It’s a universal experience: the thrill of buying your first lip product, likely a Lancôme Juicy Tube, M.A.C Lipglass, or Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker. Lip glosses and tinted balms have historically been the stepping stone to building a makeup routine, especially before graduating to a true full-coverage lipstick. Today, there are more gateway glosses than ever from just about every makeup brand, including major players like Summer Fridays and Rhode, whose brand successes can be attributed to their powerhouse formulas. It’s rarer to find a lipstick bullet in a makeup bag these days than half a dozen hydrating lip glosses—no matter the age of its owner.
“It’s all about ease, and there’s a real effortlessness to lip glosses and balms,” says makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. “You don’t have to worry about smudging or reapplying, yet it adds something special to the lips.”
Not to mention that lustrous formulas are easy on the eyes—and algorithm. It’s the reason a TikTok video of someone applying lip gloss nearly always sparks a passionate comment section, with many praising the product or even asking for the shade so they can go and buy it themselves. Known as the lip-gloss tactic, it’s a strategy that content creators have used at the start of a video to gain the attention of viewers. But lip gloss is more than a shiny object—it’s a product category that is expected to generate up to $5.55 billion a year by 2032, according to a report by Market Research Future.
Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Oil Luminizing Lip Oil 'N Gloss
e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmer
Yves Saint Laurent YSL Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss
r.e.m. beauty Essential Drip Glossy Balm
Rhode Peptide Lip Tint
Makeup by Mario SuperShine Lip Gloss
Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
Sarah Creal The Adults are Talking Solid Serum Lip Repair Balm
Summer Fridays founders Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland’s cult-favorite Lip Butter Balm grew out of a desire to add flavor and fun to the category when they were launching the formula in 2020. “We want products that feel as good as they look,” Hewitt says. “When Lip Butter Balm came out, our goal was to create something that was ultra nourishing like a balm yet gave you the shine of a gloss, all while tasting delicious.” Five years later, the brand carries nine shades in delectable flavors like Pink Sugar, Cherry, and Iced Coffee.
Then there’s Hailey Bieber, who helped create the lip balm as status symbol with her brand Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment and Peptide Lip Tint. Owning an $18 Rhode lip gloss—or, better yet, carrying it in the brand’s custom phone case that has a convenient slot to hold the tube—is like the affordable-makeup equivalent of carrying a bag like the Row’s Margaux or an Hermès Birkin.
Even though these balms act as a collectible treat or prized possession, the formulas don’t lack in substance. “We are applying hydration to our lips constantly, and rich, emollient glosses, especially newer formulas, just feel good,” says makeup artist Romy Soleimani.
Beauty veteran and product developer Sarah Creal, who recently launched a tinted balm for her eponymous line, says the keys to creating the Goldilocks of lip balms, and one that feels good on the lips, are four-fold: “Great cushion, moisturization, pretty color payoff, and longevity,” she explains.
This is where good-for-your-lip ingredients come into play. Peptides have popped up in just about every lip treatment on the market, from Rhode to Scarlett Johansson's The Outset. “Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as building blocks for proteins like collagen and elastin,” Krupa Koestline, a cosmetic chemist and founder of KKT Innovation Labs, says. “On the lips, peptides can improve skin elasticity, firmness, and texture while also boosting collagen production, which can make lips appear plumper and fuller. They’re also helpful for hydration because they can enhance the skin barrier function, reducing moisture loss.”
Hermès Rouge Hermès Silky Lipstick Shine, Rouge Brique
Isamaya Metal Lip Balm
Tower 28 Beauty LipSoftie Hydrating Tinted Lip Treatment Balm
The Outset Lip Oasis Glossy Treatment
Lawless ForgetThe Filler Lip Plumper Line Gloss in Strawberry Popsicle
Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm
Estée Lauder Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick
Violette_FR Bisou Balm
Aside from skincare-infused lip products, the other major differentiator between today’s options and those of the past is wearability. “There’s been major innovation in the formulas,” Soleimani says. “The glosses of the ’90s and early 2000s looked good, lasted long, and were incredibly reflective, but they were sticky and just sat on top of lips. Their main purpose was to add shine.”
Take the Dior Addict Lip Glow, for example. First launched in 2009, the first-of-its-kind luxury, pH-activated balm-stain “became a viral product before we even talked about viral products,” says Peter Philips, the creative and image director of Christian Dior Makeup. The beloved formula got a major upgrade this year. Whereas it once was available in only cool pink tones, a new innovation in pH technology allowed for an expansion to 21 warm and cool shades. “It should be applied effortlessly,” Philips adds, noting that it can be used alone or even as a primer for lipstick. “And the advantage is that you don’t really have to use a mirror.”
Shine today comes in many pleasant forms, including lip oils—the next generation of gloss to have taken the market by storm. “Lip oils bring a whole new sensorial experience to our lip-care lineup,” Ireland says of the brand’s Dream Lip Oil, which debuted in 2024 and launched new shades earlier this year. The use of a more oil-based formula acts like a “sealant” to lock in nourishment in the way a balm would, Creal explains, but with a more high-shine finish and layerable texture.
One reason for our current obsession with glossy lips: These products are meant to be reapplied often, in part because they have less staying power than traditional lipstick. “You can’t have it all,” Soleimani says to those seeking a long-lasting yet weightless and glossy lip product. In this case, a lip liner is your best friend for keeping color in place. But applying a gloss or balm is also a habitual comfort—and a moment to show off your viral product of choice. “There are so many options, like oils, serums, and balm hybrids, that work while looking great. Just expect to reapply and enjoy the process,” Soleimani adds.
