As someone who regularly piles on, I don?t know, half a dozen skin care products every night before I go to sleep (not always in succession; see also: don?t judge me) I have to admit: I don?t pay much attention to my lips. On occasion, I?ll dab on whatever serum I?m already using on my face, or sometimes my moisturizer will accidentally make its way near my mouth. I apply Chapstick, Aquaphor, or whichever Glossier Balm Dot Com is floating around my bag no fewer than three times a day, usually out of habit or when I?m bored? but I can?t say I?ve ever given my mouth any major TLC, let alone an anti-aging treatment.
But when VERSO, one of my favorite skin care brands, launched a lip serum with retinol, I was a little curious. I slather on vitamin A with greater regularity than I take my birth control pill, but I?d always stopped short of my lips: It seemed like a recipe for major flaking, especially in the winter?but with a string of 80-plus-degree days, it was barely fall outside. I figured I?d give it a shot before it got too tundra-like. MORE: The 3 Best DIY Tinted Lip Balms You?ll Actually Use
 
First order of business" Figure out if I should treat it like any other lip balm. Turns out, the answer is no: ?Retinol stimulates collagen enhances cell turnover, the first few weeks of use can cause skin irritation, so you need to be cautious about applying it to sensitive skin areas like those around the eyes and mouth,? says Joshua Zeichner, Director of Cosmetic and ...