Niche Products Capturing Both Fun and Practicality
Color-Changing Lip Products
What if there was a product that could provide a natural color payoff, moisturizing effects, and a fascinating experience where the color changes upon application the moment it’s applied? This is the story of color-changing lip products. With the unique feature of “color-changing,” these products differentiate themselves from existing ones and show potential as a niche offering in the beauty supply market. Many color-changing lip products also combine moisturizing balms or oils, making them appealing to customers who seek both trendiness and practicality. Let’s explore these fun and intriguing color-changing lip products and see how they can capture the hearts of customers.
The Secret of Color-Changing Lip Products
The secret behind the “color-changing” effect lies in pigments that react to changes in pH. Commonly used pigments in color-changing lip products, such as Red 27 or Red 21, are transparent in their dry state. However, when they come into contact with the user’s lips, they combine with moisture and react to a pH level of 4 or higher, transforming into pink or coral shades. The color payoff through this pH reaction can vary over time, which means that even the same product can present a different charm on different individuals.

Red 27. Color Variation according to the pH of the pigment ©Lab Muffin Beauty Science
The Rise of Color-Changing Lip Products

Color-changing lip balm market outlook ©WGR
While color-changing lip products have existed in the past, there has been a recent resurgence in interest in these types of cosmetics. In particular, Prada launched the color-changing lip balm Astral Pink in June 2024, and a video of musician Sabrina Carpenter using the lip balm caused a viral response on social media. This has led to a great surge of various color-changing lip products gaining attention. According to global market research firm WGR (Wise Guy Reports), the color-changing lip product market was estimated to be around 1.62 billion USD in 2023 and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 8.34%, reaching approximately 3.34 billion USD by 2032.

Numerous Color-Changing Lip Products Featured on YouTube ©YouTube

Sabrina Carpenter using Prada’s color-changing lip balm ©YouTube

Prada’s color-changing lip balm ©Prada Beauty

A beauty TikToker trying out a popular color-changing lip oil. ebonyswope©TikTok
The Color-Changing Lip Products that Can Drive In-Store Traffic
Color-changing lip products deliver customers exceptional experience by allowing them to visually witness the color transformation process. This fun and innovative feature makes it highly likely that customers will be drawn to purchase. Additionally, many of these products are sold at reasonable prices, making them perfect for casual purchases or as gift items. They are easy to recommend for their natural color payoff and moisturizing effects, and can be displayed alongside existing lip products to spark curiosity and encourage sales. However, since color-changing lip products are applied directly to the lips, it’s important to ensure that they are safe. The lips are especially sensitive, so it’s crucial to carefully examine the ingredients to make sure they won’t cause irritation.
Among the viral and highly popular products on social media, those that guarantee safety tend to gain more consumer trust. As a niche product that combines fun and practicality, color-changing lip products have the potential to bring new energy to stores. Therefore, it’s important to introduce safe products that can create a positive in-store atmosphere.
Here, we introduce distinctive color-changing lip products made with safe ingredients, which have gained popularity and received a strong response from consumers on social media.
- Winky Lux / Glimmer pH Lip Balm ($16.99/Count) #Vegan #Gluten-free #Paraben-free #Cruelty-free. A product that has consistently received positive reviews from consumers for its glitter and bright pink color payoff.
- Boss Up / Color-changing Lip Oil ($12.99/Count) #Black #Latina-owned #Low stickiness With its vibrant pink color, it became hugely popular on TikTok and sold over 350,000 units on TikTok Shop.
- BYOMA / Liptide pH Lip Oil ($11.99/Count) #Vegan #Cruelty-free #Eco-friendly packaging A lip oil product containing plant-based oils that emphasizes high moisture and skin protection, with natural color payoff.
- MOODmatcher / Original Color-changing Lipstick ($6.59/Count) #Long-lasting #Moisturizing Color lasts for more than 12 hours, offering a variety of color-changing options.
- Juvia’s Place / Magic pH Color Change Lip Gloss-Mood ($15.00/Count) #Black-owned #High gloss With excellent pigmentation and a moist, glossy feel, it gained popularity on TikTok and YouTube.
- Unleashia / Glacier Lip Balm No. 2 Blue Lagoon ($9.99/Count) #Korean product #Vegan #Moisturizing #Smooth. Characterized by glitter, a soft texture, and a natural pinkish color payoff.