Review: Fresh SUGAR Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment

I’ve gone through a few tubes of the Sugar Lip Treatment from Fresh in my time, the original cult-fave lip balm is nearly worth its weight in gold. I know that when my lips are in crisis, I can turn to it for the speedy healing of cracks and a surge of moisture when they’re as dry as the Sahara. But I turned away from my trusty balm due to its high price point, and with a lip balm habit like mine—it would put me in the poor house faster than a few mochas a day from Starbucks.

The latest in the Fresh lip care category is a new version of the classic Sugar Lip Treatment, Sugar Advanced Therapy. I was able to test this out as a member of the Glam Beauty Board, and it’s as good as I had feared…looks like I’ll be buying this when my sample tube runs out! You may recall that the original offered the benefits of SPF 15, but Advanced misses that feature in lieu of more therapeutic ingredients instead.

Let’s take a closer look…

Advanced Therapy is everything I liked about the original…and more! (Minus the sunscreen.) While I always loved how soft my lips felt when I used Sugar, I think Advanced makes them feel more hydrated, almost instantly. My lips feel soft, buttery, and pillow-y; with that classic Fresh lemon-sugar fragrance and flavor. This one holds more anti-aging ingredients—like hyaluronic spheres for added hydration, and sea fennel extract to help ease fine lines on the lips. I’ve always felt it’s just as important to take care of your lips as you do your eyes, and this is the equivalent of a great eye cream, but for your lips instead.

Did you know that sugar has natural antiseptic qualities?

Sugar Advanced Therapy is a few dollars more than the original, so I’d definitely recommend reserving this as a nighttime lip treatment. (And we should be using lip products with sunscreen for daytime anyway!) But I guess the big question is…exactly what is it that makes this lip balm worth $25?

Good question.

Aside from it being from such a luxe brand with a prestigious lineup of skincare products, I’d have to say that my lips heal faster when I use Sugar and they stay hydrated longer, as it really is more of a treatment than a balm. I could honestly tell the difference the other night when I used this for the first time, within minutes. It wasn’t even half an hour before I knew I had been using something good! I keep balm on my lips almost the entire time I’m not wearing lip color, I just feel naked without it. But there’s something to be said about Sugar—it just works for me, and quickly. The only problem is, I want more. And then some more! This makes for a pretty costly habit.

One of the features I love about Fresh’s lip products, is that they’re housed in a sleek metal component in which the base screws into the cap. This ensures that when it winds up in the bottom of your purse (as all lip products go there to hide), the lid stays attached. Have you ever dug your nails into your favorite lippie because the cap fell off? UGH.

Bottom Line: If your lips just aren’t being soothed by other products this time of the year, and you can budget this one, I do recommend it. I’ll be replacing this tube, but I’ll reserve it for dire daytime lip emergencies and overnight use. It would have earned a perfect score if it wasn’t so dang pricey!