As a team full of beauty lovers and skin care aficionados, we are constantly slathering, sniffing and swatching our way through the latest trending lip treatments.
In our never-ending quest for the very best lip balms, one favorite always makes its way back into our rotation. In fact, you can ask any editor on our team which lip product is currently in their bag, and you’re likely to get one common response: the Glossier Balm Dotcom. From die-hard Glossier fans (who have loved the product for nearly a decade!) to new users who picked up the balm after it appeared in our Trend Report last month, over a third of our team names this salve their go-to, singing the praises of this beauty powerhouse that keeps our lips hydrated, tinted and glossy year after year.
Glossier Balm Dotcom
- Beloved scents and shades
- Upgraded packaging
- Rich, emollient formula
- Applicator can be messy
Shades: 10 | Key ingredients: Vitamin E, beeswax, lanolin, castor seed oil
What is the Glossier Balm Dotcom?
The Glossier Balm Dotcom is a rich lip balm that has over 9,000 ratings and a 4.5-star average rating on Glossier's website. It's priced at $16 and is one of the bestsellers across Sephora's Lip Balms & Treatments category. And right now, Glossier is quietly having a surprise sale of 20% off on select bestselling products, so you can snag it for just $12.80.
The color I reach for most these days is the brand's latest launch, Black Cherry, which I find flatters my cooler undertones and plays into the burgundy makeup trend that's been popular recently. But, in full transparency, I own this lip balm in nearly every shade — it’s that good. Balm Dotcom is also available in clear and tinted shades called Birthday, Strawberry, Wild Fig, Mint, Coconut, Mango, Lavender, Rose and Original.
Why we like the Glossier Balm Dotcom
As seasonal dryness continues, this product has been a skin care savior. It contains nourishing and emollient ingredients like vitamin E, lanolin and beeswax that leave my lips feeling moisturized and create a barrier from the elements, all while adding a glossy slick of color.
I asked the rest of the team to weigh in on why they love Balm Dotcom, and there was no shortage of praise for the beloved treatment.
"I got my hands on Balm Dotcom at the perfect time, given that the air had been so cold and dry that my lips would chap practically the second I stepped outside," says associate partnerships editor Lauren Witonsky. "This salve is ideal for when you need an extra boost of hydration that lasts a long time — like hours — without rubbing off. The mango flavor (which smells delicious) has the slightest hint of pink color that adds shine to bare lips, but also blends well with my pinky nude lip liner."
"My lips are constantly chapped and I resort to coating them with vaseline before applying products because they tend to peel," laments associate editor Shannon Garlin. "This formula is so hydrating and doesn’t cause any irritation or peeling. Not to mention the Black Cherry color is gorgeous... I’ve been wearing this every day and I definitely need more colors.”
As the self-proclaimed "biggest fan" of Glossier, Shop TODAY page Melanie Faz snagged the Glossier Balm Dotcom in Black Cherry right when it came out.
“The formula is perfect — it’s creamy and rich in color,” Faz gushes. “It’s pigmented but not too bright.”
"It glides on smoothly and provides a lighter tint than you expect, but it’s perfect for buildable color," adds associate editor Kamari Stewart, who also owns the Black Cherry shade. "I usually apply two layers and I’m satisfied with the color payoff, plus it leaves my lips feeling pretty hydrated and the color sticks around for a while! I was so impressed by the color that I ended up wearing it to a dinner the same night I tried it (reapplied after putting on a full face) and there was still some tint left behind after several courses."
While the tinted shades are a fast favorite, our team advises not to sleep on the clear tones! In addition to working as a lip treatment, the salve can be applied to other parts of the body for a concentrated boost of hydration.
"It’s moisturizing on chapped lips [and] multi-use. You can use it on your cuticles and hands, from my experience, and doesn’t peel," reports editorial assistant Madison San Miguel, who says the Glossier Balm Dotcom in Original was her first-ever introduction to lip balms in general years ago. "It’s a classic for a reason!”
"Like many, Balm Dotcom was my first introduction to Glossier’s brand — and I’ve been hooked on their products ever since," adds fellow day-one fan and associate social media editor Dani Musacchio. "My favorite flavors are Rose, which leaves a gorgeous light pink sheer tint on my lips, and Coconut, which is untinted, making it great for layering on top of lipstick or lip liner. I also frequently gift the slightly glittery Birthday version as part of birthday gifts to my friends and it’s always a hit!”
As it turns out, Musacchio and I aren't the only ones with multiple shades of the balm in our arsenal.
"I have a bit of a lip balm obsession — I typically have more than one option in my bag, on my desk and on my nightstand at all times," admits senior partnerships editor Francesca Cocchi Zabloudil of her Glossier Balm Dotcom collection. So why not take a cue from the experts and stock up on a few while they're on sale?
What to consider
From the team's rave reviews, it's obvious that our favorite shades run the gamut of the ten colors that are currently offered. Because a few of these options are tinted, some are better suited for daytime than nighttime, as they may transfer onto a pillow. When it comes to an overnight lip treatment or multi-use salve, I would opt for the Original, Mint or Coconut options.
As is common with any squeezable tube packaging, the applicator can get a little messy, particularly with the tinted formulas. I’ve found that it stays cleaner if you make sure to squeeze out only what you need out with each swipe, rather than overdoing it and pushing around more product than your lips can handle.
More Glossier products to shop
Glossier Lip Line
- Water- and transfer-resistant
- Natural shade range
- Long-wearing
- Need a pencil sharpener
Shades: 9 | Key ingredient: Jojoba oil
Do you know what pairs perfectly with a swipe of Balm Dotcom? This liner, which launched this past summer. I'm not usually into adding an extra step into my makeup routine, but this product has singlehandedly converted me into a lip liner lover. I've really been liking the shade "Buff," which a makeup artist at the brand's launch event told me happens to be flattering on most skin tones.
Pro tip: to "contour" my lips, I use the sharpened tip to trace the perimeter of my mouth, then use the flatter edges to fill in just the corners of my lips and create a soft fade into the lines on the top and bottom lips.
Glossier Cloud Paint
- A little goes a long way
- Buildable color
- Use fingers, brush or sponge
- Easy to use too much
Colors: 16 | Key ingredient: Collagen
A winner in Shop TODAY's Beauty Awards, this multitasking product thoroughly impressed our editors, earning it the title of "best overall liquid blush" in 2024. The buildable, blendable formula can be applied with your fingers, a brush, or a sponge and is surprisingly pigmented. The shade range contains colors we found flattering on most skin tones and also includes a few bronzer options.
Glossier Boy Brow
- Doesn't make brows feel stiff
- Gives natural, full appearance
- Conditioning formula
- Hold isn't the strongest
Colors: 7 | Key ingredients: Beeswax, carnuba wax, collagen
Glossier's bestselling makeup product is this brow gel-pomade, which gives brows a natural, full appearance that doesn't look drawn-on and builds on your existing brow hairs. It features a short brush for precise application and boasts a flexible non-crunchy hold. It's available in a clear, untinted shade in addition to six pigmented shades.
Glossier Full Orbit
- Lightweight, gel-cream texture
- Safe for sensitive eyes
- Cruelty-free and vegan
- Easy to use too much
Size: 0.5 fl oz | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid, niacinamide
"I’m a sucker for Glossier’s products, and it’s not just because of their cute packaging — I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality of their skin care," says Musacchio. Her latest obsession? This eye cream.
"It’s super lightweight and the gel-cream texture has a cooling effect that helps wake up my eyes," she explains. "It’s not greasy at all and absorbs into the skin quickly instead of just sitting on top."
Glossier You Doux Eau de Parfum
- Warm, comforting fragrance
- Layers well with other scents
- Some say scent fades quickly
Sizes: 8 ml, 50 ml | Scent notes: Sweet violet, palo santo, frankincense, myrrh, ambrox, ambrette
Launched this past fall, the internet has been obsessed with the latest iteration of "You" since the day it dropped. The brand describes it as a “soft and serene woody fragrance” that comes across as sophisticated and subtle. It’s universally appealing yet smells slightly different on everyone, and quickly became a go-to of mine.
Frequently Asked Questions
While Balm Dotcom was initially launched in 2014, the product has undergone a number of evolutions to both the packaging and formula in the years since — so if you haven’t picked it up recently, it might be time to give the treatment another try.
In 2023, the brand updated the product with an angled tip and vegan formula. Personally, I much prefer the newer updated applicator to the original tube opening, which used to require a finger to blend in and left my hand sticky. But the innovation as a whole received mixed reactions from the product’s fanbase.
“While the new application tip was a welcomed upgrade, our community made it clear that they preferred the Lanolin-based Balm Dotcom formula they knew and loved,” Glossier announced in a 2024 press release that was shared in an email with Shop TODAY. “We listened, took notes, and made changes.”
In 2024, they reintroduced the hero product with the improved applicator tip and the original formula, essentially cherry-picking the best aspects of both iterations that had come prior. The result is the nourishing, easy-to-apply product our editors swear by today.
Why trust Shop TODAY?
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there in beauty and beyond. We keep track of the latest launches and use our own personal experiences with products like lip balms and brands like Glossier to make shopping easier for our readers.
Audrey Ekman is a production associate covering a wide range of topics in beauty, fashion and more.
