Why Your Lips Need Special Care

The lips may be a small part of the face, but biologically, they behave in entirely unique ways. As temperatures drop and humidity shifts, your lips feel the change immediately; a reminder of how delicate they are and how much care they truly need.

What we know

Despite their importance, lips remain one of the least researched skin sites, especially regarding the microbiome. Current scientific knowledge highlights that:

• Lip skin has significantly higher transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and lower water content compared to other facial regions, such as the cheeks. (Kim et al, 2021).

  
  

• Lip skin is less equipped to defend against external stressors due to having no oil glands and a thin stratum corneum.  (Lee et al, 2022).

  
  

• The structural differences make the lip microbiome highly responsive and more easily disrupted by environmental impactors including cold weather, UV exposure, and airflow. These contribute to irritation, chapping, and inflammation (Gfeller et al, 2019).

Industry Impact and Potential

The unique biology of lip skin creates both a challenge and an opportunity for product innovation. Potential areas of innovation include:

• Advanced moisturizing systems: Next-generation blends of oils, waxes, and occlusives that work together to reduce water loss, restore suppleness, and reinforce the lip barrier.

  
  

• Barrier and anti-inflammatory formulations: Formulations including ceramides and panthenol can help stabilise barrier function, calm irritation, and support recovery from environmental stressors.

• Age related support: Gentle, microbiome-supportive formulations that address thinning, dryness, and fine lines offer a growing opportunity for targeted, non-irritating lip renewal.

Our Solution

At Sequential, our customisable services can help brands formulate products that are effective for looking after lips with our extensive microbiome testing. With a database of over 50,000 microbiome samples, 4,000 ingredients, and 10,000+ testing participants, we provide the scientific clarity needed to develop high-performing, microbiome-supportive lip care.

Winter may be tough on lips, but with the right science, solutions can be both protective and powerful.

References:

Gfeller, C. et al. (2019). Novel lip cream protecting against triggers of recurrent herpes labialis. Clin. Cosmet. Investig. Dermatol., 12, 193–208. https://doi.org/10.2147/ccid.s179430

Kim, J. et al. (2021). Relationship between lip skin characteristics and corneocyte unevenness ratio in assessing lip scaling. Int. J. Cosmetic Sci., 43, 275–282. https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.12692

Lee, H. & Kim, M. (2022). Skin barrier function and the microbiome. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113071