Top 10 Lip Serums to Combat Aging

Top Pick

Chosen as the best anti-aging lip serum, the PCA SKIN Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster surpasses the capabilities of a standard lip balm. "This product delivers a significant boost to your lip skin," explains Chang. "It blends hyaluronic acid and petrolatum to deeply hydrate and seal in moisture, while peptides offer anti-aging advantages." Upon application, it not only moisturizes but also utilizes humectants to ensure lasting hydration.

This product provides instant relief and is specially formulated to hydrate lips while enhancing volume without causing irritation (unlike plumping glosses that create a tingling sensation). It also contains collagen-boosting peptides that minimize fine lines and wrinkles, boost collagen production, and improve hydration and volume. Additionally, vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, is included to protect against free radical damage and keep lips moisturized.

The serum has a rich, thick consistency, making it ideal for use as an overnight lip treatment. However, its thickness may make it less suitable for wearing beneath lipstick.

Key Ingredients: Peptides, vitamin E | Size: 0.24 ounces

Top Budget Pick

For those seeking quality lip care without breaking the bank, the Leovard Lip Luster Luxury Hydrating Lip Serum delivers exceptional value. Its star ingredient, hyaluronic acid, works like a moisture magnet, ensuring long-lasting hydration and keeping lips soft and smooth. While it doesn’t dramatically enhance lip volume, it creates a subtle plumping effect by smoothing the lip surface, making it an excellent choice for daily hydration.

Created over 20 years ago by reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Sheg Aranmolate, this budget-friendly serum is enriched with a blend of antioxidants, botanical extracts, vitamins, and minerals. Key ingredients include organic hemp seed oil, pure castor oil, jojoba oil, Carica papaya, vitamin E, vitamin C, and avocado. Free from fragrances, dyes, and animal testing, it also offers mild sun protection through titanium oxide, though it lacks a specified SPF rating.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E | Size: 0.34 ounces (pack of 2)

Top Luxury Pick

As our premium choice, the Clé de Peau Lip Serum has garnered a loyal following in recent years—and for good reason. This serum is crafted to contour and plump lips, leaving them intensely hydrated and velvety soft. Enriched with hyaluronic acid, it features a metal applicator that ensures precise application. The cooling tip massages the lips, stimulating circulation and delivering an instant natural rosy glow.

Beyond hyaluronic acid, the luxurious yet lightweight formula includes golden silk essence to restore elasticity, Japanese pearl for a smooth finish, theanine to even out skin tone, and Scutellaria baicalensis extract, a traditional Chinese herb known for its beautifying properties.

The serum firms, smoothens, and softens lips, with its silky texture providing an instant refreshing sensation upon application. For optimal results, apply it in small circular motions, starting from the outer corners and moving inward.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Japanese pearl, theanine | Size: 0.5 ounces

Top Organic Pick

Henne’s Lip Serum is a USDA-certified organic product (88%), cruelty-free, non-GMO, and proudly made in the USA. Packed with nourishing antioxidants and essential fatty acids, it works to soften, smooth, and enhance the natural beauty of your lips. Key ingredients include hydrating oils like rosehip, Camellia oleifera, jojoba, cloudberry, pomegranate, passion fruit, lingonberry, argania spinosa kernel, and apricot, along with beeswax and vitamin E.

This serum features a subtle berry fragrance and is intended for twice-daily use. While it’s not a substitute for lip balm, it pairs well when layered on top after absorption. Housed in an elegant glass bottle with a 24-karat gold-plated rollerball, it exudes luxury and makes a stunning addition to any vanity. That said, opting for a standard rollerball could have made it more affordable.

Key Ingredients: Rosehip seed oil, beeswax, vitamin E | Size: 0.35 ounces

Top Exfoliating Pick

Designed for all skin types, including sensitive skin, SkinCeuticals Antioxidant Lip Repair works to smooth and rejuvenate lips while combating environmental damage. Dr. Chang highlights its formulation, which includes vitamin E and silymarin to repair and shield the skin, alongside humectants and emollients for deep hydration. Silymarin, a powerful antioxidant, neutralizes free radicals and reduces signs of aging, while vitamin E provides hydration and antioxidant benefits.

This serum also features hydroxyethyl urea to enhance elasticity, allantoin to calm irritation, and hyaluronic acid for lasting moisture. It effectively soothes dry, irritated lips, combats dehydration and discoloration, reverses aging signs, and even addresses concerns like lip acne. By smoothing deeper lines, it reveals healthier, more youthful-looking lips.

One minor improvement would be the packaging: The pump design requires finger application, which, while not a major inconvenience, could be more user-friendly if replaced with a tube format, similar to other products on this list.

Key Ingredients: Silymarin, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.34 ounces

Top Plumping Pick

The refreshing Revision Skincare YouthFull Lip Replenisher features nourishing peptides that visibly enhance lip volume and definition. Enriched with hyaluronic acid for hydration and plumping, along with vitamin E, green tea, sunflower seed oil, jojoba, and shea butter, it addresses aging concerns like fine lines and loss of color. The plumping effect is achieved through an instant moisture boost, leaving lips smoother and fuller.

This product includes a cooling ceramic applicator that soothes lips while massaging the serum in. It not only hydrates but also revitalizes lips with a natural rosy hue and improved texture. The long-lasting formula provides a glossy finish, making it unsuitable for layering with lipstick but ideal as an overnight treatment.

Key Ingredients: Peptides, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.33 ounces

Top Retinol Pick

Retinol, known for its facial benefits, can also transform the lips. The Verso Lip Serum is an exceptional anti-aging product featuring Retinol 8, a stabilized vitamin A complex that effectively reduces lip and mouth-area wrinkles over time. This derivative is milder than traditional retinol yet reportedly eight times more potent.

However, the same precautions for facial retinol apply to the lips: start gradually, increase usage over time, and always follow with SPF, as retinol heightens sun sensitivity. Packed with peptides and hyaluronic acid, this serum hydrates and plumps lips by stimulating collagen production. Regular use evens skin tone, diminishes fine lines, and fades dark spots. Suitable for twice-daily application, it also works well as a lipstick primer.

Key Ingredients: Peptides, vitamin A, hyaluronic acid | Size: 0.5 ounces

Top SPF Pick

Dr. Chang emphasizes the importance of SPF in lip care to prevent UV damage and maintain youthful lips. The Dr. Lara Devgan Platinum Lip Plump SPF 30 not only shields lips from harmful UV rays but also plumps them with a peptide complex enriched with hyaluronate, niacin, ceramides, and palmitoyl tripeptide. It applies like a clear gloss using a doe foot applicator.

Niacin in the formula nourishes lips and restores a natural rosy hue, while mixed-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid smooths wrinkles. Ceramides strengthen the lips’ moisture barrier. Suitable for all skin types (though sensitive skin users should proceed with caution), it addresses fine lines, wrinkles, and dryness.

Key Ingredients: Niacin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, vitamin B | Size: 0.10 ounces

Top Nighttime Pick

Nighttime is the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate your lips. Apply the Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Serum before bed and let it work its magic while you sleep. This serum is infused with organic plant actives, including plant ceramides, to deeply hydrate, soothe, and protect lips while boosting collagen and preventing moisture loss—key to combating thinning, chapped, and wrinkled lips.

The formula also features beet extract for plumping and smoothing, along with vegan collagen to lock in moisture and strengthen lips. Pomegranate sterols in the serum provide rich moisturizing lipids and fortify the skin barrier.

Key Ingredients: Plant ceramides, organic pomegranate plant sterols, beet extract | Size: 0.35 ounces

Top Tinted Pick

If you’re active on social media, you’ve likely encountered Hailey Bieber’s popular skincare line, Rhode. Inspired by her love for the glazed doughnut skin aesthetic, the brand aims to deliver a radiant, youthful glow. The Peptide Lip Treatment is crafted to rejuvenate lips, offering a naturally plump and “pillowy soft” appearance.

Key ingredients include shea butter and five essential fatty acids for hydration, peptides to diminish fine lines and add volume, cupuaçu (a chocolate-like fruit) to maintain elasticity and softness, and babassu to support the skin’s microbiome.

This highly moisturizing product is available in four variants: Rhode vanilla (pink), watermelon slice (pale pink), salted caramel (beige), and a clear, unscented option. Affordable and versatile, it can be used as an overnight treatment or reapplied throughout the day. Unlike other skincare-focused options, this product is safe for frequent use.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, peptides, cupuaçu, babassu | Size: 0.3 ounces

Final Verdict

The PCA SKIN Hyaluronic Acid Lip Booster is our top choice, featuring Ultra-Filling Spheres for instant hydration and volume. Its blend of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and petrolatum ensures deeply moisturized, youthful lips. For a budget-friendly option, the Leovard Lip Luster Luxury Hydrating Lip Serum delivers excellent nourishment at an affordable price.

How to Choose Anti-Aging Lip Serums Like an Expert

Type

Anti-aging lip serums are available in various forms, such as oils, glosses, and balms. Balms tend to be thicker with a matte finish, while glosses are lighter and more glossy. Most serums, however, are less dense than balms due to the inclusion of potent ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which typically have a thinner consistency.

Lip serums also differ in application methods. Many come in lip-gloss-style bottles, either with a squeeze tube (like Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment) or a wand applicator (like the Fitglow Beauty Night Lip Serum). Others, such as Henne’s Lip Serum, feature rollerball applicators.

Formula

Dr. Chang advises selecting lip serums with active ingredients proven to combat aging. “For lip hydration, opt for serums that combine emollients, humectants, and occlusives,” she explains. “Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, petrolatum, glycerin, and beeswax are excellent for locking in moisture.”

As a general rule, ceramides are ideal for hydration and protection against environmental damage, peptides help build collagen for a fuller, smoother appearance, and ingredients like hyaluronic acid, shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil are excellent for maintaining hydration.

Common Questions

What’s the Difference Between Lip Serum and Lip Balm?

While lip serums and lip balms may share some ingredients, their purposes differ. Lip serums focus on anti-aging and repair, incorporating peptides and antioxidants to target fine lines and sun damage. Lip balms, however, prioritize hydration and protection, often using petrolatum and beeswax to moisturize and prevent chapping.

Who Should Use Anti-Aging Lip Serums?

While anti-aging lip serums are often associated with older individuals, anyone seeking smoother, plumper, and more hydrated lips can benefit from a high-quality serum.

Dr. Chang explains that anti-aging lip serums are ideal for preventing and addressing signs of aging around the lips, such as fine lines, crepiness, and pigmentation. While they’re beneficial for all ages, they’re especially effective for mature skin. However, she emphasizes that starting preventive care early yields the best results.

Take Our Word for It

This article was authored by Kat de Naoum, a seasoned writer with over a decade of experience in shopping-related topics. Kat also serves as an editor-at-large at Thomas-Xometry, a leading U.S. platform for supplier discovery and product sourcing. For this piece, Kat evaluated numerous anti-aging lip serums, considering factors like key ingredients, usage, size, and value. She also consulted Dr. Y. Claire Chang, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.