Why the UZ 38°C/99°F Lip Treatment Is So Beloved in Japan

Devon Abelman

When I was in Japan earlier this year, I spotted the UZ 38°C/99°F Lip Treatment in every beauty store I stopped in like it was taunting me. I had already spent more than enough money on beauty products during my trip and passed on it every time, even though I may or may not have flown back to New York City with regrets. UZ makes the Best of Beauty Award-winning Eye Opening Liquid Liner, so it would have been a worthwhile investment, right?

Luckily, the top lip treatment in Japan just officially launched in America. I finally got to try it out, and I fell in love quicker than I do with a guy on the L train with an undercut. Plus, the U.S. release of 38°C/99°F coincides well with the plummeting temperatures in New York. And let me tell you, every part of my body feels dry right now, except for my lips.

Not wanting to make a lip care product that creates a cycle of your lips drying out and having to reapply continuously until you die, UZ lip treatment is formulated to keep your lips hydrated even when you're not wearing it. The J-beauty brand came up with a complex called multi flora, which functions as a natural lip moisturizer. "Multi flora is actually a prebiotic, a natural lactic acid-producing bacteria called Enterococcus Faecalis," cosmetic chemist James Hammer explains. "It is commonly found in the gut of healthy humans and in a lot of those good-for-you fermented-type foods, like sauerkraut and kimchi." The lip treatment is also loaded up with waxes and polymers to help lock in moisture and guard against chapping, he adds.

Think of it as a face moisturizer for your lips. You don't have to continuously slather your favorite face cream onto your skin all day, right? Applications in the a.m. and p.m. are all you need. The UZ 38°C/99°F Lip Treatment is the same way. The shine and color may fade away throughout the day, but the hydration won't. Also, if you have perpetually dry lips following lip injections, like I do, this is the best remedy.

Before bed, I swipe on ±0, the transparent option, like a lip mask, and I wake up in the morning feeling like I just put it on. During the day, I like having a splash of color and sheen on my lips, so I reach for either the orange, +5, or watermelon pink, +3. These colored ones are like fun, non-sticky glosses that actually benefit your lips.

And just in case I need more glitter on my face, I keep -4, a sheer black flecked with copper shimmer, in my purse. On, it adds depth to your lips and has more of a plum tint. Hiroshi Imamura, a cofounder of UZ, told me the line's best-selling shade and often sells out in Japan.

All are spiked with an ancient mineral that's typically used in medicine to increase circulation that UZ trademarked with the name Endmineral. It has a warming element that raises the temperature of your lips — that's where it gets its name, 38°C/99°F, from. So no matter which of the six shades you choose, your lips will take on a natural flushed hue and may even look slightly plumper. If you're not a fan of scented lip products, you'll love how this treatment is fragrance-free (and it doesn't have any flavor to it, either).

As stunning as the packaging is, my only qualm about the UZ 38°C/99°F Lip Treatment is getting every ounce of product out the lucite-like tube as it runs out. The S-shaped applicator acts as a pretty good scooper, but you'll definitely find yourself wasting at least one application of it. Every drop of this stuff is worth it, so that's slightly upsetting. But it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, as they say.

You can shop the UZ 38°C/99°F Lip Treatment now for $20 on uz.team.

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Originally Appeared on Allure