Does olive oil work as lip balm?

The hack
Replacing your lip balm with that kitchen cupboard favourite, olive oil.

The test
TikTok influencer Charles Gross is a fan of using pure olive oil – of any variety – as a DIY lip balm. It’s an easy thing to try and does, in theory, make sense – oil is a natural moisturiser and a common skincare ingredient.

I simply decanted a little into a shot glass, and dabbed it on with a finger in the morning instead of my usual lip balm. My lips felt slick and nourished, but it absorbed quite quickly and they seemed dry again a little while later – a pattern that continued throughout the day.

Traditional lip balms tend to combine an oil (often olive or coconut) with a thicker emollient such as beeswax, which acts as a heavier layer to seal in the moisture. (This is the basis of the recent skincare trend for “slugging”.) So I tried the olive oil again, left it for a few minutes, and then slugged a slick of Vaseline on top. Did it work? Yes. But was it also a faff? Yes again.

The verdict
This is certainly one to try, but I get quite a lot of joy from applying regular lip balm – which is hardly an expensive item – and didn’t feel the juicy-lipped satisfaction I get from a lick of the traditional stuff, which also keeps my lips moisturised for hours, adds a little colour and has an SPF.