Body Oil
Body Moisturizers
Cleansers
Body Scrubs
Face Moisturizers
Travel & Sets
Written by OSEA Staff | Last Updated on: February 5, 2026.
Have you ever wondered, what’s the difference between lip oil, lip gloss, lip balm and lip mask? We have! Navigating the plethora of lip options can be overwhelming, especially when each promises something different. From how they feel on your lips to the look they give, lip care products vary in everything from formula to finish. Ahead, your ultimate guide to understanding the difference.
What Is a Lip Oil?
Once considered a niche item, lip oil has cemented its place as a top-shelf beauty staple. As the name suggests, lip oils are packed with oils designed specifically for your lips. They can offer real skincare benefits, including hydration, nourishment, and conditioning, and may be clear or tinted with a sheer finish. Lip oils are lighter in consistency than lip glosses, providing a natural, shiny finish—not quite as reflective as gloss, but shinier than lipstick or balm.
Unlike traditional lip glosses that sit on the surface of your lips, lip oils are designed to penetrate deeper, delivering nourishment where it’s needed most. They offer a high-shine finish without any of the stickiness or tackiness. Lip oils can be worn alone or layered over lipstick to protect lips from drying or cracking while adding a luminous sheen.
What Is a Lip Gloss?
While there is some overlap, lip glosses typically have a thicker, richer, and often stickier texture, formulated with waxes or petroleum jelly to create an emollient base. Primarily a makeup product, lip gloss is designed to give lips a glamorous, glass-like finish. It delivers a reflective, high-shine effect but usually doesn’t hydrate or nourish. Like lip oils, glosses come in both clear and colorful varieties, though they offer more intense color payoff thanks to a higher pigment concentration.
What Is a Lip Balm?
Lip balms are an emollient substance that is generally thicker, denser and intended to provide a temporary seal of moisture over lip skin. Typically solid or semi-solid in form, balms often use waxes, like beeswax, solid butters, and thick emollients to form a protective barrier on the skin.
What Is a Lip Mask?
When it comes to smoother, softer-looking lips, even the most hydrating lip oil or balm isn’t always enough. Enter lip masks. Lip masks are formulated with skin-loving ingredients such as butters and oils that are thicker than standard lip products. Unlike a traditional sheet mask or face mask (the kind you rinse off), a lip mask is designed to be left on the skin, especially overnight when the skin is in repair mode. Some formulas go beyond hydration, acting as targeted anti-aging treatments for lips. Think of them as the skincare equivalent of a rich night cream, but specifically designed to nourish your delicate lips while you rest, so you can wake up to smoother, softer lips by morning.
The Best Clean Lip Oil
Our Hyaluronic Lip Oil Booster is a juicy, non-sticky lip oil that delivers the high-shine of a gloss with the nourishment of a balm, for a softer, plumper-looking pout. A combination of hyaluronic acid and sea fern (nutrient-rich seaweed) helps promote visibly plumper, fuller-looking lips, while castor oil and meadowfoam oil nourish and condition.
Rich yet lusciously lightweight in texture, our lip oil features a deliciously sweet mango-mandarin scent that delights the senses. The ultra-plush doe-foot applicator hugs lips, delivering the perfect amount of shine for a soft, supple look. The clear, glossy sheen is gorgeous alone and layers beautifully over lipstick or tints. Swipe on our Hyaluronic Lip Oil Booster day or night, or whenever your lips need a boost of instant plumping hydration and shine.
Sea Results™ After Just One Swipe
Clinical Results After 1 Use*:
- 100% showed improvement in lip volume
- 100% showed improvement in hydration
- 91% showed improvement in lip plumping
Consumer Results After 1 Use**:
- 100% agreed lips have a luminous shine
- 100% agreed lips felt soft
- 94% agreed they would use this instead of lip filler
- *Based on an independent third-party clinical study of 32 women.
**Based on an independent third-party consumer perception study of 34 women.
With clean ingredients, a chic glass tube, and high-shine finish, we’re guessing you’ll want one of these in every purse and pocket.
The Best Clean Lip Mask
If it seems like your lips are constantly dry, that’s not your imagination. The skin on the lips is thinner, drier and more delicate than the rest of your skin, making it more prone to dehydration. It’s also one of the first places to show visible signs of aging. During sleep, the body enters rejuvenation mode, but lips lack sebaceous glands, making them especially vulnerable overnight. Softer, smoother lips are just a sleep away with our Dream Lip Mask with Bio-Retinol, a dreamy bio-retinol treatment designed to act like a restorative cocoon, helping to lock in moisture while actively softening lips and smoothing lines while you sleep. When it comes to lip masks few formulas strike the elusive balance of a gentle, nonirritating formulation combined with fast, noticeable results. Dream Lip Mask with Bio-Retinol does just that.
Our latest innovation isn’t just another nourishing, moisturizing overnight lip mask. This is age-defying skincare for your lips. Made with bio-retinol derived from the Bidens pilosa plant, along with passion fruit oil to moisturize, nourish and condition, the luxurious gel texture melts right in, cocooning lips in a luscious layer of moisture while you dream. The fresh passionfruit flavor is a sensorial delight, making it an indulgent addition to your nightly wellness routine. Although Dream Lip Mask with Bio-Retinol is intended for overnight use, you can also smooth it on during the day, whenever your lips need some extra-nourishing moisture.
Sea the difference with more supple, healthier-looking lips by morning.
Clinical Results*
- 97% showed visible improvement in lip lines immediately
- 100% showed visible improvement in lip lines in 8 hours
Consumer Results**
- 100% agreed lips feel softer
- 97% agreed lips feel smoother
- 97% agreed it locks in moisture
- 94% agreed it replenishes dry lips & lips look less flaky
*Based on an independent third-party clinical study of 38 women.
**Based on an independent third-party consumer perception study of 35 women.