Softwear Exfoliating and Hydrating Daily Lip Treatment with Squalane + AHA — Reddit Reviews
by Experiment
Updated November 10, 2026
63% squalane lip treatment for hydration and light exfoliation; pricey for tiny tube.
What the community says
A thick, unscented lip treatment pairing 63% squalane, petrolatum, and hydroxycaprylic acid for overnight cushioning and light exfoliation. It suits severely chapped lips and cold-weather use, though the small tube is expensive and results may not last long-term.
What this means for you
What people love
- Long-lasting hydration for chapped lips
- Unscented, tasteless, minimal-shine finish
- Handles cold weather without sticky grease
Product details
Based on limited Reddit discussion so far
Where to buy
What the science says
Petrolatum has some evidence of helping the skin barrier, with most studies finding it helped skin hold water and lowered water loss 1. It improved dry, rough skin in some studies, but it did not clearly help every barrier problem, such as established irritation 1. For eczema, petrolatum has some evidence of lowering symptom severity and scaling in most studies, though one study found another moisturizer helped more 2.
- Petrolatum for skin barrier Some evidence · 22 studies
- Petrolatum for eczema Some evidence · 8 studies
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
How we grade researchFull ingredient list · 18
Experiment Softwear Exfoliating and Hydrating Daily Lip Treatment with Squalane + AHA ingredients
Squalane, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Petrolatum, Punica Granatum Sterols, Water, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Octyldodecanol, Glycerin, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Silica Silylate, Hydroxycaprylic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylpropanediol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol
Listed in label order, highest concentration first. Linked ingredients have their own page.
Real Reddit threads — 8 mentions across 7 threads
Experiment Softwear Exfoliating and Hydrating Daily Lip Treatment with Squalane + AHA on Reddit, in one place — 7 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare and r/SkincareAddiction, summarized.
“Softwear by Experiment Beauty”
Positive
“Unscented, comes in tinted options, I LOVE HER!!”
Positive
“it’s the longest lasting lip balm I’ve ever used”
Positive
“Right now, I'm using Experiment Softwear (clear) that I got as a gift, usually before bed.”
Cautionary
“It does leave my lips looking better for a day, but it doesn't seem to help longer term”
Cautionary
“and it's expensive for a tiny tube.”
Cautionary
“Experiment Beauty Softwear is my holy grail for this”
Positive
“for this”
Positive
“holy grail”
Positive
“Softwear by Experiment. It’s thick, but not sticky or overly greasy feeling”
Positive
“It has no taste or scent to it, and minimal shine”
Positive
“it held up pretty well during the extremely cold and windy snaps we had in the NYC area in January and February”
Positive
“Experiment Softwear (also contains an exfoliant) ... [is] quite good.”
Positive
“Best lip balm for chapped dry lips is Experiment's Softwear.”
Positive
“It has a light exfoliant, and super packed hydration ingredients in one product.”
Positive
“Drink plenty of water and try Experiment hydrating lip treatment.”
Positive
“Hands down, the only lip balm I have ever used that actually hydrates and doesn’t dry my lips out further.”
Positive
“They sell it at Sephora.”
Positive
