1. Colored Lipsticks
Gemma Ward’s yellow eye and lip look from Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2005 show still leaves a lasting impression. The bright yellow was a perfect match for the spring theme, and the pink lower eyelid shadow added just the right amount of vibrancy. The yellow lips and eye makeup on Gemma’s ethereal face created a surprisingly lively vibe.
Kylie Jenner’s Skylie and Freedom blue liquid lipsticks launched for Independence Day in 2016 still stand out today. Her simple eye makeup and black hair allowed her lips to pop with bold color. The lipstick’s strong coverage and the matte finish gave her lips a full, textured look.
Beyoncé has also rocked purple and blue lipsticks on stage and at red carpet events, especially her purple lip gloss, which became a trend for many young women.
Compared to these shades, green lipsticks are less common. But Kylie Jenner proved that a muted brown-green can work on deeper skin tones when paired with a highly coordinated earthy makeup look. Fans can’t deny that every color from Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits finds its perfect spot in the market.
When girls get tired of the usual pink, nude, red, and brown lipsticks, colorful lipsticks that align with holidays, seasons, or even moods bring a lot of fun. However, these products don’t have high daily usage, so customers often don’t repurchase right away. For businesses, it’s important to quickly dominate the color market and avoid selling shades that are too similar to those already proven to be popular.
2. Nude Lipsticks
In the 2000s, it was trendy to apply concealer instead of lipstick, giving the lips a pale, neutral look to highlight the eyes. Nowadays, thanks to the Kardashian girls, nude lipsticks continue to reign. Bestsellers include MAC Cosmetics “Velvet Teddy” and “Faux,” YSL’s “Rouge Pur Couture” nude shades, Charlotte Tilbury’s “Pillow Talk” series, and Kylie Cosmetics’ nude lipsticks.
When wearing nude lipsticks, girls aren’t trying to achieve pale lips; they often use a light brown lip pencil to outline their lips to make them look fuller. This is why lip liners that pair with nude lipsticks tend to sell really well.
Choosing the right nude shade depends on skin tone. Light skin works well with pink, peach, or purple nudes; medium to dark skin tones suit red or brown nudes; and deeper skin tones can pull off deep nude shades. But in the world of makeup, the range of lipstick shades isn’t so limiting. There’s always the option of layering different colors to adjust the lipstick’s appearance.
3. Gothic Dark Lips
In the 90s, the goth look was all about pale foundation without blush, brown or gray smoky eyes, sharp eyeliner, and dark lips. This year, the rise of the "mermaid" fashion trend proves that the timelessness of The Devil Wears Prada continues to influence fashion. Young women are becoming less interested in traditional feminine looks and are embracing more anti-conventional, bold aesthetics.
The emerging brand Jezzhill has made waves with its “seductress” makeup look, heavily inspired by gothic styles with exaggerated eye and lip makeup. The deep-colored makeup on models from Mugler’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection also caught attention.
These gothic lip colors aren’t just limited to black anymore. Purple and burgundy shades offer a balance of boldness and a touch of color, while high-shine glosses and transparent glosses add a sheen to the look. Layering different shades on the lips makes the goth style feel fresh and less rigid.
4. Mirror Lip Gloss
It’s obvious that Hailey Bieber’s rhode Peptide Lip Tint has dominated the lip gloss world in 2024. Thanks to her brilliant brand marketing, this unique squeeze tube gloss became a must-have for trendy girls. Its transparent, glossy finish creates a plump lip look, and with a reasonably affordable price, rhode has outperformed many established lip brands in terms of market returns.
Girls’ demand for moisturizing textures is likely to carry over into 2025. In fact, 9 out of the top 10 bestselling lip glosses of 2024 feature a mirror-like finish. Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer, Chanel’s Rouge Coco Gloss, Dior’s Dior Addict Lip Gloss, and Yves Saint Laurent’s Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain have continued to sell strong.
For customers with non-glossy lipsticks, many brands have come up with smart solutions. Fenty Beauty, Glossier, MAC, Dior, and Nars all offer their own transparent lip glosses.
Feedback from users indicates that transparent lip glosses can add a more glossy finish to matte lipsticks, showing that transparent gloss is no longer just used to alter matte lipsticks—it’s now an essential product on its own. Applying a transparent gloss after lining the lips, or simply wearing transparent gloss alone, has become a trend.
But even with the rise of mirror-like glosses, traditional shiny lipsticks aren’t losing popularity. Market research shows that while younger women prefer glosses, older women still gravitate towards classic, elegant shiny lipsticks.
5. Notice to merchants
Lipsticks are an easy product to innovate with by changing their texture, color, or marketing approach to grab attention. In 2023, the global lipstick market was valued at around $10.7 billion, and it’s expected to reach $14 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 5%.
Here’s something to keep in mind—the actual production cost of cosmetics is very low, and a lot of the price tag is for brand marketing. You’ll remember the social media buzz Hailey Bieber created with her rhode unboxing and lip gloss phone case trends, right? Celebrity influence and effective marketing propelled her products into the limelight. It’s safe to assume that Hailey’s marketing expenses far exceeded the actual production costs of the rhode lip glosses.
China accounts for 40%-50% of global cosmetic manufacturing, with Shenzhen and Dongguan being key hubs for cosmetic factories. If you visit these cities, you’ll find that even the most premium lipstick production costs less than $5 per unit—sometimes even lower if you know the right suppliers. For non-branded lipstick production, the costs are even cheaper. Based on this estimate, rhode’s lip gloss, priced at $16-$20, can yield a profit margin of around 300%.
If you’re considering adding lipsticks to your shop in the coming year, remember that lipsticks, like most cosmetics, are small and lightweight, so shipping them individually per order may not be the best idea. If your supplier has a warehouse in your target market, consider sending a bulk shipment to a local warehouse for easier, more cost-effective delivery.