Moisturizing formula; Little to no tingling sensation; Great packaging; Comes in six shades; Plumps lips over time with consistent use; Refreshing, minty fragrance
What I Don’t: Some reviewers note there’s little product for the price
Customer Review: “This is a holy grail product for me. Your lips look perfectly plumped, like you had the best filler job. I have it in clear, and it makes my lips look perfectly blushed. I have sensitive skin, and this leaves no irritation.” — Sephora
How Do Lip Plumpers Work?
“Lip plumpers work by irritating the lips with ingredients from pepper, ginger, or nicotinate to induce the blood flow, thus looking plumper immediately,” says King. That extra circulation is also why some plumpers can leave the lips looking slightly redder. According to Dr. Gohara, these types fall into what she calls the “spicy” category: formulas that rely on mild irritants like capsicum, menthol, or cinnamon to trigger a controlled swelling response. “This mild inflammation leads to temporary volume,” Dr. Gohara says, which is why those glosses often deliver that instant, tingly boost right after application.
There’s also a gentler category that focuses more on hydration than stimulation. King notes that some plumpers rely on ingredients like hyaluronic spheres and peptides that trap moisture, making lips appear fuller by keeping them well hydrated. Dr. Gohara points to similar ingredients in what she calls the skincare-style plumpers—formulas that use hyaluronic acid and peptides to draw moisture into the lips and support collagen production for a fuller look over time.
Are Lip Plumpers Safe?
Even if you use lip plumpers every single day (guilty as charged), rest assured, they are completely safe to use, says King, since they only provide a temporary effect. However, that’s not to say they may not come with side effects. “Prolonged use may dry out lips though because lips are sensitive and by repeatedly irritating the lips for the plumped looks, intense hydration is needed,” King warns. While a slight tingle sensation is normal in lip plumpers that use a vasodilation effect with irritants, stop using the product if you experience a rash or intense burning, as you may be allergic.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
How We Tested
Siena Gagliano is the Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, specializing in features, trend stories, and shopping roundups, and has over six years of editing and writing beauty content. She spoke with dermatologists and cosmetic chemists about the newest and trendiest in the beauty space to compile this list of the best lip plumpers on the market.
Meet the Experts
Ginger King has been passionately creating beauty products from concept to finish since 1995. She is well versed in innovative concepts, creative product formulation, advanced technology applications, ergonomic package development and impactful competitive analysis. Ginger has developed over hundreds of products from hair care to skin care, and sun care to color cosmetics.
Dr. Mona Gohara, a Yale-trained board-certified dermatologist and former chief resident at Yale New Haven Hospital, is an associate clinical professor at Yale, where she continues to teach and mentor. As President of the Women’s Dermatologic Society and chair of several committees for the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Dr. Gohara is a recognized leader in her field. A trusted medical expert, she frequently contributes to Marie Claire, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and more, and serves on the advisory board for Women’s Health. Her clinical focus and interests include skin of color and both medical and surgical dermatology.
