My 70-Year-Old Mom Swears This 5-Step Lip Routine Blurs Fine Lines
She put dozens to the test.
Getting older is a privilege. It’s a cliche, I know (and considering I’m not yet 40, one could argue I’m not even particularly equipped to repeat it), but every year, I feel like I know so much more: About the world, about myself, about relating to others. But ironically, one thing that can feel more mysterious as you get older is your own face. With every trip around the sun, our visages change, and parts once familiar can suddenly feel foreign—our eyes, our cheeks, and even our lips.
“As we age, the lips naturally lose collagen and hyaluronic acid, which can contribute to thinning, dryness, [and] fine lines, as well as a blurring of the lip border,” says board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD. And these changes run deep: “Our bone structure also shifts as we age, and the skin between our nose and upper lip starts to elongate and flatten,” says board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD, who adds that what people tend to notice when it comes to our mouths is the thinning, wrinkling, and an inward curling.
Oh, and then there’s that number one skincare adversary: The sun. “Cumulative sun exposure can also contribute to changes on the lips, including dryness, discoloration, and textural changes,” says Garshick. And this isn’t just a matter of aesthetics. “The tissue on the lips can also develop skin cancers and sun spots due to long-term exposure to environmental free-radical damage and radiation, just like the rest of our skin,” primarily in the form of squamous cell carcinoma, says Nazarian.
Which is to say, ingredients-focused lip care as we get older isn’t just a matter of finding what will flatter newly-formed fine lines or emergent wrinkles; it’s also about protection and prevention. And thankfully, there are a host of products that can provide all the above. With the help of Garshick, Nazarian, and the only expert source I’ve ever tapped —my 70-year-old mother, who has read my college admissions essays—I rounded up the best lip products for those with mature skin. Read on to find your next favorite balm, gloss, or lipstick.
SPF Options
“Having a lip product with SPF is the best way to multitask skin health for our lips,” says Nazarian. “It hydrates—keeping skin moisturized and strong—but also protects to prevent accelerated skin aging and skin cancer.”
With a sheer finish, loads of antioxidants (such as vitamin E), and SPF protection, Malin+Goetz’s SPF 30 Lip Balm is “a great year-round choice for aging lips that need constant protection,” says Nazarian. “The product is lightweight, but packs a great, hydrating punch.”
Innbeauty’s Sun Balm boosts its zinc oxide UV protection with squalane and jojoba oil — top-tier moisturizers— and mango and shea butter, which help nourish. It also comes in three softly tinted shades, perfect for wearing solo on light makeup days or pairing with lip liners for more high-glam looks.
Top-Tier Treatments
Garshick says “to look for ingredients that hydrate, plump, support the skin barrier, and boost collagen production, improving the appearance of fine lines.” These treatment-focused offerings provide exactly that.
This surface-smoothing cream is “a good-for-everyone type of product” that provides both prevention (hydration) and cure (repair) — essentials for aging lip skin, per Nazarian. It’s got go-to moisturizers like hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, as well as soothing allantoin.
Garshick likes Revision’s YouthFull Lip Replenisher “because it contains hyaluronic acid, peptides, and antioxidants like vitamin C and E,” which come together to provide deep hydration and offer a plumping, smoothing effect. “The formula provides both immediate moisture and longer-term support for improving the look of lip lines and helping to plump the lips,” she adds.
Antioxidant-Rich Picks
Antioxidants, which are soothing and can help fight free radicals, are right up there with SPF and hydration-focused ingredients when it comes to lip-product must-haves for mature skin.
Along with the super softening shea butter and coconut oil, this K-Beauty classic (and personal favorite of mine) has “antioxidants to decrease inflammation, so skin feels calmer and less dry quickly,” says Nazarian. “It's an easy thing to add to your skincare regimen because it works while you sleep.”
My aforementioned mom, Desiree Stuart-Cooper, kept one of these in her makeup bag for months—high praise from the mother of a beauty editor (who often gets to share in the spoils). The ingredients in this glossy, not-at-all-sticky balm include a superfruit complex and, of course, maracuja oil, which has vitamin C and lots of fatty acids.
Pigmented Products
Looking to add a little color to your routine? Try one of these hydrating lippies that provide plenty of pigment, sans dryness or flaking.
Revlon’s Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balms have a big fan in my mom, who lauds them for their staying power and how comfortable they feel on the lips: “My lips felt smooth and sexy, like I wasn’t wearing anything at all,” she told me at the end of a shopping-and-sandwiches outing. They also score major bonus points for the colors; not only is there a wide range, but the shades themselves are really pretty and wearable.
Sarah Creal’s whole jam is glamorous makeup for folks over 40, with formulas designed with mature skin top of mind; in the case of the pigmented and creamy Yourself Hydrating Lipstick, that’s hydrating and barrier-boosting raspberry stem cell extract and grape extract.
Great Glosses
For high shine and a touch of color, you can’t beat a lip gloss. These two provide those classic glistening benefits, alongside plenty of skincare-forward ingredients.
This lip gloss contains hydrating vitamin E, and a slew of emollients and occlusives to pull in moisture and seal it in,” says Nazarian, who also praises the conditioning fenugreek and seaweed extracts. Lightweight with plenty of shine, it comes in loads of natural, wearable hues.
Garshick gives this one high marks for its hydrating, sun-protecting ingredients list, which includes “peptides, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants to help smooth and moisturize, while also offering SPF 35 protection against UV damage,” she explains. Plus, it’s cute: “I also love that it is available in different color shades, making it great for daily use.”
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Meet the Experts
Marisa Garshick, MD, FAAD, is a leading board-certified dermatologist serving patients throughout Manhattan, New York, and Englewood, NJ at MDCS Dermatology: Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, as well as an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Cornell - New York Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Garshick provides a wide variety of cosmetic and medical procedures and services, including treatments for acne, eczema, hyperhidrosis, moles, psoriasis, rosacea, signs of aging, skin cancer, skin tags, vitiligo, and wrinkles.
Rachel Nazarian, MD, FAAD, has spent decades studying skin, starting within the depths of dermatopathology, moving into general dermatology, and learning advanced techniques of injectables, lasers, skin surgery, and complex skin disease. She has nearly 30 years of experience in dermatology, training at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she was awarded the title and position of Chief Resident during her final year of training. She has written many published articles in medical journals as well as widely respected dermatology textbooks, such as Treatment of Skin Disease and Buka’s Emergencies in Dermatology.
