Anyway, lips deserve to be taken care of. For one, dry and chapped lips are both uncomfortable and visually displeasing, and make you more vulnerable to painful and unsightly blisters. What’s more, as our lips are delicate and don’t have oil glands like other parts of the skin, they’re more susceptible to drying out, so preventive care makes a lot of sense too.

Meanwhile, increased wearing of face masks can lead to dryer lips. Add to that the impact of weather and stress on lips, and well, investing in lip care feels like a sure bet.

Here’s what you need to know about maintaining soft, healthy lips.

Skincare 101: why you should never neglect your body care

Lip care for the seasons

Whether it’s freezing cold or scorching sun, the seasons and the changing of them can be particularly hard on our lips. Katie Howard, sales and education executive at Fresh Beauty, a Boston brand that celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, says it’s important to look after your lips no matter what the weather report.

“The skin on our lips is unique and only has between three to five cellular layers, meaning it is a very delicate and fragile area that needs extra care. No matter rain, hail or shine, lip care is fundamental in an everyday routine,” she says.

The brand, which has a range of masks, balms and scrubs for the lips, recently launched a new product, Sugar Recovery Lip Mask Advanced Therapy, which Howard recommends for the winter when lips can be extra dry.

Oils ain’t oils

“Can you use petroleum jelly on your lips?” is a question you might have tapped into Google at some point and the answer is, well, yes you can, but there might be better options. Petroleum jelly is an occlusive moisturiser, meaning that it holds in moisture but doesn’t add it in. So it protects but won’t nourish.

As Howard notes, you need both occlusive agents and humectant ones for effective lip care. These will work in tandem, the humectants hydrating and repairing and the occlusives locking in all the good stuff and offering protection.

As for the ingredients to avoid? “Any ingredients that you do not want to ingest! It’s true, we consume a very large amount of our lip care,” says Howard.

One option to try is a lip oil. Janet Hayward, founder of Ipsum Skin, a luxury Australian skincare brand whose products are made with native plant oils, has found success with her Ipsum Lip Oil Balm. It has even been spotted in a Kim Kardashian Instagram story about her skincare routine and is a favourite of top beauty editors and celebrity facialist Joanna Czech.

Another great option is Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Lip Oil which, as well as smoothing and plumping the lips, contains Swertian leaf extract to help reduce vertical lip lines.

How to amp up your lip care routine

The array of new lip care products can be bewildering, but as with any skincare routine it’s about finding something that works for you.

In addition to applying your favourite lip balm or oil regularly, Hayward recommends using a gentle exfoliant on the lips once or twice a week to lay the foundation for smooth and supple lips. This will “smooth away the build-up of dead skin cells,” she says. “For stubborn flakiness, use a little face oil on a very soft or baby toothbrush and gently massage lips to loosen and remove loose skin.”

However, as Howard notes, be mindful of the exfoliant you choose.

“Any AHA/BHA resurfacing ingredients can be too high in actives which can sensitise your lips,” she says. “Physical lip exfoliants can also scratch your lips and cause micro tears if the granules have sharp edges. Sugar is a fantastic ingredient to use as a natural physical exfoliant, which is the main ingredient in Fresh Beauty’s Sugar Lip Polish.”