I Tested Five Drugstore Versions of Jones Road Miracle Balm

Burt’s Bees came out with its own version in 2021, about a year after Jones Road’s. It used to come in a dusty-pink shade and is now only available in a sheer option, but I had to test it out, especially since it’s named the Miracle Balm. BB’s consistency is much lighter than JR’s. Even compared to other skin-care balms, the BB one is one of the most lightweight ones I’ve tried. This makes it easy to dab on as a highlighter, so I tested it against JR’s Golden Hour. (Admittedly, I should have gone with the colorless option, but I didn’t know this was an option at the time.) BB’s balm is extremely subtle, almost too much so for my preferences. It looked like I had a little extra moisturizer on the areas I applied it to. I didn’t dislike this, but I usually like a little shimmer. JR’s was just the right amount to make my cheekbones pop. I will give the BB this: It is very moisturizing and non-greasy. I was even able to use it on my hands, and it sank in fully in about five minutes. I’d say BB’s Miracle Balm is more akin to a lightweight Aquaphor. It has its place, which I’ve found is a staple in rotation oflip balms, but it’s in no way a replacement for Jones Road.

Versed’s Everything Balm was released this May and comes in four shades. I tested Versed’s Canyon against Jones Road’s Chic shade to mimic a sun-kissed look. Versed’s is much smoother and more pigmented than JR’s; one light swipe of it and my finger had enough product for one of my cheeks (JR’s requires pressing into the product a bit more). The Versed balm is easily blendable but, I’d say, a little less forgiving than JR’s since it’s more pigmented. It dries down to a slightly less dewy flush than JR’s, but it’s not matte by any means. And as far as staying power goes, JR took the cake. I applied each to my cheeks, and a couple hours later, my Miracle Balm side had stayed mostly in place while the Versed side had rubbed off. I chalked this up to the slipperiness of Versed’s product. It works well underneath a powder to create a natural-looking flush, but the mousse-like consistency doesn’t match Miracle Balm’s.

Bayfree is a new-to-me brand I found while digging for other drugstore Miracle Balm-esque products. This one seemed promising, since it’s marketed as a sheer multiuse wash of color with some hydrating skin-care ingredients. It has a balmy consistency much closer to JR’s than Versed — less slip and slightly more grip — but still not as thick as JR. The pigment was not as sheer as I expected, though. I’d say it has even more pigment than Versed’s, and out of all the balms I tested, this was the least dewy and hydrating. It didn’t add any glowiness to my skin, just more color. Because of this, I’d definitely categorize it as a blush rather than a multi-use balm, especially given that it’s available in mostly pink hues.

Revolution Beauty’s Balm Glow ($13 for 1.12-ounces) is less than half the price of JR’s Miracle Balm ($38 for 1.75-ounces), and I was hoping it was a worthy dupe. It has the thickest, creamiest consistency of the balms I tested; I’d say it’s similar to a clay face mask. It’s much more pigmented than JR, but it can be blended down to a sheerer tint. At first, I thought this was the closest match to JR, but after applying the rest of my makeup, I realized my face still felt tacky where I’d applied the product. Rather than sinking in nicely like JR, this sat on top of my skin. Strands of my hair kept sticking to my cheeks, so I ended up wiping most of the product off. A close contender, but I couldn’t get past the tackiness of the product.

Last up: Revlon’s Glimmer Balm, which was released this June. What stood out to me was that it comes in a broader range of shades, including pink and brown tones, similar to JR’s (though not nearly as extensive). It has very similar packaging to Miracle Balm and even looks like it has a waxy layer when you first open it. It’s not nearly as silky as Versed’s balm and not as clayey as Revolution’s, but it has a good in-between creaminess. One dab of Revlon was enough to flush out my cheeks for a sun-kissed dewy look. Unlike Revolution’s, this sank into my skin, adding a little moisture to my cheeks without leaving any unwanted residue. I noted just two small issues, though they could be deal-breakers for others. First is that Revlon’s has slightly more shimmer to it. I don’t mind this, but if you’re truly going for a no-makeup-makeup look, this could be too much. Second, the product isn’t as long lasting. By hour two, I noticed my cheeks weren’t as flushed as when I’d initially applied it. I had to reapply throughout the day, so I’d definitely go through this faster than my JR. That being said, this was the closest thing to Miracle Balm I could find, and a tin of it costs only $14.