When the first few products from Hailey Bieber’s Rhode were released in June 2022, the peptide lip treatment, now a cult classic, took second place to the glazing fluid that inspired the “glazed donut skin” trend. Flash forward to now, and Rhode’s peptide lip treatment is not only at the forefront of the brand but has also become a trendsetter for the rest of the beauty industry.
Lips are currently the fastest-growing beauty category, and oils, balms, and glosses are being released at the quickest rate. This comeback has been compared to the Lancome Juicy Tube and Lip Smacker mania of the early 2000s and I can confirm that it’s very reminiscent of standing at the end of a Target aisle, finding it almost impossible to choose between a cotton candy or strawberry Lip Smacker.
Additionally, lip products have essentially become part of consumers’ identities. The brand association that comes with carrying your preferred lip product has almost begun to define one’s personality. Your favorite lip product has become a conversation starter, eliciting reactions like “I use that one too!” or “Have you tried…” It’s understandable why every brand wants to jump in and create its own version of a product that has become such a defining part of beauty culture.
Although the peak in popularity of lip oils, balms, and glosses is not a bad thing, it’s starting to seem as though every brand wants to jump on the bandwagon and release their own. The increasing popularity and consequent success of lip products have become totally oversaturated in the cosmetics market, prompting the question of when this might become a little excessive.
So, really, why is everyone coming out with a lip product?
The craze over lip products is almost entirely due to marketing. Of course, nobody needs a huge collection of lip products, but the way that they’re promoted to customers is what makes them so appealing. Since they’re marketed as “treatments,” “balms,” and “lip care” instead of just “gloss” and “oils,” they end up falling into the skincare category. Instead of just adding a tint or gloss, the product also moisturizes, exfoliates, and sometimes even plumps. Being considered part of skincare makes them more appealing to consumers, who now perceive these products as having a dual purpose: not only are they a part of their makeup routine, but also their skincare routine, which increases the value of the product for the consumer.
You may notice that skincare brands, not makeup brands, are the ones responsible for selling the most popular lip products. Rhode, Summer Fridays, Ole Henricksen, and Naturium are all skincare brands that are currently at the face of the lip product consumer movement. Most of these products were even initially offered as basic treatments: Rhode’s first launch consisted of three scented but clear treatments that were heavily ingredient-based, while Summer Friday’s balm was released at first as transparent and only in the vanilla scent. Once their lip product had been introduced and well received in the market, they were able to expand to new tints, flavors, and formulas which ultimately allowed them to essentially begin to sell makeup at high skincare prices.
How can you tell which products are actually worth it?
It’s getting harder to tell which lip products are actually worth it, and which were released by a brand with the sole intention of hopping on the bandwagon. If you couldn’t already tell by my frequent references to the two of them in this article, I am obviously a diehard Rhode and Summer Fridays girl. However, these products work differently for everyone, so you may want to make your own decisions rather than following what others recommend. This is when it really becomes hard to choose which product you want to try.
So, if you want to be super technical and figure out which products are truly worth the money, you might want to look into the price-per-ounce of each. Thankfully, no math is required: TikTok user Michaela (@michaelamakeup92) has already made a viral video breaking down the price per ounce of some of the internet’s most viral lip products, calling it “makeup math.” Some social media users have recently noticed that not only are some of these lip products expensive, but they also contain a small amount of product, requiring frequent repurchases. Yes, the product is good, however, once you really start to see its benefits, it’s time to repurchase.
In Michaela’s analysis, the breakdown of popular lip products revealed surprising insights into their pricing structures. Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm has a price tag of $48 per ounce. However, each tube contains only 0.5 ounces of product, rendering the cost per tube at $24. Similarly, Rhode had a comparable price point of $53 per ounce. Their product volume per tube stood at a mere 0.3 ounces, making the purchase price $16. The new Tower28 LipSoftie emerged on top in terms of value. Despite having a price of $42 per ounce, the LipSoftie has a more generous product volume per tube at 0.38 ounces, maintaining its purchase price at $16.
The key takeaway of this article is to find what works best for you among all of the options available, whether you opt for a Rhode lip treatment or maybe just reach for a good old container of Vaseline. The marketing behind the lip craze is truly remarkable, and I don’t blame any brand trying to get in on such a huge trend. When it comes down to it, picking out the newest addition to your makeup routine is not always about following trends but about making choices that reflect yourself and your own needs.