Could Lip Crayons Be the Lipstick Trend Everyone’s Talking About in 2025?

The Lipstick Market witnesses a nuanced evolution in 2025, blending nostalgic product revivals with urgent health imperatives. The sector is expected to be valued at USD 15.50 billion by the end of 2025, and is projected to grow, hitting USD 20.93 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 6.2%. 

As consumers demand multifunctional, skin-friendly options, innovations in lip crayons and calls for paraben-free formulations underscore a pivot toward sustainability and safety, influencing procurement decisions across beauty supply networks.

The Evolving Lipstick Market: Latest Developments (2024–2025)

Lip crayons, a hybrid of lipstick, liner, and balm, experience a marked resurgence in 2024 and into 2025, praised for their precision and versatility. "The Return of the Lip Crayon—They’re Back and Better Than Ever," notes a comprehensive review, highlighting formulas that "pair the glide of lip balm with the polish of a traditional lipstick and the precision of a chubby lip liner." These products offer varied textures—from creamy and high-shine to firm, matte, and long-wearing—catering to diverse daily needs without the crackle of liquid lipsticks or gloss's fleeting shimmer.

A pivotal 2025 development centers on consumer health alerts. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Manan Vora urges discarding lipsticks containing "Methyl Paraben" or "Propyl Paraben" on packaging, citing their role in hormone disruption akin to estrogen mimicry, potentially causing delayed periods. Updated August 17, 2025, this advice targets unregulated or inexpensive products, emphasizing certifications like Ecocert or USDA Organic for safer alternatives. Such warnings ripple through the market, prompting brands to accelerate paraben-free transitions and bolstering demand for transparent labeling in B2B sourcing.

This health-driven shift impacts the lipstick market profoundly. Procurement professionals must now prioritize verified, dermatologist-tested suppliers to mitigate liability risks. Reformulation to paraben-free ingredients may raise costs by up to 10–15%, based on typical clean-beauty compliance estimates.

Applications Across Industries

Lipstick extends beyond cosmetics into adjacent sectors, emphasizing portability and multifunctionality. In fashion and accessories, compact designs facilitate on-the-go storage, aligning with travel and organizational trends. Health and personal care applications gain traction through nourishing formulations that double as balms, supporting sensitive skin routines.

DIY and custom beauty represent an emerging industrial crossover, where empty, refillable tubes enable home-based production of personalized lip products, fostering innovation in small-batch manufacturing. These applications underscore lipstick's role in broader wellness ecosystems, from daily grooming to bespoke formulations.

These cross-industry applications illustrate the sector’s alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Analysis of Dominating and Fastest-Growing Regions

The lipstick market's regional dynamics in 2025 reflect innovation hubs and rising health consciousness, with North America dominating through product diversification, Asia-Pacific accelerating via safety advocacy, and Europe maintaining steady leadership in premium formulations.

North America's edge stems from its role as a trendsetter, where multifunctional products like matte-to-creamy crayons meet diverse skin needs. Asia-Pacific's growth, propelled by 2025 health advisories, signals a 20–25% uptick in certified product sourcing, per implied market responses. Europe's poise relies on heritage-driven, active-ingredient formulations, ensuring compliance and appeal in high-end B2B channels. This growth trajectory reflects both a nostalgic return to hybrid formats and a conscious pivot toward ingredient transparency, particularly amid increasing regulatory oversight across Asia and Europe.

Key Players with Recent Strategies and Deals

Leading and emerging players in the 2025 lipstick market emphasize hydration, clean ingredients, and longevity, linking strategies to targeted product innovations.

• Leading: Clinique – 

  • Strategy: Nourishing sheer finishes for sensitive skin. The Chubby Stick leverages mango butter for a balm-like tint, dermatologist- and allergy-tested.

• Leading: NARS – 

  • Strategy: Creamy-to-matte transitions for bold pigment. Powermatte Lip Pencil uses a power pigment complex for comfortable, all-day wear, paraben-free. 

• Emerging: Ilia – 

  • Strategy: Clean, hydrating mattes with natural actives. Lip Sketch combines hyaluronic acid and rosehip oil for 12-hour wear, cruelty-free. 

• Emerging: Ere Perez – 

  • Strategy: Eco-nourishing multifunctionality. Coco Crayon incorporates coconut oil and baobab for lip-and-cheek use, repairing dry skin. 

These moves address paraben concerns by prioritizing phthalate- and paraben-free profiles, enhancing B2B appeal for sustainable supply agreements. Other notable players in the sector include Revlon, Shiseido, Avon, and Mary Kay.

Global Lipstick Trends: Key Insights 

• Millennial Pink Reigns: Most popular globally. Over 20% of try-ons in the US & UK, 15% in China & Japan.

• Regional Preferences:

  • West (US/UK): Pink dominates (~50% of top shades). Matte finishes preferred (>40%).

  • Asia: Reds & diverse shades; sheer and satin finishes dominate (China: sheer 40%, satin 28%; Japan: sheer 50%). Korea favors matte (35%) & sheer (33%).

• Fastest-Growing Trend: Two-toned lips (different colors on top & bottom) with 74% growth in AR try-ons this summer.

• Trend Origins: Two-toned lips appeared on NY Fashion Week (Jason Wu, 2017); now offered by Estée Lauder, Laneige, and others.

The above image “Lip Product Evolution: From Classic Lipsticks to 2025’s Lip Crayon Boom” visually captures how consumer priorities have shifted toward hybrid, health-conscious formulations. It traces the journey from traditional lipsticks to modern, multifunctional crayons that merge the benefits of balm, liner, and tint. Highlighting key milestones—such as the rise of paraben-free innovations, regional adoption trends, and the growing demand for refillable, DIY-compatible packaging—the visual underscores how sustainability, safety, and personalization now define the global lipstick market’s evolution into 2025.

These data, originally observed via global AR try-on analytics continue to inform shade innovation pipelines, providing a comparative baseline for current consumer shifts.

Future Prospects and Examples

Looking ahead, the lipstick market projects sustained growth through paraben-free mandates and hybrid innovations, with B2B opportunities in certified supply chains. Expected 15–20% rise in demand for refillable, DIY-compatible tubes by 2026, enabling custom formulations amid health scrutiny.

Examples include expanded clean beauty lines, like vegan crayons from Monika Blunder's Kissen, infused with jojoba for lightweight comfort. Procurement teams can leverage these for diversified portfolios, reducing risks from regulatory shifts while capitalizing on Asia-Pacific's awareness-driven expansions.

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