The rest of your face oils itself all day. Your lips depend on whatever you put on them, and they lose it fast.
That oil is called sebum. It's a blend of triglycerides, fatty acids, wax esters, squalene and cholesterol, and it keeps skin supple, sealed and lubricated.15
“Sebum is the ultimate anti-aging substance.”
Eric Lewis, MDCompare your lips with your faceOil glands, squalene, water loss, moisture, outer layer
Tap each number
No oil glands in the red of your lips.
Your forehead has 400 to 900 in every square centimeter.2 Your lips have none at all, and no sweat glands.3 That's why they're usually the first place your body shows dryness.
ForeheadOne square centimeter, 400 to 900 oil glands
0
LipsOne square centimeter, none
Sebum carries squalene. Your lips go without it.
About 12 percent of your skin's oil is squalene.15 It's an antioxidant that helps protect the skin's surface from the damage sunlight sets off.16 Your lips get none, which is one more reason to wear a lip product with SPF outdoors.
57.5%Triglycerides and fatty acids26%Wax esters12%Squalene4.5%Cholesterol
FaceThe skin's own oil, by what it's made ofLipsNo oil, so no squalene
Almost three times the water loss of your cheek.
Measured side by side, lips lost water nearly three times as fast as the skin on the cheek.1
CheekWater leaving the skin
LipsAbout three times as much
About a third of the moisture.
The cells on the surface of your lips never fully mature into a protective layer, so they hold about a third as much water as your cheek.1
1×
CheekSurface moisture
⅓
LipsAbout a third as much
A thinner outer layer than your face.
With fewer layers of cells on top, capillaries sit close to the surface. It's why lips look red, and why they dry out first.3
FaceMany layers of cells, capillaries deepLipsA few layers, capillaries near the surface
A balm can cover all of this for a few hours. It can't change it.
Illustrations are schematic. Sources 1 to 3 and 15 to 16 at the foot of the page.
In his Beverly Hills practice
The doctor who made it
Eric Lewis, MD.
Dermatologist in Beverly Hills since 1981, and director of the Beverly Hills Dermatology and Wound Care Research Center.
Since 1981
In practice in Beverly Hills
UCLA
Medical school, dermatology residency, later clinical instructor
Several patents
Including Natural Marine Extract™ and the Miracle Bandage
San Quintín
Donates surgical work on the Baja coast where the extract is grown
Four questions for Dr. Lewis
“Lip health is extremely important, and it's usually under-treated. My patients had something for every part of their face except their lips.”
“I spent twenty-five years studying marine compounds. Of the 3,400 we looked at, 88 made the cut, and fourteen species went into this extract.”
“A quarter of a pea, pressed in for ten seconds. Once a day for the first month, then every other day. Piling on more won't speed it up.”
“Anyone with a known seafood allergy. And if a crack or sore on your lip won't heal, don't treat it at home. Come and see a dermatologist.”
Dryness is the part you can feel. Keep scrolling, or tap a number, to see what's behind it.
1
The edge softens
Sun and time blur the line around your lips. It's why lipstick starts to bleed.
2
Lines open into cracks
As the surface dries, fine lines open into tiny splits, which dermatologists call micro-fissures. Each one is a break in the barrier that lets irritation in. The irritation becomes inflammation, and over time inflammation wears down the tissue underneath.
3
The lower lip takes the sun
It sits further out and tilts toward the sky, so it catches more sun. Dryness and cracking that won't go away here is often caused by years of sun damage. A rough or scaly patch that won't heal is worth showing a dermatologist.
4
Fullness comes from underneath
Fibroblasts below the surface make the collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid that keep lips full. Years of sun inflame the tissue, break down collagen and elastin, and can kill off the fibroblasts that make them.
Dr. Lewis on lip health
Dry lips that keep coming back are often sun damaged.
The lower lip is one of the most dangerous places on the body for sun damage and skin cancer. Dermatologists call the damage actinic cheilitis. It builds over years, in stages, and at every stage it keeps lips from healing.
“Most people don't realize the importance of lip health.”
Eric Lewis, MDDermatologist in Beverly Hills since 1981
The lower lip, over the years
Micro-fissuresPerlècheSwellingDivotsActinic keratosesBlurred borderSquamous cell carcinomaInto the bloodstream
In the drawing: micro-fissures, perlèche (split corners) and swelling.In the drawing: divots in the lower lip.In the drawing: actinic keratoses, and a border that has lost its line.In the drawing: a squamous cell carcinoma, reaching the bloodstream.
Tap a stage, or let it play
Stage 1 of 4Dry and cracking
This is the stage you can feel. The dry surface opens into micro-fissures, and germs get in through them: the viruses behind cold sores and warts (herpes simplex and HPV), the bacteria behind impetigo (staph and strep), and Candida albicans, the yeast that splits the corners of the mouth. Dermatologists call those split corners perlèche.
Lip tissue is loose, so lips swell before the rest of the face does. Dr. Lewis calls the lips and eyelids the sponges of the face.
Stage 2 of 4Divots
Small dents form in the lower lip, usually where it catches the most sun. For many people they're the first sign they can see.
Stage 3 of 4Precancers
Divots often turn into actinic keratoses, which are rough, scaly precancers. Under the microscope, sun-damaged lips usually show Bowenoid changes, which keep new ones forming.
Stage 4 of 4Skin cancer
Actinic keratoses on the lower lip can turn into squamous cell carcinoma. The lip is one of the few places where skin cancer tends to spread into the body. In a large review, lip cancers spread about 14 percent of the time, against about 5 percent on other sun-exposed skin.17
Most lip precancers are frozen off with liquid nitrogen. But sun-damaged lips keep making new ones, so each time one is frozen, another forms. Dr. Lewis calls it whack-a-mole.
A drawing of a lower lip. One precancer is frozen off, another comes up somewhere else and is frozen, then three more come up.
Whack-a-moleA precancerFrozen off
Tap a treatment to open it
Liquid nitrogen
Freezes off one precancer at a time while new ones keep forming. Patients call it getting their lips burned, and it hurts.
5-fluorouracil creams
The most prescribed creams for precancers. Because of the mutations they can cause, Dr. Lewis feels this whole group of creams should never be used.
Imiquimod
A cream that stirs up the immune system. It can be used, but it sets off a tremendous inflammatory reaction.
Radiation
Often chosen for large lip cancers, because surgery there is difficult and can scar. X-rays damage the DNA of cancer cells and normal cells alike. They kill the cancer, but they leave behind basophilic degeneration, which pushes normal cells toward new skin cancers, and they thin and age the skin by destroying collagen and elastin.
The difference
In Dr. Lewis's experience, Natural Marine Extract™ does better than liquid nitrogen on sun-damaged lips.
Liquid nitrogenOne spot at a time. New ones keep coming.Natural Marine Extract™Helps stimulate the fibroblasts sun destroys.
Drag to compare
The extract helps stimulate the fibroblasts that sun destroys, the cells that keep lips full. Used before, during and after radiation, it helps minimize the damage and start the repair process. And in research, species in the extract have been shown to stimulate the immune system to kill cancer cells18–20 and to help rejuvenate skin.9–14
Lips are some of the most vulnerable skin you have. Dr. Lewis recommends Lip Health Balm for:
Existing lip divots
Dry, cracking lips
Before and after radiation
Lip sores
“Almost had to be cut out but now it's going away.”
James Caplan, MDPhysician, and a patient of Dr. LewisRead his review
Lip balms coat the surface and lip sunscreens block the sun. Lip Health Balm is made for the skin underneath.
What each ingredient does, and where it does it. Tap one to see.
BalmOuter layerLiving layerDermal layer
Natural Marine Extract™01Works underneath20 to 35×more fibroblasts on the treated side of our biopsy
Fourteen marine species in one patented extract that helps stimulate fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. It's the same extract as our face gel, set in coconut oil because lips have no oil of their own.
Organic coconut oil02Seals the surface34people with dry skin in a double-blind trial, where virgin coconut oil hydrated as well as mineral oil, with a trend toward doing better5
Coconut oil is mostly triglycerides, one of the main fats in your skin's own oil.15 Your lips can't make that oil, so the balm brings its own.
In lab tests on human skin cells, it also raised filaggrin and involucrin, two proteins the skin barrier is built from, by about 40 and 47 percent.6
Aloe vera gel03Adds water to the outer layerTwo weeksof use raised the water content of skin's outer layer at every concentration of aloe tested7
At the higher concentrations, a single application was enough to make a measurable difference.7
Vegetable glycerin04Holds water at the surfaceDraws water inand holds it at the surface, the way your skin's own glycerin does
A review in the British Journal of Dermatology found glycerin improves hydration and barrier function and helps protect skin from irritation.8
Staying power05Keeps the balm in placeStays putHydrogenated polyisobutene, ethylene copolymer and butylene copolymer
Three ingredients that help the balm cling to your lips rather than wiping straight off.
Illustration of a lip in cross-section, not to scale. Scented with Ocean Breeze, our blend of 100% organic lavender, grapefruit and vetiver essential oils. Research shown is on each ingredient on its own, mostly on skin rather than lips. Never tested on animals.
Scented with Ocean Breeze, our blend of 100% organic lavender, grapefruit and vetiver essential oils. Research shown is on each ingredient on its own, mostly on skin rather than lips. Never tested on animals.
The fourteen species in Natural Marine Extract™.
It took MBET eleven years to narrow 3,400 ocean compounds down to 88. These are the species the extract comes from. Tap a family to read the research.
Lab, animal and human research on individual species or close relatives, not on Lip Health Balm. Sources 9 to 14 and 18 to 20 at the foot of the page.
A biopsy is a tiny sample of skin, sliced thin and studied under a microscope. These come from one patient, age 60, after 46 applications. One hand had the base lotion alone. The other had the same lotion with 2% Natural Marine Extract™.
What the treated side showed
20 to 35×more fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid
10 to 15×more capillaries feeding them
3 to 5×thicker epidermal layer, the protective surface
Untreated skin, 1×Treated skin
One patient's skin, not lips.
See the biopsy, side by sideZoom in through all six measurements, then see the original slides
Both samples sit side by side under one microscope. First you see them from above. After that you're looking at a thin slice, seen from the side, with the skin's surface toward the top.
1Left had the base lotion alone. Right had the same lotion with 2% Natural Marine Extract™.
2Tap Zoom in, or any of the six measurements, to look closer.
3The original slides are further down, under the drawing.
Base lotionWith 2% NME™
Illustration drawn from the biopsy below. Skin, not lips.
1 of 6The whole sample, from above
33%contraction
Same size punch on each hand. The treated skin drew in tighter.
Where collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid are made.
Depth of the dermal layerEpidermal layerDermal layer
3 of 6Closer, at the surface
3 to 5×thicker epidermal layer
The protective outer layer of skin.
Thickness of the epidermal layerOne cell
4 of 6Inside the dermal layer
2 to 6×more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid
Strength, spring and fullness.
CollagenElastinHyaluronic acid
5 of 6Closer still
10 to 15×more capillaries
They feed the cells that make collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
A capillary, cut acrossRed blood cells
6 of 6The cells themselves
20 to 35×more fibroblasts
The cells that make collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
One fibroblast
Illustration drawn from the biopsy below. Skin, not lips.
The six measurements
The biopsy it's drawn from.
Left, the base lotion alone. Right, the same lotion with 2% Natural Marine Extract™.
A note on lips
This biopsy is skin, not lips. We show it because lips are built from the same fibroblasts, collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid it measures.
How to read the biopsy
Rings mark capillaries. Small blue dots mark fibroblasts. Both biopsies were taken with the same size punch, one from each hand, and are shown at the same scale. The marker at the side measures the thickness of the tissue. The marker above measures its width. The treated skin was tighter, so its sample drew in more: a 33% contraction.
Untreated
ContractionDepth
Base lotion onlyTreated · 2% NME
ContractionDepth
Base lotion with 2% Natural Marine Extract™
The frame did not change. The tissue did.
From the people who use it.
Before it was sold online, Dr. Lewis sold it across the counter at his practice, to patients he would see again at their next visit.
A customer · Lip Health Balm
“This balm has given me so much plumping and moisture.”
“I tend to have very dry skin and that includes my lips... I really love it.”
Dearbhla K.Verified customer
A customer · Lip sun damage repairing
“All that sun damage is repairing.”
“I was having to have my lips burned (for pre-cancers) and it hurt so much. Now I don't have to have my lips burned at all. All that sun damage is repairing.”
“I had big divots on my lip and they are getting better.”
“I've been using Miracle of the Sea for a few months now. It has dramatically improved a lot of my pre-cancers on my face, my lip, my nose, my scalp. Almost had to be cut out but now it's going away. I had big divots on my lip and they are getting better.”
James Caplan, MDPhysician, and a patient of Dr. Lewis
A dentist · Lip cancer treatments greatly reduced
“What really caught my attention were the lesions on my lower lip.”
“I had a lot of skin damage on my hands, forearms, face, neck, lip and ears. What really caught my attention though were the lesions on my lower lip. It was explained to me that the squamous cells on the lip are the only ones on the surface of the body that can go directly into the bloodstream and kill you.”
Mike Clinite, DDSDentist
5.0★★★★★
Average rating
1,000+
Patients gave it five stars
<1%
Send it back
85%+
Buy it again
Individual results vary. Quotes are from customer videos and two doctors' own accounts. Lisa used the Natural Marine Extract™ topical on her lips rather than the balm. Figures cover the Miracle of the Sea line. The five-star ratings are from Dr. Lewis's patients. Reorder and return rates come from our sales records over many years, for patients and online buyers.
The price
Why it costs more than a drugstore balm.
You pay more for the jar, and it lasts four to six months.
A typical lip balmvsLip Health Balm
Wax and oils, often with menthol or camphorWhat's in itA patented extract of 14 marine species
Coats the surfaceWhat it doesSeals moisture in and helps stimulate fibroblasts underneath
All dayHow oftenOnce a day, then every other day
A full coatHow muchA quarter of a pea
A consumer brandMade byA dermatologist, in practice since 1981
On Dr. Lewis's routine: a quarter of a pea, every day for the first month, then every other day.
“It was the most expensive skin care product I have ever bought, and I quickly realized what a bargain it was.”
Barbara R., 65, Natural Marine Extract™ oil on face and chest
4 to 6 monthsfrom one 15mL jar on Dr. Lewis's routine. About a dollar a day.
Start with 2%.
The strength every new customer starts with. Get the balm on its own, or add the 2% gel for the rest of your face.
Lip Health Balm · 15mLLips and face setScented with organic lavender, grapefruit and vetiver essential oils.The balm for your lips, plus 15mL of 2% Natural Marine Extract™ in aloe vera gel for your face.
30 daysMoney back on your first jar
FreeShipping over $100
PatentedUS 10,772,825
NeverTested on animals
1
Lips only, or lips and face
The set adds Dr. Lewis's 2% gel for the rest of your face.
2
Strength
Every new customer starts at 2%, the strength used in the study.
Already using Natural Marine Extract™? Change strength
Most people move up after a year or so at 2%, once they know how their skin takes it. 4% and 10% are final sale.
Lip Health BalmLips and face set · 2%4%10% strength
One-time purchase. Never renews.Subscription, every 346 months. Cancel anytime online.
$150$260$510$325$435$685$150$127.50$260$221$510$433.50$305$256.25$415$349.75$665$562.25one-timeevery 346 monthstoday, then $127.50$221$433.50$276.25$369.75$582.25 every 346 months
You save $22.50 on every deliveryYou save $39 on every deliveryYou save $76.50 on every deliveryYou save $20 with the setYou save $68.75 today and $48.75 on every delivery afterYou save $20 with the setYou save $85.25 today and $65.25 on every delivery afterYou save $20 with the setYou save $122.75 today and $102.75 on every delivery aftercompared with buying the balm and gel separately
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, PayPal or card. Free shipping.
The 30-day guarantee covers a first order of the balm at 2%.4% is final sale.10% is final sale.
Still reaching for lip balm every hour?
Tap any that sound like you, and see what's behind it
Balm sits on top. Underneath, your lips have no oil to keep moisture in.
Lips lose water about three times as fast as your cheek.
It sticks out and tilts toward the sky, so it takes the most sun. Dry lines there open into splits.
Their outer layer is thin, so weather gets to them first.
Sun and time soften the edge of your lips, and color runs into the lines.
With no oil of their own, lips are usually the first part of your face to show age.
Most balms only coat. When they wear off, nothing has changed underneath.
Your lips make no oil of their own. That's where all of these start.
Contact us within 30 days of delivery and send it back. We refund once it reaches us.
Free shipping
On orders over $100. Every jar, set and subscription refill on this page qualifies.
No lock-in
Buy once, or subscribe and cancel online anytime, in a click.
The 30-day money-back guarantee applies to your first order of the smallest size at the lowest strength. Other 2% orders are covered by our standard return policy. 4% and 10% are final sale.
How to use it
Ten seconds, once a day.
The routine Dr. Lewis gives his patients.
1A quarter of a pea
Enough for both lips.
That's the whole dose.
2Ten seconds of massage
Press it in firmly so it works into your lips.
10seconds
Every day for a month, then every other day.
Pick how often you reach for lip balm now. Every dot is one application over 60 days.
I reapplya day
180300480720times you'd reach for your current balm
Apply about a quarter of a pea and massage it in firmly for at least 10 seconds. Use it once a day for the first month, then every other day.
Why not just put the face gel on my lips?
Because your lips make no oil of their own. The gel is light and water-based, made for skin that has oil glands. Lip Health Balm puts the same extract in organic coconut oil, which seals moisture in where your lips can't. Use the gel on your face and the balm on your lips. The Lips and face set has both, for $20 less than buying them separately.
How soon will I notice a difference?
Use it every day for the first month, then every other day. Our study assessed skin monthly over four months.
Does it have SPF?
No. Your skin's own oil carries squalene, which helps protect it from sun damage, and your lips make none. Dermatologists recommend a lip product with SPF 30 or higher whenever you're outdoors. Wear yours in the sun.
When should I see a dermatologist instead?
The American Academy of Dermatology says most chapped lips improve within two to three weeks of good care. If yours don't, or a crack, sore or rough patch won't heal, see a board-certified dermatologist. Long-term sun damage on the lips can lead to precancers, and only a dermatologist can tell what a stubborn patch is.
Can I use it during radiation?
Yes. Dr. Lewis recommends it before, during and after radiation to help minimize the damage to your lips and start the repair process. Let your radiation team know you're using it.
What's in it?
Natural Marine Extract™ (the fourteen food-grade marine species named on this page), organic coconut oil, aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin, and Ocean Breeze, our proprietary blend of 100% organic lavender, grapefruit and vetiver essential oils. Hydrogenated polyisobutene, ethylene copolymer and butylene copolymer help it stay on your lips. The proportions are proprietary.
Why does it cost more than other lip balms?
The active is a patented extract of fourteen marine species, all grown in-house at MBET's facilities on the Baja coast, and made in small batches in Los Angeles. You also use far less: a quarter of a pea once a day, then every other day, so one 15mL jar lasts four to six months.
Which strength should I start with?
2%. Higher strengths are for people who already use Natural Marine Extract™.
Is it safe with a seafood allergy?
No allergic reactions were recorded in our four-month study, including among 14 participants with known seafood allergies. Even so, we don't recommend Lip Health Balm for anyone with a known seafood allergy.
Is it tested on animals?
No. MBET never tests its products on animals.
Is it vegan?
No. Natural Marine Extract™ comes from marine species that include abalone, sea cucumbers, sea urchins and a scallop, so Lip Health Balm isn't vegan. It is never tested on animals.
Do I have to subscribe?
No. A one-time purchase is the default, and it never renews. Subscribing is an option you can choose if you'd like the balm to arrive on a schedule for 15% less.
How does the subscription work?
If you choose it, you pay the subscription price today and the same price every 3, 4 or 6 months, whichever you pick, until you cancel. The Lips and face set takes $20 off your first order, so your first set costs $20 less than the ones after it. We'll email you a confirmation with these terms and how to cancel. Full subscription terms
How do I cancel?
Online, from your account, at any time. It takes one click, it takes effect immediately, and it's as easy as signing up. You don't need to call or email anyone.
What if it's not for me?
Your first order of the smallest size at the lowest strength is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. Contact us within 30 days of delivery and send it back. We refund once it reaches us. The 4% and 10% strengths are final sale.
Is shipping free?
Yes, on orders over $100. Every jar and set on this page is over $100, subscription refills included, so yours ships free with no code.
Miracle of the Sea is a cosmetic product and does not claim to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All results are individual. Statements not evaluated by the FDA.
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
Eric Lewis, MDDermatologist in Beverly Hills since 1981
How it's usually treated
A typical lip balmvs
Lip Health Balm
