K-Beauty Lip Tints Will Make You Want To Throw Away All Your Lipstick

As someone who has been reporting on Korean beauty since it first made its way stateside back in 2011, I consider myself well-versed in the category. I know my skin flooding from my spicules and can apply a wrapping mask like a pro. But, on a recent trip to Seoul, I discovered one area of K-Beauty I had been sleeping on: lip tints.

I’d always heard that Korean lip products were next-level, but I had been laser-focused on skin care and figured, how much better could they be than our long-wear stains? Then, before my flight, I swiped on the Glasting Melting Balm from cult brand rom&nd “for research” — and instantly understood. Plush, gorgeous color met the kind of hydration I thought only Aquaphor could deliver. That one tube sent me straight to Seoul’s lip aisles, where I quickly learned I’d been missing out.

The Magic Of Korean Lip Tints

In Korea, lip tints are just built different. They stain yet keep lips soft, offer unique textures like watercolor, pudding, or jelly, and infuse advanced skin-care ingredients that actually improve lip condition. Think: ultra-tinted balms with PDRN (the buzzy salmon sperm extract showing up in facials), blurring mattes that somehow hydrate, and “balloon tints” that plump and smooth — all at a fraction of U.S. prices.

While in Seoul, I made many pilgrimages to Olive Young, the country’s beauty mecca, leaving with a suitcase so stuffed with tints it nearly missed the weight limit. Back home in Denver’s desert climate, where I’d basically given up on lip color, these formulas have turned my pout into a playland of moisture-packed shades. Every old lipstick I own is now gathering dust.

Here are the 10 coolest Korean lip products from my Seoul haul — all of which you can get stateside.

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The Tinted Balm To Rule Them All

This is the product that started my obsession with K-Beauty lip tints. It looks like your average tinted balm, but the minute it touches your skin, it melts into a buttery, non-waxy wash of lipstick-level pigment. The rom&nd team told me fig shades are the trend among Korean shoppers — which felt serendipitous, since I’d been living in Kaya Fig all week. Frankly, calling this a “tinted balm” feels unfair to every other tinted balm out there.

The Plumping Pudding

In addition to looking like a Jell-O mold from the ’50s, the Chewing Glow Pot from Daisique has a thick, pudding-like texture that smooths over your lips to create pillowy volume that’s silky soft. I grabbed the Sweet Rosy shade after a color-matching session dubbed me a “Summer Cool Light,” aka I should wear cool-toned pastel pinks. It’s been a perfect 10/10.

The Lip-Quenching Fluff

Every Olive Young I stopped in was running low on all things Fwee, but it’s the Pudding Pot that has everyone in a chokehold. This dual-purpose tinted fluff is highly pigmented but blends out to give you a filtered effect on lips and cheeks, all without drying the skin. The magic? A powder-and-butter formula featuring cacao seed for a cookie-dough-like texture that won’t settle into lines.

The Volumizing Stain

I bought this glossy tint based on the name, but I can happily say it did not disappoint. Balloon tints are plumping lip colors that go on bouncy and smooth — think the texture of a filled-up balloon. Laka’s uses hydroxyproline, an amino acid known to hydrate and help promote collagen production. It has a slight tingly feel, but gives way to a cooling, watery sensation on the lips. I’m obsessed with how lightweight it feels — almost like an oil but without the grease.

The PDRN Serum

This jelly serum is infused with plant-based PDRN derived from roses. The trending ingredient, usually sourced from salmon, is known for its regenerative properties — which translate to supple skin on the lips. I’ve been using this peachy-hued (and scented!) serum, and it both feels like a dream and looks so summery. I’m also in love with the applicator: a squishy, curved tip that hugs your lips so perfectly you’ll never waste a drop.

The Glassy Jelly

With a special triple-hold system, this plush, glossy lip tint delivers color that stays in place. Within the tube are eight types of hyaluronic acid, plus peach extract and vitamin E to keep your pout moisturized and dewy. Seoul Girl was my first pick because it’s such a gorgeous mauve, but I went back for Boksoonga Jelly, and I already have my eye on Bunny Bunny as my next purchase.

The Cloud Tint

Colorgram is Olive Young’s in-house brand, and trust me: It’s a hit. I tried multiple different formulas and loved them all, but this one’s a standout. The airy matte feels like a second skin while packing intense pigment, and the powdery texture blurs lips with a built-in “filter” effect.

The Squishy Gloss

The first thing I noticed about this tinted balm was the soft, marshmallow-like silicone applicator. It’s bouncy and feels so squishy and soft on the lips — which is especially comforting when you have a perpetually dry pout. The formula, which is both shiny and pigmented, is packed with peptides and vitamins to cushion and condition. While there is no shortage of lip products that contain these actives, they don’t typically have this level of color payoff.

The Smooth Lacquer

Unlike the Laka, this balloon tint doesn’t tingle, and it has a lot more pigment. It also has a super densely packed brush tip, which makes the application process unique, allowing the product to go on with a fun bounce. The formula has what the brand calls a “shape memory gel,” which it claims fills in lip wrinkles and smooths dead skin. I can’t vouch for that from a scientific level, but from a user perspective, my lips are smooth and soft whenever I put this on, and I don’t need to pre-hydrate with a balm.

The Watercolor Stain

I immediately added this visually pleasing pick to my cart when I saw it. The Hydro Dewy Tint features an oil-in-water formula in which the water quickly evaporates, leaving behind the oil, pigments, and moisturizers. While it goes on super glossy, it dries down to more of a watercolor finish with comfortable wear.