LUSH Lip Butter

LUSH Lip Butter

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Overview

What it is

Lip moisturizer with 25 ingredients that contains exfoliants

Cool Features

It is vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe

Suited For

It has ingredients that are good for dry skin, sensitive skin and scar healing

Free From

It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, parabens, silicones or sulfates

Fun facts

LUSH is from United Kingdom. This product is used in 1 routines created by our community.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Explained

Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.

The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.

In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:

Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.

Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.

Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.

Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.

Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.

Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).

Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.

Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.

Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin
Skin Conditioning

Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax is created from the common sunflower.

Sunflower seed wax is made up of long chain non-glyceride esters, a small amount of fatty alcohols, and fatty acids.

This ingredient is often used to enhance the texture of products. The fatty acid properties also help hydrate the skin.

Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax

Euphorbia Cerifera Wax (aka candelilla wax) is a vegan stand-in for beeswax. It is a plant-derived wax that functions as an astringent, emulsion stabilizer, film-former, and skin conditioner.

On skin, it forms a protective barrier that helps lock in moisture while it enhances product stability, prevents separation, and helps color last longer in makeup.

This ingredient is generally safe for use in cosmetics with one nuance: some grades of candelilla wax can naturally contain benzyl alcohol at concentrations high enough to require declaration under EU labeling rules. This isn't a concern for most people but relevant for those with fragrance sensitivities.

Candelilla wax contains fatty acids (mainly C31) and wax esters that can be used by the Malassezia yeast, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

You might see Euphorbia Cerifera "Cera" instead of "wax". This is because some brands, databases, or labels use it interchangeably; they're the same ingredient.

Learn more about Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.

Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).

Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Aroma refers to an ingredient, or mixture of ingredients, that impart or mask a flavor.

The name is slightly confusing. This is because INCI associates aroma with flavor instead of smell.

Here is the official definition from the The International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook:

“Aroma is a term for ingredient labeling used to identify that a product contains a material or combination of materials normally added to a cosmetic to produce or to mask a particular flavor.”

INCI shows the only purpose of aroma to be "flavouring".

However, due to regulation differences, some companies may use aroma in place of parfum.

In Canada, this ingredient only has to be listed in concentrations above 1%.

Learn more about Aroma

We don't have a description for Trigonella Foenum-Graecum Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride yet.

Sweet orange peel oil is made by cold-pressing the peel of a sweet orange to squeeze out its naturally fragrant oil. In skincare, it's mostly used to give products a fresh, citrusy scent.

It's generally considered safe, but citrus peel naturally contains compounds called furocoumarins. These become phototoxic when exposed to UV - meaning they react with sunlight in a way that can irritate or damage skin.

At higher concentrations, that reaction can lead to sun sensitivity, irritation, or dermatitis (red, inflamed skin). If your skin is sensitive, it's worth being a little cautious with fragrant citrus oils like this one.

Learn more about Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed
Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning

This oil is from the wild marigold plant (not the same as Calendula Officinalis, a different marigold). The main components of this ingredient are dihydrotagetone, ocimene, tagetone, and limonene.

This ingredient is phototoxic and is set at a maximum concentration of 0.01% in leave-on products.

Prunus Amygdalus Amara Kernel Oil is a fragrance and is an oil.

Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Smoothing

Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract comes from the vanilla orchid native to central America. It is a skin-soothing ingredient.

This ingredient is skin-soothing and contains polyphenols that give it antioxidant properties.

This ingredient is not known to sensitize or irritate skin (unlike Vanilla Tahitensis). Vanilla tahitensis has shown to irritate skin in low amounts.

Learn more about Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract

Sesamum Indicum Seed is an exfoliant.

Emollient, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking

Ceratonia Siliqua Gum is extracted from the seeds of the carob tree. You might know this ingredient as Carob Gum or Locust Bean Gum. It is used to stabilize other ingredients and improve the texture of products.

Carob gum is made up of long-chain polysaccharides. This makes it a natural thickener.

Yes! This ingredient comes from the seeds of a tree. The name 'Locust Bean Gum' can be misleading.

Learn more about Ceratonia Siliqua Gum

We don't have a description for Stevia Rebaudiana Extract yet.

Perfuming

Anise Alcohol is a colorless liquid and a type of benzyl alcohol. It is often described to have a "vanilla-like" or "lilac-like" scent.

Anise Alcohol is a known EU allergen, meaning it is known to cause contact dermatitis.

Antimicrobial, Perfuming, Solvent

Benzyl Benzoate is usually created from the condensation of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol. It is used as a preservative, solvent, and has a floral/balsamic scent in large amounts.

As a preservative, Benzyl Benzoate works against bacteria and fungus. It is often used to treat scabies and lice in medicine.

Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.

Due to its fragrance, Benzyl Benzoate can be sensitizing and may cause contact dermatitis. It is a known EU allergen. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.

Benzyl Benzoate can be naturally found in cranberries and peaches.

Learn more about Benzyl Benzoate
Perfuming

Benzyl Cinnamate is a fragrance. It is derived from cinnamic acid and Benzyl alcohol.

As a known EU allergen, benzyl cinnamate is likely to cause an allergic reaction when applied to the skin.

Perfuming

Cinnamal is an aromatic aldehyde. It is naturally occurring in the spice known as cinnamon.

Cinnamal is a known EU allergen, meaning it may cause an allergic reaction when applied to the skin.

Perfuming

Citral is the molecule responsible for the fresh lemon scent in lemon, lime, and lemongrass. It is a fragrance ingredient that can be created from plant essential oils or synthetically.

Though Citral has documented antimicrobial activity against acne bacteria (which is where the marketing claims about it being good for acne-prone skin originate), real formulas use it at fragrance-level concentrations under 1% so there's likely no skin benefit.

You should know this ingredient is a known EU fragrance allergen.

Animal studies classifies this ingredient as a weak-to-moderate skin sensitizer and clinical patch testing on eczema patients confirmed it to be both a contact allergen and irritant.

The term 'citral' is a collective term for two geometric isomers: geranial/Citral A and neral/Citral B.

The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.

Learn more about Citral
Perfuming, Tonic

Eugenol is naturally found in cloves, basil, and bay leaves. It is an aromatic oil used to add fragrance to a product. The scent of eugenol is described as "clove-like". Eugenol is a known EU allergen, meaning it causes contact allergies.

Studies show eugenol possesses antibacterial and antioxidant properties.

Besides cosmetics, eugenol is also added as a flavor in teas and cakes.

Learn more about Eugenol
Perfuming

Farnesol is a compound extracted from essential oils such as lemongrass, rose, and more. It is used as a fragrance in products to help boost floral scents.

Farnesol is a known EU allergen and causes contact dermatitis.

This ingredient is hydrophobic, meaning it is not soluble in water.

Learn more about Farnesol
Perfuming

Isoeugenol is a fragrance component that is naturally occurring in plants such as ylang-ylang, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Isoeugenol is a known EU allergen. This means it is known to cause an allergic reaction when applied to the skin.

Perfuming, Solvent

Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.

It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".

Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.

When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.

The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.

Learn more about Limonene
Perfuming

Linalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.

Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.

This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.

Learn more about Linalool

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Where it's from

LUSH is a British brand

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· Updated March 15, 2025 Added by emilystringer