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In late November, my lips started to peel and flake. At first, I thought it was nothing a good lip balm couldn’t cure. As a skincare aficionado, I pulled out the big guns: the famous Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, and my arsenal of hydrating glosses from Fenty.
After a month of exhausting all my options, including upping my water intake, I went to my dermatologist, Dr. Rita. She said this flakiness was due to the severely dry weather we had been having in Los Angeles as of lately. However, in my almost 11 years of living in LA, I’d never experienced such dryness and flakiness. Here’s a picture of what my lips looked like 2 weeks after the peeling started. The prior weeks were much worse! 😔😔
There’s a big difference between dry lips and severely chapped lips. Most lip treatments on the market soften your lips, and hydrate to treat dryness, but they don’t treat inflammation, and trust me, there’s nothing more uncomfortable than the feeling of cracking and peeling lips all the time!
Dr. Rita prescribed me Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm, a lip balm formulated with gentle oils, petroleum jelly, and 1% hydrocortisone, which is a low-strength steroid to calm inflammation that is usually prescribed. “We’re going to give you a sample, but it’s best to get it on Amazon because it’s hard to find it in physical stores.” she said. “Use it multiple times a day,” she said.
Dr. Dan’s Cortibalm – Medicated Lip Balm with Hydrocortisone
The results were overnight! I went from waking up with flaky lips to no inflammation at all. Two coats are enough to fully seal your lips. The texture is thin and non-greasy, with a very minimal beeswax scent. Cortibalm provides long-lasting hydration, so much so that twice a day was enough for me. Incredible!
Cortibalm was created by Dr. Dan, a board certified Dermatologist in Central Massachusetts who wanted to create a chemical-free lip balm to treat a patient’s severely chapped lips. After recommending an organic lip balm with no success, he created his own. In 1998, after testing multiple formulas, Dr. Dan successfully cracked the code and created Cortibalm. Years later, his product continues to heal the lips of thousands. The reviews on Amazon speak for themselves.
Note
Cortibalm, as Dr. Rita said, it’s only meant to be used to treat inflamed lips. It’s not meant to be used long-term due to the hydrocortisone. Continued use of Cortibalm can further thin the lips and cause more dryness.
If your condition hasn’t improved in two weeks, please consult a dermatologist to prescribe you something stronger.
Post-Treatment
After using Cortibalm continuously for two weeks, my lips still felt very dry and wrinkly, which is completely normal and part of the slow healing process.
“Do not use Cortibalm anymore. I don’t see inflammation so that’s good. Now you need to constantly hydrate,” Dr. Rita said that now was the time to go back to the lip treatments I had been using before, but the first product she recommended was good ol’ Aquaphor. In addition to hydration, your lips need a repair barrier.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
If your lips are recovering, it’s very important that you get the original healing ointment and not the lip repair version.
I was given samples of the healing ointment at the dermatologist office, but after I ran out, I made the mistake of buying the lip repair version, which didn’t work on me at all as the texture was much thinner and it didn’t seal the moisture as well as the healing ointment. I also had to reapply it multiple times.
Admittedly, I had only used Aquaphor once, but after using it for the past weeks, I can see why it’s seemingly the most beloved product by celebrities (like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter) and beauty editors – especially to treat dry lips. Aquaphor’s healing ointment is a mix of petroleum jelly, mineral oil, glycerin and lanolin that acts as an occlusive protective barrier to seal in moisture.
When I stopped using Cortibalm, my upper lip, which was the flakiest part when this all started, felt like sawdust if I didn’t have any product on. I’m happy to report that with continued use of Aquaphor over a week and a half, the skin on my upper lip has fully healed!
Dr. Rita also recommended applying a thin layer of Aquaphor before doubling down on hydration with any lip balm of your choice.
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm
On Reddit’s thread “Best Lip Balms”, I scoured over 700+ comments, and the lip balm that came up again and again was Jack Black. Originally marketed as a lip balm for men, Jack Black’s lip balm is pretty much Aquaphor mixed with shea butter, avocado oil, Vitamin E and 2 UVA absorbers – making it one of the very few brands to use SPF 25 broad spectrum protection.
I started using this toward the last phase of my healing process and to say that I was impressed by it is a huge understatement.
Most lip treatments on the market are very shiny and tinted, but Jack Black is very straightforward and no-fuss. The texture is a thick ointment that beautifully glides on the lips, and I love how the emollient ingredients penetrate in my skin while also providing a protective barrier.
Its impressive efficacy, coupled with its affordable price point ($11 per tube), earns Jack Black a well-deserved #1 spot on this list. I got the pack of the Shea Butter, but their most popular is the Natural Mint & Shea Butter.
Dr. Rita said that Jack Black was a really good lip balm due to the shea butter. However, she advised me to only use it if I was going to be exposed to the sun for a long period of time and not going to the office. Otherwise, the chemical ingredients on the sunscreen may cause further irritation on already weak and dry lips.
With this being said, I got the night time version without SPF, formulated with hyaluronic acid and manuka honey. I’ve only used it for a few days, and I can’t get enough of it! There is no scent, no glossy shine, and it spreads beautifully on the lips. Even an hour after application, I can feel the soothing beeswax. Note: Getting product out of the tube will require you to get a strong grip because it is thick!
Jack Black NightMode Lip Treatment
Lip Treatments
Dr. Rita said that some people use Aquaphor and call it a day. While you don’t need to spend over $20 on a lip balm to heal your lips, I think some of them are worth the money. These are my personal favorites.
Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Hydrating Peptide Lip Treatment
Besides Jack Black, another lip product I kept coming across on Reddit, and some comments referred to it as the “holy grail of lip balms”, is the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Hydrating Peptide Lip Treatment, which won an Allure Best of Beauty award in 2024.
Something to note is that the Ole Henriksen lip treatments are THICK! And, according to multiple reviews, its lasting power is superior to most lip treatments on the market.
The Ole Henriken’s peptide lip treatment is made with rich butters saturated in fat (kokum and mango seed), cloud berry oil, and acai sterol, an ingredient that helps restores the skin and provides intense moisture. Even after the product has worn off, my lips feel supple, soft and hydrated.
Due to the thickness of this lip treatment, some reviewers have commented that they prefer to use it at night. I like to use it throughout the day.
Unfortunately, there is no unscented flavor, so keep that in mind if you’re sensitive to smells. The original is called Citrus Sunshine, which, as the name implies, has a citrus scent. However, once you apply it, it will fade.
When I showed the orange Ole Henriksen tube to Dr. Rita, she approved it immediately since she had previously used it. Another important thing to mention is that Ole Henriksen lip treatments are filled to the brim with product, whereas other lip treatments are mostly air – you’ll definitely get your money’s worth here.
Rhode peptide lip treatment
In 2022, Hailey Bieber disrupted the beauty industry with her highly anticipated beauty line Rhode.
From the record-breaking Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin smoothie collaboration with Erewhon to the aspirational marketing campaign behind its then $16 Peptide Lip Treatment, Rhode is now a beauty powerhouse. In 2025, Rhode entered the Sephora behemoth, generating $15 million sales in its first week.
This has been my go-to lip treatment since 2023. However, I gained a new level of respect for it when I put it to the test in Joshua Tree that summer, where out of a sudden, my lips were drier than the Sahara desert.
This peptide lip treatment instantly plumps your lips, providing an instant boost of hydration with nourishing ingredients like shea butter, cupuaçu butter, and peptides. Just like the Ole Henriksen lip treatment, peptides are having a moment in beauty. These short chains of amino acids help hydrate the skin and offer anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits. The Rhode lip treatment has a thick texture but it’s not as rich as Ole Henriksen’s.
Rhode’s lip treatment has been dermatology-approved, including by Dr. Rita, who said she actually used it. I’m on my fourth tube! Although the scented lip treatments are the brand’s most popular products, I always get the unscented version.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
When the Laneige sleeping mask was released in Sephora in September 2017, it went instantly viral. Almost 10 years later, this Korean lip sleeping mask is still the talk of the town – recommended by makeup artists, beauty editors and a slew of celebrities that include Nina Dobrev, Zoe Saldana, Brooke Shields, Drew Barrymore and Kendall Jenner.
The thick balm is formulated with coconut oil, shea butter and murmur seed, vitamin C, and emollients to help smooth the lips and deliver intense moisture.
My lovely host in Joshua Tree, Natasha, fell in love with it last year when I introduced her to it. She took a pea size amount with an applicator, and, as soon as she spread it on her lips, it was love at first sight. “I bought the whole line,” she said when I saw her two months later.
Every time I coat my lips with the Laneige lip sleeping mask before bed, I wake up with new lips: plump, soft, deeply hydrated and no fine lines. Although I don’t use it every night, I always keep it by my nightstand. The original pink pot, with the berry scent that quickly fades once applied, is my favorite.
Overall, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask remains one of my most trusty lip products and I’ll continue to repurchase it. Not to mention that the pot will last you for months on end.
How Are My Lips Doing Now?
On my last visit, I didn’t put any product on. My lip skin barrier is finally healed but still slightly dry – which is very normal. Dr. Rita also suggested the following to speed up the healing process:
To stop rubbing my lips (which I’m guilty of). “Imagine if there’s a wound and I’m constantly rubbing on it,” she said.
The second, and most important step, and we’ve all heard this plenty of times, is to drink plenty of water!
I’m happy to report that a week after I visited Dr. Rita, my lips are 98% healed!!! I don’t feel the dryness as much, and drinking water made a huge difference! Unlike the skin on our bodies, lips take longer to heal because they lack moisture. Remember to be consistent and avoid exfoliating or peeling them.
Other lip balms
If you want to go the French luxury route, these are on my radar for a future purchase.
NUXE Rêve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm
I bought this lip balm at a pharmacy in Madrid in 2018, and I really liked it. From reading the glowing Amazon reviews, I’m happy to see that they’re still consistent with the formula. I bought it for 10 euros, but in France, you can get it for 7. 😭 Nonetheless, it’s definitely worth the money. The texture is slightly oily due to the emollients and occlusives it’s packed with: honey, glycerin, shea butter, propolis extract, and botanical oils.
Nécessaire The Lip Balm
This French lip balm was released in the U.S. in 2025. Reviewers praise its long-lasting formula and non-sticky texture. Some even say it’s a combination of Rhode, Laneige, and Aquaphor. Despite its short time on the market, the Nécessaire lip balm has already won an Allure Best of Beauty Award and has also been recognized by the National Eczema Association. Additionally, it’s currently one of the best-selling lip balms at Sephora.
I hope this post was helpful and I wish your lips a speedy recovery! 👄
