Two-Minute Thing: Yes, I Use Diaper Cream on My Lips

The unglamorous $16 fix that beats every expensive lip balm

My Two-Minute Things series is all about quick wins, simple habits, or inexpensive purchases that make your life easier. And yes, you can read them in two minutes or less.

I am taking a quick break from facelift content and celebrity chatter for a quick and unglamorous non-luxury product tip.

I’ve tried every lip product from the iconic (but honestly kind of foul-smelling) Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream my mother used, the standard Aquaphor tube that every dermatologist on planet earth recommends, to Glossier Balm Dot Com (I remain completely baffled why everyone likes this?) In addition to every lip balm I have tried every lip scrub from La Mer to Tatcha.

And the BEST product, while not glamorous and with objectively ugly packaging, that works absolute magic on lips: baby diaper rash cream. Otherwise known as panthenol, or provitamin B5. I purchased it on Amazon for $16 and use a tiny amount at night before bed.

I originally bought it during this past brutal New York winter while I was upstate recovering from my facelift. There were lots of long walks in the cold, very dry air, and my lips were wrecked. Luckily my jawline was looking snatched. More on that to come.

The “celebrity cult product” commonly associated with the ingredient panthenol is