Lip gloss is a wonderful thing. It’s shiny and shimmery, glinty, and ethereal. It can be sultry or subtle, and oftentimes it’ll even plump your lips as you wear it. A lot of the time, lip gloss can also be sticky. So much so that we have horror stories of our hair, faces, and any other opposable limbs getting stuck, smudged, or practically glued to the product on our lips. It’s annoying—especially on a windy day—and we’re done dealing with it.
Luckily, cosmetics companies have gotten the hint. Brands have started formulating offerings that are lightweight, moisturizing, and, yes, you guessed, non-sticky. So to celebrate, we’ve rounded up our favorites of the lot, each one offering up long-lasting wear, pretty shades, and a lot less goop. We also spoke with celebrity makeup artist Courtney Hart and makeup artist Renée Loiz, founder of Color May Vary, for their favorite glosses.
Keep scrolling for 23 of our top picks of non-sticky lip glosses that won’t stick to your hair, face…and life.
Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath Gloss
Inspired by the filters certain apps offer to plump up your lips (whether or not you’re for or against digitally enhancing your face, you have to admit it’s an astute jumping-off point for product formulation), Charlotte Tilbury’s formula envelops your lips with firming marine collagen for a hybrid experience that feels just as much like a treatment as it does makeup. Mustard sprout extract hydrates, plumps, and enhances lip volume to define the contours of your lips and create a fuller appearance while a blend of coconut oil and peppermint extract nourishes, softens, and creates a cool, fresh feeling directly after you apply. Then, the pearlescent pigments come into play, offering a milky, pink sheen that reflects light, making your lips look fuller.
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer
“The one lipgloss that is always in my set bag is Fenty Gloss Bomb,” says Hart. “It is smooth, hydrating, and adds the perfect amount of color to the lip. My most used colors are Fu$$y (a shimmering pink) and Fenty Glow (a rosy nude).”
Conditioning shea butter hydrates throughout the entire time you wear it while the peach-vanilla scent is warm and sweet, drenching your lips in a sparkly party. It’s like a dewy highlight for your lips. Then again, would you expect any less? It was handpicked by Rihanna.
Crop Natural Smooth Glide Lip Gloss
It may look yellow, but Crop Natural’s gloss applies like a crystal clear lacquer. There’s no synthetic coloring, it’s nourishing, and it’s 100 percent naturally derived. “It won’t mess with whatever lip color you’re wearing, it stays on, and it’s not sticky, so you can rub your lips together with zero abandon,” former assistant editor Erin says of the formula. She adds, “Hours later, it will still look great.”
Beauty Bakerie Lip Gloss
Beauty Bakerie’s non-sticky and long-lasting glosses are a top pick for Loiz. “This lip gloss has such a beautiful high shine and glass-like finish! Silky smooth and extremely moisturizing for lips and doesn’t leave that dreaded white line on the lips,” she says. “Another plus is that it’s gluten-free. I have a few clients that request gluten-free products so this is a necessity in my makeup kit.”
Glossier Lip Gloss
Glossier’s lip gloss is a consistently wonderful go-to. It’s clear, it’s pocket-sized, and gives off a cushiony, crystal clear shine without any of the heavy, gluey feeling other products leave behind. It’s also formulated with vitamin E to moisturize as it shimmers.
Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss
For instant volume and shine, try Dior’s invigorating lip plumper. It offers a blend of collagen- and marine-based fillers to smooth and moisturize your skin, leaving your lips super glossy and voluptuous-looking after the first application. Then, after two weeks of consistent use, your lips will look noticeably more defined. That and it feels cooling, smells of vanilla mint, and serves up a pretty sheer pink tint.
Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy
Kopari’s balm offers a glossy, melty shine that isn’t sticky in the slightest. “Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy is high shine, super smooth, and smells incredible,” says Hart. “Love using this when I prep my clients’ skin for a red carpet.”
It’s a blend of coconut oil, vitamin E, and shea butter to keep dryness at bay (no matter the season). I reapply a few times during the day and haven’t experienced that dry, chapped feeling since I bought it. It feels like a balm but looks like a gloss, the best type of low-key hybrid product I can think of. Plus, it smells like vacation.
Chapstick Total Hydration Vitamin Enriched Lip Oil
I use about a million lip balms in a day (my bag, coat, and desk are filled with them), but this one is my most recent favorite because, like the Kopari option, it applies like a gloss (with none of the goopiness). It’s made with vitamins C and E, as well as omegas-3, -6, and -9 to replenish your lip’s hydration levels. It also comes in a few different tints if that strikes your fancy.
Pat McGrath Labs Lust Lip Gloss
Leave it to Pat McGrath to cloak your lips in a never-sticky gel formulation lip gloss that offers soothing and smoothing properties and epic shades. “Pat’s gloss line has an incredible shade range that can instantly transform any lip,” says Hart. “A mainstay in my kit and love using these on myself as well.”
Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer Lipgloss
This mint-scented lip gloss has everything you want—creamy, iridescent shades, tons of shine, and long-lasting wear. It feels comfortable and lightweight, never sticky, and invigorates your lips each time you apply.
WhollyGloss Luxury Lip Gloss
Loiz loves the WhollyGloss Luxury Lip Gloss Nude lip glosses for their “subtle shimmer” and “healing ingredients like aloe to soothe dry lips.”
“No stickiness to be found! These glosses are so smooth and can also be used on the eyes. Love a 2-in-1 product,” she says.
Mented Lip Gloss
Mented offers a diverse range of shades and finishes, with a gloss that feels and looks shiny and smooth (with just the right amount of color). Plus, they’re buildable, so you can go from subtle to bold in just a few swipes.
Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm
“Westman Atelier Liquid Lip Balm Clean beauty lip gloss balm has six of the most perfect tinted lip colors,” says Loiz. “It has a gel-oil texture and leaves behind no stickiness whatsoever! This is a must-have for those who like the just-bitten lip look and there’s a shade for every skin tone.”
Laneige Lip Glowy Balm
Laneige Lip Glowy Balms are the perfect choice for high gloss (yet non-sticky!) color. These balms keep lips hydrated with murumuru and shea butters. “They look and smell incredible,” says Hart.
Tower 28 ShineOn Milky Lip Jelly
“My favorite glosses amongst my clients by far,” says Loiz of these juicy glosses that are made with plant-based ingredients. “I’m constantly restocking my kit with these Lip Jellies! We love how easily they glide on and feel so silky on the lips. Comes in five semi-sheer nude shades.”
Saint Jane Luxury Lip Shine
“This is a lip gloss that truly nourishes lips while adding just a slight touch of color,” says Loiz of the Saint Jane Luxury Lip Shine. “There are only eight ingredients in this luxury lip gloss that soothe and calm the lips. She says these glosses can even be used as a night lip treatment.
NARS Afterglow Lip Shine
Nars Afterglow Lip Gloss will give you a pigmented look with a high-shine, yet non-sticky, formula. As a bonus, these glosses contain vitamin E-infused raspberry seed oil for soft lips. Hart is a fan of these lip glosses, saying her favorite colors are Giza and Turkish Delight (pictured).
Too Faced Lip Injection Extreme Lip Plumper
If you want a high-shine, non-sticky lip gloss that also plumps your lips, Hart recommends the Too Faced Lip Injection series. “They have a full color range now as well as the original clear,” she says. This formula promises to both plump and hydrate lips.
MAKEUP BY MARIO MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum
Leave it to Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist to create a line of perfectly glossy, hydrating, plumping, and non-sticky lip glosses….ahem, serums. These shades sell out fast, thanks to their popularity on TikTok.
About Face Light Lock Lip Gloss
Singer Halsey created this line of fun makeup, including these high-shine lip glosses. Infused with coconut oil, peppermint, and lavender, these vegan lip glosses come in 17 shades, ranging from a soft pearl to a translucent blue.
NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss
The NYX Butter Gloss is a best-selling product for several reasons. It is inexpensive, available in a wide variety of shades, offers beautiful glossy color, and is non-sticky to boot. With over 67,000 (and counting!) positive reviews on Amazon, it wouldn’t hurt to try out a few shades.
Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss
The Juicy Tubes are perfect for throwing into your purse when you want a glossy, yet non-sticky lip shine. Available in seven colors, this product promises four hours of hydrated lips.
Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss
At just $2 per tube, you can have fun trying out one of the 14 available shades in Rimmel’s Stay Glossy Lip Gloss. This bestselling product delivers a high-shine glossy color that won’t stick to your hair.
