We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Shopping Beauty Skincare The Best Anti-Aging Lip Serums for a Smooth, Plump Pout Give your lips some TLC with our top picks. By Kat de Naoum Kat de Naoum Kat is a writer, editor, author, SEO specialist, and mother based in the UK. She has over 10 years of commerce writing experience and has written for a variety of publications, including InStyle, Real Simple, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Shape, Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, and Parenting. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 07, 2024 Fact checked by Jillian Dara Fact checked by Jillian Dara In addition to fact-checking for Real Simple, Jillian covers various topics from food and wine to luxury travel and culture guides for outlets such as Travel + Leisure, Forbes, and Conde Nast Traveler. Our Fact-Checking Process In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Final Verdict How to Shop FAQs Take Our Word for It Photo: Real Simple / Alli Waataja If your lips are in dire need of care and attention, a basic lip balm just won’t cut it. Dry, chapped, thinning, and lackluster lips need something a little more potent in order to restore lips to their former glory. In recent years, hardworking anti-aging lip serums have entered the scene that promise to provide a smoother, hydrated, and fuller pout. Although many of these products may look and feel like lip balm, and they may also target some of the same issues such as lack of moisture, lip serums are typically made with highly concentrated ingredients and will cater to other lip issues that tend to come with aging, like thinning, wrinkles, loss of volume, and lack of elasticity. We spoke to Dr. Y. Claire Chang, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, for advice on what to look for in the best anti-aging lip serums. “For lip anti-aging, it is important to maximize lip hydration, lip repair, and sun protection,” Dr. Chang says. “I recommend looking for lip serums that contain hydrating ingredients, antioxidants, and peptides. It is also critical to protect the lip skin from UV damage by using SPF-containing lip balms.” There are quite a few contenders for the best anti-aging lip serum, but we did our research and came up with a list of the best of them for all skin types and needs. Our Top Picks Best Overall Anti-Aging Lip Serum: PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster at Amazon $50 Jump to Review Best Budget Anti-Aging Lip Serum: Leovard Lip Luster Luxury Hydrating Lip Serum at Amazon $22 Jump to Review Best Splurge Anti-Aging Lip Serum: Clé De Peau Beauté The Lip Serum at Nordstrom $100 Jump to Review Best Organic Anti-Aging Lip Serum: Henne Lip Serum at Amazon $45 Jump to Review Best Exfoliating Anti-Aging Lip Serum: SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair at Dermstore $46 Jump to Review Best Plumping Anti-Aging Lip Serum: Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher at Amazon $42 Jump to Review Best Softening Anti-Aging Lip Serum: iS Clinical Youth Lip Elixir at Amazon $60 Jump to Review Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum With Retinol: Verso Lip Serum at Amazon $65 Jump to Review Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum With Phytoestrogen: VENeffect Anti-aging Lip Treatment at Amazon $85 Jump to Review Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum With SPF: Dr. Lara Devgan Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30 at Net-a-Porter $50 Jump to Review Best Overall Anti-Aging Lip Serum PCA Skin Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster PHOTO: Amazon $50 at Amazon $50 at Nordstrom $50 at Skinstore.com What Stands Out It’s hydrating, smoothing, and plumping. What Could Be Improved It’s too glossy to wear under lipstick. As our top pick for the best anti-aging lip serum, the PCA SKIN Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster can do everything a good lip balm can do—plus a lot more. “PCA’s Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster can literally add a ‘boost’ for your lip skin,” Dr. Chang says. “It combines hyaluronic acid and petrolatum to hydrate and lock in moisture, along with peptides for anti-aging benefits.” Once applied, the product moisturizes your lips and then makes use of the included humectants to keep that moisture locked in. It not only offers immediate soothing benefits, but also has an advanced ingredient blend (Ultra-Filling Spheres) designed to instantly hydrate the lips while increasing volume at the same time, without any irritation. Other ingredients include collagen-stimulating peptides that reduce fine lines and wrinkles, increase collagen and hydration, and add volume. The product also has vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps prevent free radical damage and moisturize lips. The product is quite thick and can be used as an overnight lip mask, too, but it’s a little too thick to wear under lipstick. Key Ingredients: Ultra-Filling Spheres, peptides, vitamin E | Size: 0.24 ounces Best Budget Anti-Aging Lip Serum Leovard Lip Luster Luxury Hydrating Lip Serum PHOTO: Amazon $22 at Amazon View on Leovard.com What Stands Out It’s inexpensive and moisturizing. What Could Be Improved It’s not particularly plumping. If you're on a budget but still need to give your lips extra care, the Leovard Lip Luster Luxury Hydrating Lip Serum comes in a set of two and works out to around $11 a pop. The main ingredient in this lip serum is hyaluronic acid that acts like a sponge, retaining water for longer and ensuring your lips stay moisturized and smooth. It prevents lips from getting dry and chapped, and it keeps them looking and feeling soft. It doesn’t provide the lips with much extra volume, although it does make them smooth, which has a plumping effect. Developed over two decades ago by a reconstructive plastic surgeon, Dr. Sheg Aranmolate, this inexpensive product is packed with nourishing ingredients such as antioxidants, botanical extracts, vitamins, and minerals. These include organic hemp seed oil, pure castor oil, jojoba oil, carica papaya, vitamin E, vitamin C, and avocado. The unscented serum doesn’t contain any fragrances or dyes, and isn’t tested on animals, either. The product also has some sun protection in there by way of titanium oxide, although no SPF rating is specified. Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E | Size: 0.34 ounces (pack of 2) Best Splurge Anti-Aging Lip Serum Clé De Peau Beauté The Lip Serum PHOTO: Nordstrom $100 at Nordstrom $100 at Saks Fifth Avenue $100 at Net-a-Porter What Stands Out Its cooling applicator is designed to plump lips and give them a rosy hue by increasing circulation. What Could Be Improved The menthol-like cooling effect might not be for everyone As our most expensive pick, the Clé de Peau Lip Serum has achieved a somewhat cult status in recent years—and with good reason. This serum is packed with hyaluronic acid and has a metal tip that helps get the serum right into the lips. This cooling and soothing applicator massages the lips and increases circulation, giving them a youthful, natural rosy hue. The serum is designed to make lips look and feel contoured and plump, leaving them deeply moisturized, supple, and toned. In addition to hyaluronic acid, the power ingredient in this luxury yet lightweight formula is an illuminating complex with precious silk and pearl elements that moisturize and retexturize the skin on the lips, reducing environmental damage. Also included is golden silk essence to restore suppleness, Japanese pearl for smoothness, theanine to even the skin tone, and Scutellaria baicalensis extract, an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine for its beautifying effects. The serum firms, smooths, and softens the lips, and its silky texture feels instantly refreshing when applied. For maximum effect, the serum should be applied using small circular motions from the outer corners and working inward. Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Japanese pearl, theanine | Size: 0.5 ounces Best Organic Anti-Aging Lip Serum Henne Lip Serum PHOTO: Henne $45 at Amazon View on Henneorganics.com View on Maisonette.com What Stands Out It helps boost collagen production and is made with mostly organic ingredients. What Could Be Improved Swapping the 24-karat gold-plated rollerball with more product feels like it would be better value for money. Henne’s Lip Serum is a USDA certified organic (88%) product that is cruelty-free, 100% non-GMO, and made in America. It’s chock-full of nourishing ingredients, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids to soften and smooth lips and really make them pop. These include a bunch of hydrating seed and kernel oils (rosehip, Camellia oleifera, jojoba, cloudberry, pomegranate, passion fruit, lingonberry, argania spinosa kernel, and apricot), beeswax, and vitamin E. The serum is lightly scented (berry) and is designed to be used twice a day. It’s not a replacement for lip balm, but you can easily put some on top once the product has fully absorbed. The beautiful glass bottle comes with a 24-karat gold-plated rollerball that makes the product look and feel incredibly luxurious and high end. However, we feel like swapping this out for a regular rollerball and either making the product less expensive or providing more product instead would ultimately be better value for money. Key Ingredients: Rosehip seed oil, beeswax, vitamin E | Size: 0.35 ounces Best Exfoliating Anti-Aging Lip Serum SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair PHOTO: Bluemercury $46 at Dermstore $46 at Skinstore.com View on Lovelyskin.com What Stands Out It’s suitable for sensitive skin and is made with a blend of strong antioxidants for maximum effect. What Could Be Improved It doesn’t double up as a lip balm. Suitable for all skin types (even sensitive), SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair is designed to smooth and refine the surface of the lips while improving signs of environmental damage. According to Dr. Chang, the product “is formulated with vitamin E and silymarin to help repair and protect the skin along with both humectants and emollients to nourish and hydrate the skin.” Silymarin is a strong antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and helps reverse the signs of aging. Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) has antioxidant properties and helps hydrate dry skin. Also included in this serum’s formula is hydroxyethyl urea that improves skin’s elasticity, the botanical anti-irritant extract allantoin to soothe irritated lips, and hyaluronic acid for long-lasting hydration. The serum claims to soothe and heal dry, irritated lips, can help rectify dehydrated, and discolored lips, reverse the signs of aging, and even treat issues such as lip acne. That said, you’ll still need to use a lip balm on top of this product. Overall, the serum helps reverse the signs of aging by smoothing out deeper lines to reveal healthier, more youthful lips. Key Ingredients: Silymarin, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.34 ounces Best Plumping Anti-Aging Lip Serum Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher PHOTO: Dermstore $42 at Amazon $42 at Dermstore $42 at Skinstore.com What Stands Out It’s reasonably priced and provides a visible plump. What Could Be Improved It’s glossy so you can’t put lipstick over it. The minty fresh Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher is made with a bunch of nourishing peptides that leave a visibly defined and plumped pout in its wake. Its formula is packed with hydrating and plumping hyaluronic acid and other super moisturizing ingredients like vitamin E, green tea, sunflower seed oil, jojoba, and shea butter to target multiple signs of aging, including fine lines and color loss. The trick behind the plumping effect is the immediate and efficacious moisture boost that makes lips appear smoother, fuller, and more defined. The product stays on for hours and revives lips' tone and texture. Once applied, it leaves a glossy finish, though, so you won’t be able to (successfully) put lipstick over it. However, it’s great for using as a sleep mask. The Replenisher comes with a cooling ceramic applicator designed to soothe the lips while you massage the product into the lips. It not only hydrates lips, but it also restores a natural and healthy rosy lip color. Key Ingredients: Peptides, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.33 ounces Best Softening Anti-Aging Lip Serum iS Clinical Youth Lip Elixir PHOTO: Amazon $60 at Amazon View on Isclinical.com $60 at Skinstore.com What Stands Out It helps define and contour the lip border. What Could Be Improved There’s only 0.12 ounces of product. One of the first signs of aging lips is the loss of definition of the vermillion border—the line between the lip skin and the adjacent skin. This line goes from being strong, defined, and highly contoured in our youth, to fading away and blending in with the rest of the skin before we know it, so prevention is key for keeping your pout fresh and supple. The iS Clinical Youth Lip Elixir is a firm favorite with dermatologists everywhere and is said to provide lips with deep hydration, visibly plump, smooth, and reduce the appearance or dryness and fine lines. It even redefines the lip contour, bringing out and highlighting that sought-after vermillion border. “iS Clinical’s is a powerful mixture of vitamin C, vitamin E, shea butter, and hyaluronic acid to pamper, protect, and rejuvenate the lips,” Dr. Chang says. The product is easy to glide on and has a creamy and velvety consistency. The results are pretty much immediate and long-lasting. There’s not a lot in the container, however, but you only have to use a tiny amount with each application. Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, extremozymes | Size: 0.12 oz Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum With Retinol Verso Lip Serum PHOTO: Amazon $65 at Amazon $65 at Nordstrom $65 at Dermstore What Stands Out It boosts collagen production, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and plumping the pout. What Could Be Improved It's expensive. Just like its benefits to the rest of the face, retinol can make a massive difference to the lips. This Verso Lip Serum is a great anti-aging lip product that uses a derivative of retinol, a stabilized vitamin A complex called Retinol 8, that is effective at lessening the appearance of wrinkles on the lips and around the mouth area over time. This derivative is gentler on the lips than traditional retinol but apparently eight times more effective. That said, the same rules apply when using retinol products on the lips as on the face: start slow, build up use over time, and always wear SPF after as retinol can increase photosensitivity. The product is crammed with peptides and includes hyaluronic acid to hydrate and fill out the lips by boosting collagen production. Continuous use will even out the skin tone, reduce fine lines around the lips, and even get rid of dark spots. You can use it twice a day and wear it under lipstick as it works well as a primer. Key Ingredients: Peptides, vitamin A, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.5 ounces Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum With Phytoestrogen VENeffect Anti-aging Lip Treatment PHOTO: Amazon $85 at Amazon View on Veneffect.com View on Spacenk.com What Stands Out Its powerful blend of plant estrogens that reduce and prevent the appearance of vertical lines. What Could Be Improved It’s expensive. Phytoestrogens (plant estrogens—small molecules that are similar to estrogen) are a natural solution for hormonal aging in women caused by declining estrogen. While phytoestrogens have been used for eons for overall health, they’ve more recently been incorporated in skincare thanks to their anti-aging benefits when applied topically to the skin. The VENeffect Anti-aging Lip Treatment has a gentle yet powerful formula that works to reduce and prevent the appearance of vertical lines in the lips. This made-in-the-USA product is hypoallergenic, vegan, and free from gluten, fragrances, GMOs, and parabens. With ingredients derived from the reproductive parts of plants, including grape, soy, red clover, and flax seeds, your lips will be instantly hydrated, plumped, and given a youthful and rosy glow. In addition to the specially designed phytoestrogen complex, it’s also packed with peptides that increase natural hyaluronic acid production and other natural ingredients like yuzu, ginger, and cucumber for a fresh feeling on the lips. You can use this product under lipstick as it serves as an excellent primer to prevent lipstick bleeding, and it even enhances lipstick’s color and longevity. Key Ingredients: Phytoestrogens, peptides | Size: 0.34 ounces Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum With SPF Dr. Lara Devgan Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30 PHOTO: Saks Fifth Avenue $50 at Net-a-Porter $43 at Saks Fifth Avenue View on Drlaradevgan.com What Stands Out It leaves lips with a visible natural rosy tint. What Could Be Improved There’s only 0.10 ounces of product in the package. Dr. Chang stresses the importance of protecting the lip skin from UV damage by using SPF-containing lip balms, not only for keeping lips looking youthful, but for skin safety, too. The Dr. Lara Devgan Scientific Beauty Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30 will not only keep your lips safe from the sun’s harmful rays but will plump them, too, thanks to its innovative peptide complex that’s rich in lip-loving ingredients like hyaluronate, niacin, ceramides, and palmitoyl tripeptide. It wears like a clear gloss and leaves lips with a natural and visible pink tint. The included niacin nourishes the lips and restores rosiness, while the mixed-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid smooths out wrinkles. The ceramides, on the other hand, support the lips’ natural moisture barrier. This product is suitable for all skin types (although those with sensitive skin might want to use with caution) and tackles fine lines, wrinkles, and dry lips. The lightweight gel formulation is free from nasties like sulfates, parabens, formaldehydes, and phthalates, and is also vegan and cruelty-free. The more you use it, the longer the effects last. Key Ingredients: Niacin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, vitamin B | Size: 0.10 ounces Best Anti-Aging Lip Serum for Night Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Serum PHOTO: MU New York $43 at Amazon View on Fitglowbeauty.com View on Munewyork.com What Stands Out It protects the lips, boosts collagen, and is cruelty-free. What Could Be Improved The container has a wand applicator, so it’s hard to get the last little bit out. What better time to protect and treat your lips than while you’re sleeping? Slather the Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Serum across your pout and let it do the hard work of restoring your lips to their former glory as you snooze. The product is made with organic plant actives including plant ceramides to deeply hydrate and soothe the lips, protect and boost the collagen in the lips, and prevent against moisture loss—one of the the main culprits for thinning, tired, chapped, and wrinkly lips. There’s also beet extract that plumps, smooths, and restores dry lips, and vegetable collagen to retain moisture and strengthen them. In addition, the included pomegranate sterols in its formula are rich in moisturizing lipids and protect the skin barrier. This product is non-toxic, certified cruelty-free, gluten- and silicone-free, and comes in packaging that is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified for minimal ecological impact. Key Ingredients: Plant ceramides, organic pomegranate plant sterols, beet extract | Size: 0.35 ounces Best Tinted Anti-Aging Lip Serum Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment PHOTO: Rhode View on Rhodeskin.com What Stands Out It’s inexpensive and crammed with lip-nourishing ingredients. What Could Be Improved It’s designed as a lip gloss, so you can’t put your own lippy on top. If you’re even a little active on social media, you’ll have certainly stumbled across Hailey Beiber’s trendy skincare brand, Rhode. Born from her self-professed love of the glazed doughnut skin look, the collection promises to provide a healthy, dewy complexion with a natural youthful glow. The lip product in particular, the Peptide Lip Treatment, has been designed to restore lips and give them a natural plump and “pillowy soft” look. It’s key ingredients are shea butter and five essential fatty acids to hydrate and moisturize, peptides to reduce fine lines and wrinkles and give that enviable plump, cupuaçu (a chocolaty fruit) to maintain skin elasticity and keep the lips soft, hydrated, and supple, and babassu to support the skin’s microbiome. The product is incredibly moisturizing and comes in four varieties: Rhode vanilla (pink), watermelon slice (pale pink), salted caramel (beige), and a clear, unscented option. You can pile it on to work as a night treatment while you sleep or wear it during the day, and it’s reasonably priced. Key Ingredients: Shea butter, peptides, cupuaçu, babassu | Size: 0.3 ounces Final Verdict The PCA SKIN Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster is our top pick for the best anti-aging lip serum, thanks to its advanced ingredient blend called Ultra-Filling Spheres that instantly hydrates the lips and increases volume. Its combination of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and petrolatum hydrate the lips and lock in the moisture for the most youthful pout ever. For a wallet-friendly option, we recommend the Leovard Lip Luster Luxury Hydrating Lip Serum. How to Shop for Anti-Aging Lip Serums Like a Pro Type Anti-aging lip serums typically come in lip-gloss like bottles that you can either squeeze out (like Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment) or use with the included wand applicator (like the Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Serum). Some options, like Henne’s Lip Serum, have rollerball applicators. It’s rare to find an anti-aging lip serum that has a denser formulation like a lip balm that simply glides over the lips. This is because the more potent ingredients included in most of these serums, i.e., hyaluronic acid, are typically a little runnier than your average balm. Formula Talking of ingredients, Dr. Chang recommends looking for lip serums with active components that are proven to help with anti-aging. “In terms of lip hydration, I recommend lip serums that have a combination of hydrating factors, including emollients, humectants and occlusives,” she says. “In addition, a mix of ingredients that include hyaluronic acid, petrolatum, glycerin, and beeswax can maximize the chance of locking in the moisture.” As a rough guide, ceramides are great for getting that moisture and protecting the lips from environmental aggressors, peptides are the building blocks of collagen and what you need for a fuller and smoother pout, and ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil are great for hydration. Use Specially formulated lip serums with anti-aging properties are designed to restore elasticity and smooth out any lines, but that’s not all they can do. Depending on the included ingredients, these serums can also soften and hydrate dry lips, provide a little youthful rosiness, and even bring back a little plump to lips that have lost their volume. Whatever you’re after in an anti-aging lip serum, it’s always good to go over the ingredients to ensure that you’re getting what you came for. Questions You Might Ask What’s the difference between lip serum and lip balm? “Lip serums typically focus on anti-aging and repair, containing ingredients like peptides and antioxidants to address fine lines and photoaging,” Dr. Chang says. “Lip balms, on the other hand, are formulated to help with hydrating and protecting the lip skin, often using ingredients like petrolatum and beeswax to moisturize and prevent chapping. There can be overlap in ingredients, but the primary purposes of these two products differ.” Who should use anti-aging lip serums? Anyone who wants smoother, plumper, and more hydrated lips can benefit from a good anti-aging lip serum. “Lip serums are suitable for those who want to prevent and treat signs of aging around the lips, such as fine lines, crepiness, and pigmentation,” Dr. Chang says. “People of all ages can use anti-aging lip serums. They can be particularly beneficial for those with more mature skin, but prevention is best when started early.” Are anti-aging lip serums worth it? Anti-aging lip serums are packed with ingredients that users say protect, soften, and hydrate the lips, giving the appearance of a smoother pout. Dr. Chang says: “While the efficacy of lip serums varies from product to product, they may be worth it for those who want to address and prevent specific concerns like fine lines around the lips.” Take Our Word for It This article was written by Kat de Naoum, who has over 10 years of commerce-writing experience. Kat is also the commerce editor-at-large at Thomas-Xometry, the leading U.S. online platform for supplier discovery and product sourcing. For this article, Kat reviewed multiple anti-aging lip serums and researched and considered factors such as each serum’s key ingredients, use, size, and value for money. She also spoke to Dr. Y. Claire Chang, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City.