Welcome to Next in Beauty, a Vogue Business series highlighting category predictions, formula innovations and new product development for 2025 and beyond, in editorial partnership with global trends intelligence and consumer insights specialist Stylus.
First, it was the lip gloss revolution. Then, customers wanted slicker, lighter and shinier lips with less fuss. Enter the tinted lip oils and balms that have flooded the market over the past two years. Now that oils and balms have boomed, what’s next?
The interest is clear. In July, a raft of brands — including (deep breath) Naturium, Fenty Beauty, Clarins, U Beauty, Sulwhasoo, Iconic London and British retailer Boots’s own brand No.7 — introduced either a tinted lip balm or a tinted lip oil, or expanded the category with new colours. Another slew of brands followed in August, among them Victoria Beckham Beauty, Rodial, Violette FR, Ole Henriksen, Etude, Byoma, Mac Cosmetics and Milk Makeup.
They joined those already leaning into lip oils and balms, such as Summer Fridays, Rhode, The Inkey List and Merit Beauty. Rhode’s Peptide Lip Tint amassed a 400,000-strong waitlist before its April launch. “The ‘skinification’ of makeup has propelled tinted lip oils and balms to the forefront of the lip category, with brands marketing products as ‘lip care’, fusing comforting skincare properties with popular plumping aesthetics,” says Maya Regan, assistant beauty trends editor at Stylus.
The category lends itself to discussions around texture, ease of application, consistency and packaging. Many of these take place on TikTok, where there are now more than 700,000 posts that mention “lip oils” and “tinted lip balms”, according to the platform. The shift away from products that offer high-shine, highly pigmented finishes to those with a balmy, oily finish is continuing, notes Antonia Baildam, who leads TikTok’s beauty brand partnerships.
The global lip care market (including lip balms and oils) was valued at $3 billion in 2023, according to Euromonitor, and is expected to grow with a compound annual growth rate of 7.9 per cent by 2028. Market research firm Circana confirms double-digit growth across lip balms and oils in the US in the first half of 2024, which drove an overall uptick in makeup sales.
Can momentum be sustained? Mac Cosmetics global head of product development Teny Kureghian predicts that demand will continue to swell. “In recent years, we’ve observed a notable shift in the lip balm market driven by consumers seeking multi-functional products that combine hydration with a hint of colour or added skincare benefits. There’s a growing demand for clean, sustainable formulations as conscious beauty continues to influence purchasing decisions.”
Comfort and nourishment are a priority
It’s not a case of focusing on comfort and nourishment at the expense of aesthetics — today’s consumers want both.
“Our first tinted lip oil [called Liplacq] was designed to offer the nourishing benefits of a traditional lip oil while producing a sheer, natural tint. Over time, we’ve had to improve the formula to enhance its staying power, colour pay-off and introduce a blend of active ingredients such as vitamins and antioxidants,” says Isamaya Ffrench Beauty CEO Federica Nicolao. Liplacq has since become the brand’s bestseller.
Rodial’s Plumping Collagen Lip Oil and Elf Cosmetics’s Glow Reviver Lip Oil also strike a balance between makeup and skincare, Regan says. Rodial’s is formulated with antioxidants such as cherry and macadamia to provide hydration and improve the lip barrier, while Elf’s is made using squalane and a blend of oils including jojoba, avocado and pomegranate oil.
Lip balms have also experienced a formula adjustment to keep up with the consumer shift. These formulas (for example Nivea’s Original Care Lip Balm and Vaseline’s Lip Therapy Tin Original) predominantly included occlusive waxes and oils such as silicones, beeswax and petroleum — known to sit on the lips, preventing transepidermal water loss (water evaporating into the air causing moisture loss).
However, as barrier repair and hydration continue to be non-negotiables in skincare, brands have had to expand their product offerings to cater to the demand. Nivea reformulated its Moisture Lip Care in 2020 to include more nourishing natural oils such as jojoba and avocado oil, and Glossier reintroduced its Balm Dotcom offering in May 2024, now combining an antioxidant blend to moisturise and protect lips.
What’s next
Increasingly, thanks to scientific advances, balms are able to measure and react to PH levels in the user’s lips and adapt colour or saturation accordingly. In May, for example, Prada Beauty launched its Prada Balm Astral Pink, which uses what it calls “micro-blushing technology” to adapt to the PH of lips, delivering a customised colour finish. Regan predicts more of this to come.
Similarly, Mac’s Glow Play Tendertalk Balm uses PH-activated technology to tailor the hue to each individual’s pout. “A surge in hybrid lip products that seamlessly blend colour with care innovation will not only enhance the appearance of lips, but also deliver tangible, immediate and long-lasting benefits, setting a new industry standard,” says Kureghian.
Elsewhere, Japanese beauty conglomerate Shiseido developed its “water-sensing technology” in 2023: the tech senses when water is evaporating from the lips and prevents individual colourants from separating to ensure long-lasting colour adherence.
Away from technology, ingredients like hyaluronic acid — which has become a superpower in skincare — are increasingly found in lip products. Brands should explore other ingredients traditionally used in skincare to see where there’s crossover, experts say.
“Hyaluronic acid will be the mainstay alongside peptides but brands should explore chemical exfoliators such as bakuchiol,” adds Nicole Ho, cosmetic chemist and head of research and development at Genie Supply Labs. “For example, Rhode’s Peptide Lip Tint has a peptide that acts as a messenger for reconstruction and repair, helping lips look more youthful and plumper.”
Packaging, too, will evolve as younger consumers seek tactile and sensorial features. “Packaging that delights the senses through playful interactions or tactile shapes are key trends to watch, such as twisting gestures and organic smooth forms. As well as this, refillable and lightweight vessels meet the needs of both consumers and the environment,” Regan says.
“The tinted lip balms and oils that will endure the market evolution will be those that truly work to provide secondary skincare and personalised benefits tailored to the user’s goals and concerns,” concludes Colette Laxton, co-founder of The Inkey List.
This article has since been updated.
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