1. Home
  2. >
  3. Beauty Blog
  4. >
  5. What is the difference between lipstick, lip balm and lip gloss and how to choose?

You wouldn’t have thought that lipstick, lip balm, and lip gloss were the same thing until now with so many lip products out there, would you? This is a big mistake, as the state and color of the lips can greatly affect our overall make-up, so choosing different lip products for different situations is a key point that people should not ignore. So, let’s learn the difference between these three together.

About lipstick:
Lipstick is usually a cosmetic product that is applied to our lips to make them red, which is a cosmetic product that people use mainly on their lips and can increase their color or change their color. The point is to emphasize or change the contours of the lips, thus helping us to show a more vibrant and energetic image, this is also thus considered to be one of the most important makeups.

Qualified lipsticks should have the following characteristics:
1. Be non-irritating, non-harmful and free from microbial contamination to the lips.

2. Have a natural, fresh and pleasant taste and smell.

3. Have an attractive appearance, with bright, even colors and their shades in line with trends and consumer needs.

4. It will feel smooth and even when people apply it, and the color of the lipstick does not change after application, does not melt or drift. In addition to this, the product should have good adhesion, also known as not transferring easily to other surfaces, so that it stays on for a considerable period of time but is not difficult to remove.

About lip balm:
Lip balm is a waxy solid product made from oils and lipids that are mixed by a heating and molding process. This is because the cuticle of the lips is very thin, and moisture evaporates easily compared to the skin. In addition, it is poorly irritated by physical stimuli, easily injured, has almost no sebaceous film and tends to become rough due to dryness, making it an extremely sensitive area that requires our careful care.

About lip gloss:
For cosmetics that people commonly use on their lips, we generally recommend that they apply it directly or layered over other products, with the main purpose of making the mouth shiny and sometimes adding a small amount of color on top of it. It is usually available in liquid or soft solid form, with textures ranging from translucent to solid opaque, and can also come in frosted, shiny, glossy and or metallic textures. We must be careful not to confuse the lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss with other products.

Lip glosses are very similar in composition to lipsticks, most notably because they are both a mixture of chemical ingredients such as waxes and pigments. However, the major difference between the two is that lip glosses contain a relatively high percentage of oil and wax components but a relatively low number of pigments. The most unusual thing about lip gloss is that it exists in various forms yet is used by people in different ways.

For example, it can be contained in a small cylinder that is used with a built-in lip brush. It is also stored in a squeezable soft plastic tube that one can apply with a fingertip or a lip brush.

Basically, the purpose of lip gloss is only to add shine to the lips and not to discolor them. These products are very easy to work with, that is, when applied directly to our lips or by dabbing a little with a lip brush and brushing it on our lips. It is also a more hygienic practice to wash the lip brush regularly.

How to select:
Whether it’s lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss, there are commonalities in the principles people use to select them.

Firstly, it is safer if the product contains a vitamin E preservative. Vitamin E is added to the product to preserve it for longer. Preservatives are classified as allergens, so it is safer to use vitamin E as a preservative for lip balms. Secondly, it is safer if the fragrance contained in the product is natural. Fragrances are usually added to lip products, and safe fragrances are usually all-natural essential oils.

Finally, care should be taken to try not to choose lip products that contain acetone as an ingredient. This is because acetone is a sunscreen ingredient that is now added to some lip products with sunscreen properties. However, if you are allergic to this ingredient, your lips will itch when you use it and it may also cause inflammation, which is more than worth it.

In fact, everyone who wants to be beautiful believes from the bottom of their heart that to have a perfect makeup look, and it is essential to have a certain knowledge of beauty. Therefore, after knowing the details of lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss we can have a more comprehensive and detailed care of our lip to help us achieve beauty.