Lip cosmetics trends: Global market overview

The global lip cosmetics market continues to evolve by prioritizing functional, versatile, and sustainable options. Lip cosmetics such as lip gloss, lip pencils, and lipsticks beautify the lips and protect them against external elements like dryness, wind, and sun.

Innova Market Insights’ Innova360 research analyzes the lip cosmetics category globally and highlights market insights, product launches, innovation, positionings, and potential future directions in the market.

Lip cosmetics product launch trends 

Product launches in the lip cosmetics category have slowed down over the past two years. Consumers prioritize makeup products containing additional skin care ingredients, reflecting Innova’s top beauty trend, “Skinifying Beauty.” This trend highlights that consumers prioritize functionality and performance, often looking for cosmetics that offer added skin care benefits. 

Brands include skin care ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, and panthenol in their products to offer nourishing, moisturizing, and barrier-strengthening benefits. These product launches align with consumer preferences and drive category growth. 

Lip cosmetics subcategories

The lipsticks subcategory leads with 69% of product launches in the lip cosmetics category over the past year, followed by the lip gloss/balms and lip pencils subcategories. 

Globally, 61% of consumers prioritize color when purchasing makeup. Brands respond to this interest by incorporating diverse shades of colors like red, pink, orange, peach, wine, coral, maroon, and nude in their lipsticks.

Lip pencil products are gaining attention, reflecting a slight growth of 2% in product launches in the last year. 

Leading lip cosmetic markets 

Europe is the top region, with an average of 56% of lip cosmetic product launches in the past year. Brands in this region focus on creating versatile cosmetic products.

Several new products now feature SPF protection against UVA/UVB damage. Product launches in Europe include emerging (less than 10%) claims such as SPF 15, SPF 20, and SPF 30, providing various levels of UV protection.Consumers increasingly seek lip cosmetics that offer beauty and skin care benefits, with multifunctional products and SPF protection driving market growth.

These launches align with Innova’s top beauty trend, “Multitasking Marvels,” revealing that brands produce multifunctional cosmetics to fit into consumers’ minimalist skin care routines.

Meanwhile, the Middle East and Africa have experienced 11% growth in product launches over the past five years.

Top lip cosmetics brands and companies 

Christian Dior, MAC Cosmetics, Kiko Cosmetics, L’Oréal, Chanel, Estée Lauder, and Coty are the top companies for lip cosmetics category launches globally. These companies account for 47% of product launches over the past year.

Christian Dior, MAC Cosmetics, Kiko Cosmetics, and L’Oréal recorded growth in the lip cosmetics market during the same period. 

Christian Dior taps into consumers’ desire for cosmetics packaging that is both sustainable and aesthetically pleasing. The company’s recent launches highlight features such as refillable packaging, limited edition designs, and recyclable materials. These offerings are crafted with a focus on attractive visuals to elevate the packaging.

Lip cosmetics positioning trends 

Globally, 31% of consumers prioritize long-lasting claims when buying makeup products. Long-lasting claims dominate the lip cosmetics category. Brands incorporate emerging (less than 10%) claims like waterproof, water-resistant, long-wear, and transfer-proof to promote long-lasting product application. 

Other leading claims in the market are moisturizing and hydrating, ethical (animal/fish and bird), no animal ingredients, and vegan. This highlights that ethical claims are common in this category. 

Other positionings growing across Europe are seasonal-related, limited editions, and dermatologically tested.

Consumers in Asia Pacific and North America prefer dye-free claims. Middle Eastern and African consumers prioritize limited edition, UV protection, and natural claims in lip cosmetic products.

What’s next in lip cosmetics trends? 

The global lip cosmetics market displays several opportunities for growth and innovation. Consumers increasingly search for added skin benefits in lip products. Brands can tap into this trend by incorporating hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, and other skin care ingredients to enhance the functionality and performance of products.

Adding SPF protection to lip products can appeal to consumers seeking sun protection products that can easily fit into their daily skin care routines. Additionally, multitasking product trends display growth potential.

Globally, consumers seek long-lasting makeup products. This trend presents an opportunity to innovate more with long-lasting waterproof, water-resistant, long-wear, and transfer-proof claims in lip products to ensure durability. Brands focusing on multifunctional, sustainable, and long-lasting options will likely fuel market growth.

This article is based on the Innova Market Insights report, “Overview in Lip Cosmetics – Global.”