You don’t have to travel Down Under to score stars’ secret to soft lips.
While many celeb skin care routines are high-end, it turns out A-listers have been gatekeeping an under-$10 Australian drugstore staple for years.
Lucas’ Papaw Ointment — the iconic red tube seen in plenty of celebrity makeup artists’ stashes — is the multipurpose balm behind the hydrated pouts of stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman.
(It’s even rumored that Meryl Streep’s longtime MUA uses it on “The Devil Wears Prada” icon, but his lips are sealed.)
Lucas Papaw contains fermented papaya and was originally made over 100 years ago as a general-purpose treatment for dry or irritated skin.
Its long history in Hollywood first started 25 years ago, when makeup artists started using it to tame eyebrows and give lips a shiny look on TV and film sets.
And in 2023 Carpenter raved about the “super hydrating” formula in a TikTok with Allure, saying, “This is probably one of my favorite products ever to moisturize your lips with.”
Blanchette shared the same sentiment with Elle UK back in 2015, saying that “dry skin is the worst, and I hate having dry lips, so I always keep my Lucas Papaw Ointment handy.”
Fashion designer Alexa Chung also name-checked it in a Vogue “Beauty Secrets” video in 2019, saying she discovered it while she was in Australia — and wanted to import the “magical mouth serum” to the rest of the world.
Customers are likewise enamored, with reviewers saying they use it for everything from burns, bites, cuticles and nicks to dermatitis — plus, of course, dry, chapped lips.
If you’re looking for the ultimate multitasker to keep your lips supple, don’t skip this red-hot tip.
Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping
This article was written by Erica Radol, Page Six Commerce Reporter. From identifying the top anti-aging skincare secrets the stars trust to dishing on the latest fashion collabs to finding a great deal on all of the above, Erica has a knack for reporting on – and even testing – Hollywood’s bestselling fashion and beauty products. Before joining Page Six in 2025, she wrote about entertainment, lifestyle and shopping trends for Us Weekly, The Daily Beast, Entertainment Tonight, Well+Good and Hearst.
