Lip makeup was a top performer in the prestige beauty category 2023, per Circana, spiking 31% year-over-yeara, or twice the rate of the overall category.
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Lip makeup was a top performer in the prestige beauty category 2023, per Circana, spiking 31% year-over-yeara, or twice the rate of the overall category.
But in the latest annual sales results, it wasn’t lipstick on top. It was actually tinted balms and oils, the latter of which nearly tripled in 2023, pointing to high engagement in multifunctionality and hybridized innovations.
This aligns with Euromonitor datab spanning the first nine months of 2023, which noted that “other lip products”—excluding lip liners and lip pencils—posted the greatest online sales growth of any beauty or personal care category tracked by the firm.
In fact, those “other lip product" sales increased more than 2x compared to the same period of 2022. Similar to the Circana findings, top performers included lip serums, tinted lip oils and "other products designed to enhance their lip features.”
And, if there was any doubt about the popularity of lip products, Hailey Bieber nearly broke the internet in February 2024 by debuting the Rhode lip case, a silicone phone case with a built-in notch that can hold one of the brand’s peptide lip tints, which feature shea butter (we’ll be hearing this ingredient call out a lot in the lip category), peptides, cupuaçu and microbiome-friendly babassu.
Butter Balms: Moisturizing & Tinted
In February 2024, Spate noted that online searches for lip butter balms jumped nearly 70% year-over-year, with key associated ingredients including moisturizing shea butter and cocoa butter.zigres at Adobe Stock
Related claims consumers were searching for included moisture, shine, unscented, conditioning and intensive care, per Spate.
Tinted balm formats either recently launched on the market or recently expanded into new retail channels include Tower 28 Beauty’s LipSoftie Hydrating Tinted Lip Treatment Balm featuring that search-term favorite shea butter as well as jojoba oil and lysine, and Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm for Hydration & Shine, featuring shea (again) and murumuru seed butters as well as vegan waxes.
On the plumping end of the spectrum, we have Hourglass’ Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm featuring cooling menthyl lactate and a conditioning complex of emollients and oils.
One interesting launch that calls out ingredients in its name is Charlotte Tilbury’s Hyaluronic Happikiss Lipstick Balm featuring hyaluronic acid, C-peptide and emollients.
Lip Oils: Hydration & Cover
Lip oils recently experienced a nearly 28% year-over-year jump in searches; pictured: Bloss+ by JamieMakeup, a plumping gloss.JamieMakeup
Tinted lip oil formats either recently launched on the market or expanded into new retail channels include Summer Fridays’ Dream Lip Oil for Moisturizing Sheer Coverage featuring vitamin E and a vegan oil complex; Fenty Skin’s Fenty Treatz Hydrating + Strengthening Lip Oil featuring Barbados cherry extract; and Milk Makeup’s Kush Hydrating Sheer Lip Oil featuring hemp seed oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil, as well as Japanese camellia seed oil.
Taking inspiration from the lip oil and balm boom, turnkey and packaging manufacturer Cosmopak recently took the hybrid trend one step further with its sheer lip oil balm, which is housed in the company’s Ecoforward Metal Slimstick and offers light application and slight laydown of pigments.
Plumping Glosses: Filler Alternatives
It's also important to touch on Plumping Glosses, which have witnessed a number of new introductions.
IL Cosmetics’ vegan Plumping Creamy Matte lipstick brings a different finish to a category typically dominated by glossy, satin and demi-matte effects.IL Cosmetics
No wonder innovation in plumping concepts is so robust.
Recent plumping launches include: Haus Labs by Lady Gaga’s PhD Hybrid Lip Glaze Plumping Gloss featuring prickly pear oil, vegan collagen, and a blend of Sederma’s Maxi-Lip and Volulip for visibly fuller lips without the burn.
Maxi Lip reportedly stimulates collagen and hyaluronic acid synthesis. Meanwhile, Sederma’s Volulip active is said to plump lips via hyaluronic acid synthesis.
Maxi Lip also shows up in Lawless’ Forget The Filler Lip Plumper Line Smoothing Gloss, which also comprises shea butter and hyaluronic acid.
Elsewhere in the plumping gloss category are: NYX Professional Makeup’s Duck Plump Extreme Sensation Plumping Gloss, available in 18 shades and featuring spicy ginger oil for an instant and long-term plumping effect, and Patrick Ta’s Major Volume Plumping Lip Gloss featuring jojoba oil, peppermint and vitamin E.
Plumping claims are also impacting the lipstick category. To capture the trend, IL Cosmetics’ vegan Plumping Creamy Matte lipstick brings a different finish to a category typically dominated by glossy, satin and demi-matte effects.
The formulation comprises the company’s Spice N’Hot Technology, featuring two lip-volumizing ingredients—one for tingling sensations and another for hot and spicy sensations.
The ultra-matte, high-pay-off and ultra-light liquid lipstick delivers more than 8 hours of wear, per the company.
Multifunctional Lip Products on the Rise
A recent Mintel analysis noted that moderate makeup users appreciate multi-use products such as sticks or powders that can be simultaneously applied to the lips, cheeks, eyes and more; pictured is Caliray's Socal Superbloom Lip + Cheek Tint Soft Stain Blush, which is infused with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane to add a burst of hydration, reduce inflammation and help retain skin elasticity.Caliray
A recent Mintel analysise noted that moderate makeup users appreciate multi-use products such as sticks or powders that can be simultaneously applied to the lips, cheeks, eyes and more.
This same cohort seeks out product formats that don’t require extra brushes or applicators, maximizing convenience. Many of these formulations may feature skin-friendly materials.
Multifunctionality can also lead to social media fame for brands. For instance, in February 2024, Trendalyticsf flagged Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Jelly Tint for its TikTok virality. The formulation’s texture and pigmentation made it a winner with users on social media. Among its key ingredients are vegan collagen, aloe and seawater for hydration.
Other multifunctionals in the space include AF94’s accessibly priced Playdate Multi-Use Cheek + Lip Color, which reportedly “adds a dreamy wash of popsicle-stained color wherever you want it most," as well as MadHippie’s Cheek & Lip Tint, featuring sea buckthorn, blueberry, and jojoba and shea butter, and Caliray’s Socal Superbloom Lip + Cheek Hydrating Soft Stain, featuring hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalene.
Cosmogen used its D16 tube, which contains recycled plastic, for Clarins’ Lip Perfector launch.Clarins/Cosmogen
The formulation is designed to glide over the lips, leaving them shiny and sparkling in just one swipe. On the cheeks, it provides a boost of radiance for a natural healthy glow.
Cross-category Inspiration
There’s some interesting cross-category innovation happening in the lip category, as seen with Sacheu Beauty’s viral Stay-n-Peel-Off Lip Liner Tattoo.Sacheau Beauty
The concept was born out of a 2022 TikTok post from founder Sarah Cheung who used a brow tint to line her lips. In the video, Cheung left the product on for a few minutes, then peeled it off, revealing a distinct and durable line that could then be filled in with a lip color.
That concept has now been converted into a liner that works similarly, with users letting the product sit 10-20 minutes before peeling it away to reveal a durable outline.
The liner, featuring hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, is now launching at Ulta in-store.
Next: Neuro Lips?
Shield+Heal pairs lip care with aromachology-inspired scents intended to improve moods and a sense of well-being.Shield+Heal
One brand, Shield+Heal, doesn’t use tints, but its concepts may be of interest to color cosmetic brands seeking to add a feel-good, neurocosmetic dimension to their product innovation.
Shield+Heal pairs lip care with aromachology-inspired scents from Firmenich that are intended to improve moods and a sense of well-being.
The brand's botanical lip balms, which retail at Target and Amazon, feature notes of “fresh watermelon, strawberry, mint, warm sun musk, and crushed violet leaves,” offering a “sensory self-care moment that helps soothe and comfort the mind from daily stressors,” per the brand.
New Lip Color & Care Concepts: Ingredients, Formulas & Packaging
Private label beauty manufacturer Lady Burd has developed Lip Stains that reportedly deliver long-lasting color, gliding on silky-smooth for all day wear and a smudge-proof pout.Lady Burd
Cosmopak's sheer lip oil balm (center) is housed in the company’s Ecoforward Metal Slimstick and offes light application and slight laydown of pigments. Its lip gloss (foreground) features skin-friendly ingredients housed in the company’s magnetic vial for quick-release—with a pleasing, ASMR-like sound—and easy application. The range’s liquid lipstick pen (left/top), meanwhile, is housed in an airtight twist pen design for mess-free and precise, buildable application. The airtight pens are designed to extend the shelf life of products like liquid lipsticks, as well as eyeshadows and concealers. The available brush tips are reportedly easy to clean, while the pen’s valve evacuates all product.Cosmopak
Elsewhere, Cosmopak has developed a color range that includes a lip gloss featuring skin-friendly ingredients housed in the company’s magnetic vial for quick-release—with a pleasing, ASMR-like sound—and easy application.
The range’s liquid lipstick pen, meanwhile, is housed in an airtight twist pen design for mess-free and precise, buildable application. The airtight pens are designed to extend the shelf life of products like liquid lipsticks, as well as eyeshadows and concealers. The available brush tips are reportedly easy to clean, while the pen’s valve evacuates all product.
Cosmogen has launched a paper stick (capacity: 45 g) comprising 78% FSC paper for anhydrous formulas such as lipsticks.Cosmogen
Using the company’s rotative system, consumers turn the bottom part of the paper stick, thereby lowering the outer tube to reveal the formula inside. The paper stick is recyclable and entirely customizable to fit brand image.
Cosmogen features a 5-ml version of the Paper Stick for lipsticks or lip balms.Cosmogen
Cosmogen offers 100% PET or RPET Sticks (capacity: 3.7 g), for all types of wax and/or anhydrous formulas. Designs, which are fully customizable can feature round or square sections, variable diameters and heights. Mini versions are also available.Cosmogen
Finally, Cosmogen offers a mini lipstick pack ideal for a set of multiple color lipsticks, gifting or sampling.
Meanwhile, on the ingredient front, Shin-Etsu Silicones of Americas has developed silicone film former technologies for longer wear and comfort to optimize the performance of lip color and foundations, as well as sun care and more.
Cosmogen offers a mini lipstick pack ideal for a set of multiple color lipsticks, gifting or sampling.Cosmogen
The company’s long-wear silicone film former materials include TSPL-30-ID—Silicone Modified Pullulan (INCI: isododecane (and) trimethylsiloxysiylcarbamoyl pullulan), which supports anti-transfer benefits for long wear lip applications due to its oil resistance.
The technology features a larger molecular weight than conventional MQ resins to enhance durability without sacrificing comfort or skin feel, per Shin-Etsu. Siliconization of the pullulan polymer renders this film former permeable to moisture, oil and oxygen to support anti-transfer benefits and skin comfort.
Notably, it reportedly does not require a plasticizer and demonstrates no flaking.
Meanwhile, the company’s KF-9021-ID—Trimethylsiloxysilicate (INCI: trimethylsiloxysilicate (and) isododecane), known as MQ resin, creates hard films with improved durability over standard hard type MQs.
The isododecane content of the technology reportedly evaporates to leave behind a film that can improve a formulation's water repellency and resistance. The technology is appropriate for formulations such as makeup, sunscreens, lip color and foundations.
Improving Lip Color Manufacturing
Sea Vision, a Marchesini Group company, has developed an AI lipstick vision system in collaboration with its wholly owned AI specialist, Argo Vision.Marchesini Group
The A-Eye system boosts the quality control of lipsticks by tapping proprietary software and algorithms to assess the quality of individual units during the production process.
A-Eye’s cameras capture 360-degree images of each lipstick, particularly focusing on the tip. The software analyzes these images to gauge quality and flag defects.
When a defect is detected, the system pings the production machine to reject any defective items.
A-Eye’s cameras capture 360-degree images of each lipstick, particularly focusing on the tip. The software analyzes these images to gauge quality and flag defects.Marchesini Group
The company says the system improves product quality and enhances production performance with its “automatic, real-time and reliable control over 100% of lipstick production.”
The AI tool can be paired with Marchesini/Cosmatic’s SM 2000 lipstick molding machine.
ProSys' RT tube filling and sealing systems offer automated filling and closing of squeeze tubes. The RT90 variant fills 90 units per minute.ProSys
The range features a manual loading station with an angled guide that allows for easy loading, per the company. A quick-change puck mounting system enables toolless changeovers among different sizes.
Both LB models offer puck tooling that fits most 0.15-ounce 500 style lip balm tubes, including those used by Inpres, Federal, CCP and Sapona.
An on-board cap sortation station features a gravity cap track to present caps for the auto capping station and the positive cap sap station ensures caps are pressed on completely.
The company also offers the RT tube filling and sealing systems that offer automated filling and closing of squeeze tubes. The system uses hot air tube sealing and reportedly works with all plastic and laminate tubes.
The RT 60 model is a medium-speed unit that offers automated filling and closing of up to 70 squeeze tubes per minute, per the company.
The RT 90 is a high-speed unit that can fill up to 90 tubes per minute.
Both units include a tube bulk bin, load ramp, orient, fill station and closure stations for plastic, laminate or aluminum tubes.
ProSys’ ProTrac high-speed fully automated system for filling and closing squeeze tubes is available in models that can fill from 140 to 220 tubes per minute.
The system features twin-head, fully automatic tube filling and closing, as well as tube bulk storage and feed, dual load stations, dual orient stations, dual servo fill stations and dual closure stations.
FOOTNOTES
awww.circana.com/industry-expertise/beauty/
bwww.euromonitor.com/article/tracking-the-winners-in-beauty-and-personal-care-e-commerce-over-the-first-nine-months-of-2023
dwww.gcimagazine.com/consumers-markets/article/22882695/lift-tuck-consumer-attitudes-toward-aesthetic-procedures
ewww.mintel.com/insights/beauty-and-personal-care/how-colour-cosmetics-brands-can-appeal-to-differenttypes-of-makeup-users
