Lip Plumping Glosses: Fact or Fiction?

Posted on July 22, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Women's Health

Lip plumping lip glosses have exploded on the market, with varieties promising results as dramatic as a 30% increase in the fullness of lips after application. These products use a wide variety of ingredients to cause swelling of the lips.

Some lip plumpers use peptides; molecules that are believed to trigger the production of collagen. The catch is that to work, peptides have to absorb deep into the tissue. Lip plumpers that boast this pricey ingredient claim that, due to the thin, permeable skin of the lips, the peptides absorb adequately to cause results.

Still others use L-Arginine Nitric Oxide Synthease and menthol. L-Arginine is a circulation booster most commonly found in Viagra. The menthol is to create a tingly feeling on the lips after application. Cinnamon oil and clove oil are also popular ingredients in lip plumpers that increase blood flow to the surface and result in slightly swollen, redder lips.

If you want to try out any of these products, the most effective means of application involves first exfoliating the lips gently with a toothbrush. Then apply the lip plumper and rub your lips together vigorously. All of this stimulation would cause your lips to swell a little on its own, but the addition of the lip plumper means the active ingredients can sink deeper into the tissue. Be prepared for a sensation varying from a faint warm tingle to a veritable sting. The sting subsides after a while. When applying the product, be very careful not to extend past the lip line as the ingredient will not discriminate between the skin of your lips and your upper lip, as well as any other skin it touches. A sloppy application will give you a nice red pout with redness around your mouth.

As far as the 30% promise goes, that’s a stretch. These products generally offer very subtle results, and if applied over lipstick or lip balm they may do nothing more than make your lips shiny.