How Lip Products Have Become a Status Symbol

Sticky, with a heady gourmand fragrance, and heavy, with a lacquer that projected confidence, sparkly lip glosses and flavored lip balms have long been the gateway products to the beauty aisle. Whether it was a Lip Smacker (in the Dr Pepper flavor, no less), a classic egg-shaped lip balm from Eos, or cherry ChapStick à la Katy Perry’s 2008 “I Kissed a Girl,” we all remember our very first tube, which subsequently turned into a full-blown collection. Lil Mama’s 2007 hit, “Lip Gloss,” was less of a song and more of a shopping list, as everyone immediately ran to the mall to grab the more “grown-up” evolutions of lip products: Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss, Clinique’s Black Honey, Mac Cosmetics’ Lipglass, and L’Oréal Paris Colour Juice. No monogrammed shoulder bag was complete without a tube or two rattling around. But much like its consumers, lip glosses have grown up.

A far cry from their inception in the noughties, the next generation of beauty brands, like Summer Fridays, Ami Colé, Tower 28, Rhode, and Laneige, are much more focused on “lip care” with hydrating, repairing ingredients like peptides and hyaluronic acid. In fact, many products that the latest consumer would consider a lip gloss and utilize in the same way are not lip glosses at all. Lip oils, liquid balms, plumpers, tints, stains, jellies, treatments, and masks—many of the most viral lip products—border skincare territory. 

“Lips are the unsung heroes of your face,” says Soyoung Kang, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Eos Products. “They’re the hardest-working parts—talking, eating, smiling—despite also being the most sensitive skin. What we’re witnessing is that people are now taking care of their lips as much as their facial skin or their eye area. I think lips are finally getting the TLC they deserve.”

One could quickly point to social media and our shared fascination with having healthy-looking skin for the resurgence of shiny lips. The prevailing school of thought? Plump, shiny lips are hydrated lips, and hydrated lips are healthy lips. But on a deeper level, health and the appearance of health aren’t the only things that matter.

Unlike long-wearing lipsticks or stay-all-day stains, lip glosses need to be reapplied often. The public act of gloss application—open for consumption everywhere from bathroom sinks at a restaurant to a ride on the subway to an office desk—has become an interest and topic on its own. “The beauty category has always been inherently social, and bonding over product recommendations is such a great way to spark and deepen friendships,” Kang says, “I can’t even count the number of times I’ve made a new friend by complimenting their lip product shade or gushing over a shared love for products.”

In a world where concealing application techniques or favorite products can be seen as gatekeeping, many see the act of sharing beauty secrets as a way to gain closeness and community. “Beauty is such a personal topic, so it feels like you’re pulling back the curtain a bit and letting someone in when you tell them about who you are through your holy-grail products,” says Amy Liu, the founder and CEO of Tower 28.

Aside from the social cachet carrying the latest shade or formula gains you, beauty products are also a way of showing status financially, especially during economic downturns. Anyone who took Economics 101 in college knows about “the lipstick effect,” also known as the lipstick index. The theory reflects that consumers turn to small indulgences during economic recessions when they cannot afford larger luxuries. Although it was initially conceptualized with traditional lipstick formulas in mind, one can’t help but wonder if, due to the shifting consumer interest in lip product formulas, we’re experiencing an offshoot of this theory—”the lip gloss effect”—in America’s current economic climate. Even the most high-end lip glosses from luxury houses like Dior, Chanel, Hermès, and Armani rarely skim above the $50 mark, with most brands pricing lip products around $25.

No matter the product’s price point, one thing stands true: Consumers expect the products they pick up to perform. After all, in a crowded beauty market, lip glosses that don’t meet consumer expectations of looking and feeling good rarely make the cut. “Consumers are really savvy, so I think that the formula itself—which includes the scent and shade—is what keeps people coming back to their favorite lip products. With so much information shared via social media and on beauty sites, you can’t fool people into buying mediocre products,” Kang says.

“If you look at iconic lip products, there is something collectible about them—flavors, juicy colors—and they also need to have a truly sensorial feel and demonstrable benefit,” Liu says, “Specific to lip, clean [ingredients] are also top of mind. People are very conscious and educated about what they’re putting on their skin, and it’s even more true for lips because you’re also ingesting it. When we developed our ShineOn Lip Jellies, I knew that they had to be exceptional in every way: They had to impart a shine without the dreaded stickiness, maintain an accessible price point, and be 100% clean and safe for even the most sensitive skin, and the color payoff had to deliver.”

For today’s consumer, aesthetics are just as important (if not more so) as having a winning formula. From precision applicators to whimsical, limited-edition flavors like cookie dough to bottles decked out in Y2K-inspired charms, brands know that packaging is a crucial selling point for many. The most recent brand to push the creative envelope comes from Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, which went viral for releasing iPhone cases that coordinate with the colors of her Rhode Lip Peptide Treatment. “Lip products might be the only beauty staples that we pull out multiple times throughout the day, so why not spark a little joy with a more beautifully designed package?” Kang says. “Seeing a thoughtfully crafted product makes people happy, and since others see your lip products too, they can be an extension of your style.”

Liu agrees, adding, “Lip products, more than any other beauty products, come with you on the go. It’s important that they make their way into your lifestyle, which includes aesthetics. For both our ShineOn Lip Jellies and LipSofties, I wanted the products to look and feel playful and nostalgic (inspired by Lancôme Juicy Tubes and Carmex), plus collectible and modern.”

As ’90s and 2000s babies gain traction as the new era of adults with money to spend, perhaps the most essential factor in deciding what makes an It lippie is not formula, packaging, or color at all—it just might be nostalgia. Whether it’s the cool and calming feel of a smooth, round lip balm glide or the sugary-sweet scent that transports you back to your elementary school bus, there’s a reason why certain beauty products make hearts flutter. The appearance, feel, and scent of specific makeup, skincare, and fragrances can trigger a nostalgic feeling, instantly transporting you back in time and providing a comforting familiarity in what can often feel like a chaotic, turbulent world.

“I remember being obsessed with those roll-on lip glosses that taste like fruity bubble gum. I just loved the sensation of rolling that thick, shiny gloss over my lips and getting a waft of that yummy scent right under my nose,” Kang says, “Smell is such a primal sensation; it’s a memory that will live in my brain forever.”

Liu also has fond memories of collecting lip products—specifically, the Mac Cosmetics Spice Lip Liner and the Lancôme Juicy Tubes. Liu says, “They made me feel so confident and grown up, and looking back now, I think it’s a great example of how beauty products can change the way a person walks through the world. It’s so fun to watch my daughters start to experiment with different products as well, and it’s really a full-circle moment that most of those products are Tower 28’s,” Liu says.

As the beauty industry marches on and more brands fill the shelves, it’s nearly guaranteed that another It gloss will claim the spotlight. However, no matter the latest trend, the undercurrent of nostalgia and social connection continues to pass through each gloss as it builds on formulas from yesteryear, creating new traditions and memories.