La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Lip Balm and Other Barrier Balms for Dry Lips

La Roche-Posay started in 1975 in the French town it is named for, a place known for its thermal spring water, and the brand has built its name on products made with dermatologists. The Cicaplast name goes back to 2005, when it launched as an Epidermal Repair Accelerator meant to speed up scar repair and protect the skin barrier. That background is why the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast lip balm is written the way it is: a light, non-greasy lip treatment that helps repair the skin barrier by locking in moisture. The brand's other balm here, Nutritic, is also light and non-greasy, and it softens and relieves very dry lips. If you want to keep going, La Roche-Posay Vitamin C Serum: The 12% Serum, Other Vitamin C Serums And SPF is the one I would read next.

Other barrier balms in this grid take a richer or more colorful route. Dr. Idriss Barrier Baste in Dessert has a shimmer pink glow and squalane and ceramide. Iris&Romeo Lip Cocoon in Freedom is a buttery balm with peptides in a sheer cool rose. MAED Revive in Vow is a warm nude beige with squalane. Fenty Beauty Lux Balm in Barbados Cherry has a cherry scent and shea, mango butter and avocado oil. Allies of Skin Peptide and Ceramide Repair Lip Balm comes in a twist-up format, and Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin is a jelly-like balm with ceramide NP that can act as a primer. I went deeper on a related idea in Dior Lip Balm Shades: Lip Glow Colors and Other Tinted Balms.

A simple test: use the Cicaplast lip balm alone for three nights before adding anything else. You will learn what your lips actually needed.

Some balms lean on ingredients you might already know from skin care. The Ordinary Squalane + Amino Acids Lip Balm is a multi-use balm for lips, elbows and cuticles. Biossance Pro-Peptide Lip Perfector Balm in Blush Quartz pairs a peptide with hyaluronic acid, and the page promises 24-hour moisture. The INKEY List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm is made to plump over time without tingle or irritation, which I like for sensitive lips. I also put together The Ordinary Lip Balm and Other Simple Lip Balms to Keep Around.

EADEM Le Chouchou in Butter Mochi is an unscented clear peptide balm with hibiscus acids that gently soften flaky skin. Moroccanoil Lip Balm in Moroccan Mint Tea has a transparent sheen and pairs argan oil with peptides. Farmacy Lip Smoothie in Pear Kiwi has vitamin C and peptides, with a clear glossy finish. rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Watermelon Slice is a high shine glaze with peptide, shea butter and vitamin E. U Beauty The Plasma Lip Compound in Universal is a lip treatment that the brand says builds density and volume over four weeks.

A pairing tip: Farmacy says its balm can prime the lips or sit on top of lipstick as a gloss. That is a good trick with any of the clear ones here.

What I would skip: layering the glossy ones over the Cicaplast balm in the morning. Two slick layers make lipstick slide.

Not every balm needs a story. Nécessaire The Lip Balm has a clear, semi-gloss finish with niacinamide, ceramides, shea butter and mint oil, and the page says it is made without synthetic fragrance. indē wild Dewy Lip Treatment is a buttery balm with hyaluronic acid, peptides and squalane, with a high-shine finish. Topicals Slick Salve in Acai is a glossy balm with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, and the brand says a thick layer works overnight as a mask.

L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Lip Balm comes in a squeeze tube and promises comfort for up to eight hours. Farmacy Honey Butter Beeswax Lip Balm uses honey, beeswax and cupuacu butter, and can be a primer before color. Les Filles en Rouje Le Baume in Chéri is a tinted balm you can build from a sheer tint to lipstick-level color. MARA Hydrating Sea Silk Lip Balm in Soft Coral uses an algae complex and can be used as an overnight mask. Chanel Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care is a restorative balm with Camellia oil.

What I would skip: a tinted balm like Rouje on very dry lips without a plain balm underneath. Prep first, then color.

Can you put Cicaplast Baume B5 on your lips? La Roche-Posay says yes. Its US page lists dry lips among the concerns for Cicaplast Balm B5+ and says it can be used on face, body, hands and lips, avoiding the eye area. The brand also says not to use it on broken skin.

What is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Lips for? The brand calls Cicaplast Lips Hydration Restore Lip Balm a lip balm for dry to extra dry lips. It says it hydrates, softens chapped lips and soothes sensitive lips, with a non-greasy texture. It is fragrance free and made with shea butter and panthenol.

How do you use Cicaplast Lips? The brand's directions are short: apply to dry lips as needed. Its lip care page suggests reapplying after meals and putting it on in the morning and at night.

Cicaplast Lips or Baume B5 for lips? Cicaplast Lips is the one made for lips, so I would reach for it first. Baume B5+ is a multi-purpose cream for face, body, hands and lips, and the brand says to apply it to clean, dry skin. I would keep the tube for the rest of you and the lip balm for your bag.

Pick the balm around what your lips are doing. If they feel raw, start with the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast lip balm or Nutritic, because the pages describe them as light and non-greasy. If they are only dry, a squalane or peptide balm from the middle of this list is plenty. If you want color, go for Rouje or Iris&Romeo. Give any new balm a full week before you decide, and keep one plain tube by the bed. I would also keep a second tube in your bag for the day, so the first stays by the bed. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer, My Everyday Reset and La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum and the Dark Spot Routine Around It.