This article is part of our series Battle of the Brands, in which we compare category-leading products to their counterparts to determine which are actually worth your money.
2023 was truly the year of glossy lips, thanks to the popularity of certain beauty trends like “cherry cola lips” and “strawberry makeup.” Multitasking lip products were also at the center of attention, with Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment soaring to popularity. Praised for their moisturizing formulas, glossy finishes and mouth-watering flavors (salted caramel, anyone?), both products have gained a dedicated fan base, with TikTokers routinely ranking their favorite flavors and sharing their favorite lip combos.
We don’t expect the love for lip balms that double as gloss to die down anytime soon, so we decided to test the performance of these two popular options against each other to see which is worth your money.
Let’s dig into the review.
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm vs. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment at a glance
Formulated from a blend of vegan waxes and shea and murumuru butters, this lip butter balm conditions dry lips and can be used as an overnight lip mask.
This nourishing lip treatment plumps and softens lips, thanks to a blend of shea butter, peptides, cupuaçu and babassu.
Quick comparison
| Key Ingredients | Shea butter, murumuru butter, vegan waxes |
|---|---|
| Flavors | 7 |
| Size | 0.5 oz. |
| Price | $24 |
| Key Ingredients | Peptides, shea butter, cupuaçu, babassu |
|---|---|
| Flavors | 4 |
| Size | 0.3 oz. |
| Price | $16 |
Summer Fridays’ vanilla scent is more subtle
Both lip products smell just as lovely as the internet says they do, but if I had to pick between the two, Summer Fridays’ version would be my choice. The Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm has a subtle vanilla flavor that’s sweet but not syrupy or artificial smelling. And as my sister perfectly pointed out, it’s reminiscent of the vanilla coating on mint Tic Tacs in the best way possible.
The Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment on the other hand, reminds me of vanilla frosting, which makes perfect sense considering the product was formerly called Vanilla Cake. With both lip products, I did notice there was a slight chemical taste after applying them, but it’s not something that bothers me, as I have yet to find a lip product that doesn’t have some sort of an aftertaste.
Rhode’s peptide treatment plumps lips
I hate the feeling of having dry lips, so I never leave the house without a tube of Blistex or a travel-size tub of Vaseline in my bag. That may change, however, now that I know how well the peptide lip treatment and the lip butter balm work. Both products deeply nourish lips while leaving behind a nonsticky, glossy shine. And when I say deeply nourish, I mean deeply nourish. Even after hours had passed, my lips still felt pillowy soft. Thanks to their conditioning abilities, both lip products double as overnight lip masks. Though I did find myself having to reapply the lip butter balm more frequently than the peptide lip treatment, I was still impressed by how conditioned and smooth it left my lips feeling.
View this interactive content on CNN.comVegan, gluten and cruelty-free, Summer Fridays’ lip butter is formulated from a blend of vegan waxes and shea and murumuru seed butters. According to Healthline, murumuru seed butter is derived from the seeds of the Astrocaryum murumuru, a palm tree native to the Amazon. Thanks to its high fat content, it’s an effective emollient.
As a peptide treatment, the peptides in the Rhode lip treatment work to plump lips and reduce the appearance of fine lines. It’s also formulated with shea butter, along with cupuaçu to aid with skin elasticity and babassu to aid with skin moisture. According to Healthline, cupuaçu, is derived from the seeds of the cupuaçu tree, while babassu is derived from the seeds of the babassu palm, which is native to the South American rainforests.
Summer Fridays’ lip butter is thicker
Both the lip butter balm and the peptide lip treatment fall somewhere between a lip gloss and a lip balm and are comfortable on the lips without feeling tacky or heavy. Underscored’s associate beauty editor, Sophie Shaw, has been using both products for around a year, and according to her, “Rhode feels closer to a traditional lip gloss” since it has a “runnier consistency than the Summer Fridays lip balm.” Shaw also notes that “because Summer Fridays calls itself a lip butter, I feel like that butteriness comes through in a more balmy consistency that really sticks to the lips. I also find it takes just a bit more effort to squeeze the Summer Fridays lip balm out of the tube because of its slightly thicker consistency, which means I usually end up using less product.” While I didn’t hold back when it came to slathering my lips with the products, I agree that the lip butter balm is slightly thicker and you could probably get away with using less product.
It’s also worth mentioning that over time, some reviewers have noticed their Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment becoming gritty in certain spots. While Shaw acknowledges that “a couple, but not all, of my Rhode lip balms now have little gritty spots in them that I can feel on my lips,” she also mentions that “they aren’t really visible.” Consistency aside, the versatility of both the lip butter balm and the peptide lip treatment is one of the biggest selling points for me. Both can be worn on their own for a glossy look or, if you prefer a less shiny finish, can be worked into the lips for a more natural appearance. They can also be worn with a lip liner, under your favorite lip products or over other lip products like a matte lipstick or a lip tint.
Summer Fridays’ tube is larger
The applicator and the size of the tube are the biggest differences between the two products. The Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm uses a clear and flexible bio-resin applicator, which provides a massage effect on the lips, while the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment uses a traditional plastic applicator. The Summer Fridays balm is also the bigger tube at 0.5 fluid ounces while Rhode’s tube holds 0.3 fluid ounces. As noted above, because the Summer Fridays Butter Balm has a thicker consistency than the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment, you can get away with using less of the butter balm.
Aesthetically, both brands have a similar minimalist look. That said, Shaw did point out that the matte coating on the Rhode tubes and caps started peeling after a “few months of being tossed around in [her] tote bags and being transferred from purse to purse.” Though Shaw notes “it’s not a huge deal,” she also says that she hasn’t noticed “anything like that with the Summer Fridays’ tubes.”
Bottom line
While you really can’t go wrong with either product, if you bring cost into the equation, Rhode is the better pick here. At $14 for 0.3 fluid ounces versus $24 for 0.5 fluid ounces, the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment is the more cost-effective choice. While Summer Fridays technically offers more options than Rhode — there are currently seven butter balms in total (five of which are tinted) and only four peptide lip treatments — Rhode also has its peptide lip tints, which are available in four different shades and have the same formula as the lip treatments. Though I have yet to try any of the other flavors or shades, I’m already eyeing the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Salted Caramel and the Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Brown Sugar for a sheer wash of color.