
What causes dry lips?

Along with our fingertips, our lips have the most sensory cells and are therefore our most sensitive connection to the outside world. The skin on our lips is so soft and thin that the blood vessels can be seen through it, this is what gives our lips their red colour. Our lips don’t have any sebum or sweat glands, which are responsible for supplying our skin with oil and moisture. The corneal layer, which protects our skin from harmful environmental influences, is very thin on our lips.
Main causes for dry lips:
- Cold: the most common cause of dry lips is the rapid change between hot and cold. That’s why we have chapped lips especially in winter.
- Incorrect care: only in very rare cases are the ingredients of conventional moisturisers suitable for the soft and sensitive skin on our lips.
- UV-radiation: as lips have almost no pigments, they need to be well protected from exposure to sunlight.
- Stress: long days at work, along with mental stress, have a negative effect on the condition of our skin, with our lips being no exception.
- Dehydration: not drinking enough water can dehydrate you, leading you to have sore lips which are cracked.
- Be careful of what you consume: drinking too much alcohol, smoking, eating very spicy or acidic food can all make your lips more dry.
How to prevent chapped lips
Here are our top tips for beautiful soft lips
- Exfoliate: Make sure to remove excess skin cells, massage your lips twice a week with a soft toothbrush and lukewarm water or you can use a special lip scrub.
- Don’t lick your lips: Licking your lips regularly causes evaporation pulling the moisture away from your lips, further dehydrating them.
- Find the best lip balm for dry lips: Be careful when choosing a lip balm, the oil content should be very high, and it mustn’t contain too much water. This is because if the water evaporates from the lips, they’ll dry out even more
- Make sure you drink at least 2 litres of water a day and you get your 5 a day!
- Use SPF: Use a lip product with SPF in to protect your lips from the damaging rays of the sun.
- Use a humidifier: this will keep the moisture levels up in the room.
- Avoid food that is too salty or spicy. Crisps and snack foods unnecessarily dry out the lips.

Say goodbye to chapped lips: Great treatments and remedies
Home remedies and the best ingredients for dry lips
Don’t let chapped lips stop you from kissing

Having a good lip care routine and making use of home remedies should keep chapped lips away so that you can enjoy kissing your partner with your smooth lips whenever you please – kiss away!
Know when to seek medical help

If your chapped lips are particularly persistent or painful despite having good lip care, it’s best to see your GP immediately. Severe chapped lips could be an indication of other medical issues and it’s always better to get it checked out early.
Lip Balm
How does lip balm work?
Applying NIVEA Lip Care products can halt and slow the drying process. Preventing chapped lips and applying NIVEA lip balms is an essential part of a healthy daily lip care routine. Read our winter skincare guide for more tips on cold weather skin care.

A stubborn myth: lip balm is addictive!
Seductive lips
Colour for your lips
Got a date or a night with the girls? Lipstick is sure to catch the eye! To ensure your lips not only look great, but also make it through the evening feeling nourished, it’s important to bear in mind a few things: always moisturise your lips with lip balm before applying lipstick, to prevent them from drying out. Once home again, it’s essential to remove your lipstick.
Long-lasting lipsticks in particular can only be tackled with a very oily cleansing lotion or cream – apply generously and then remove the lipstick with a cotton pad. To ensure you wake up with delicately soft lips the next morning, never forget to moisturise your lips before going to sleep.
If lipsticks aren't your thing but you still want a flash of colour, check out NIVEA's Crayon lip care range, which gives you intense colour with long lasting moisture!