Tinted Lip Balms Market Size
The global tinted lip balms market size was valued at USD 1.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow from USD 1.63 billion in 2025 to USD 2.4 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period (2025-2030).
The market is experiencing strong momentum due to rising consumer preference for clean label formulations, vegan ingredients, and sustainable packaging. Tinted lip balms are gaining popularity due to their ability to combine hydration, subtle colour, and sun protection in a single application, offering convenience and functionality. Increased digital engagement, particularly on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, has fuelled brand visibility and product adoption. Gen Z and millennials are driving demand for gender neutral beauty and minimalistic skincare routines. The evolving beauty standards and rising disposable income across developing economies drive the tinted lip balms market growth.
Key Market Insights
- SPF-infused tinted lip balms typically offer broad-spectrum SPF 15–30, appealing to users in high UV regions.
- Women dominate the gender-specific category, with tinted balms serving as a go-to alternative to lipstick.
- Online retail is the leading distribution channel, driven by DTC models and influencer marketing.
- Balms for dry skin are gaining popularity, especially in cold or low-humidity regions, due to their therapeutic and cosmetic benefits.
- Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing market, propelled by K-beauty and J-beauty trends and Gen Z consumers.
- The U.S. market has seen a significant increase in tinted balm sales, boosted by multifunctional product demand and social media influence.
Current Market Trends
K-Beauty inspired gloss and hydration
The rising influence of Korean beauty continues to reshape global lip care preferences, especially among younger consumers. Minimal makeup looks with hydrated, glossy lips are trending across social media. Tinted lip balms are evolving to match this aesthetic by delivering sheer colour with a dewy finish.
- For instance, in May 2025, Glow Recipe launched its Glass Balm Tinted Lip Treatment, inspired by the Korean dessert “bingsoo,” combining fermented plum, raspberry extracts, and hyaluronic acid for deep hydration and shine. The launch generated significant buzz in U.S. beauty circles.
As K-beauty continues to influence global skincare, tinted lip balms offering both treatment and a high gloss finish are becoming everyday staples.
Integration of sun protection in lip care
As awareness of UV-induced lip damage grows, consumers are increasingly seeking lip care products that offer both aesthetic appeal and sun protection. This demand has led to the integration of SPF in tinted lip balms, which combine colour, hydration, and UV defence.
- For instance, in June 2025, Caliray Lipguard SPF 31 Lip Gloss Balm was launched. This product offers broad-spectrum SPF 31 protection, vibrant colour, and a glossy finish, addressing the need for multifunctional lip care. Its formulation includes moisturising ingredients like shea butter and sweet almond oil, providing hydration alongside sun defence.
The launch reflects a broader industry trend towards hybrid beauty products that cater to health-conscious consumers. As sun protection becomes a standard expectation in daily skincare routines, the SPF-infused tinted lip balms market is poised for significant growth.
Market Drivers
Rising demand for multifunctional lip products
Modern beauty consumers increasingly demand products that offer multiple benefits in one, driven by time constraints and minimalistic routines. Tinted lip balms that combine hydration, natural tint, and UV protection serve this need perfectly, appealing especially to Gen Z and millennials.
- For instance, as per Cosmetic Asia’s article, Lotus Herbals launched a new multifunctional lip balm range, designed as part of its entry into the “hybrid beauty” space in January 2025. These balms offer lip care and subtle colour fusion while featuring nourishing ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil.
This launch aligns with growing consumer preference for efficient, dual-purpose beauty products. As multifunctionality becomes a standard expectation, this market segment is projected to expand rapidly.
Influence of social media and celebrity endorsements
Social media has become a dominant driver of beauty product adoption. Consumers now rely heavily on platforms like TikTok and Instagram for product discovery, peer reviews, and influencer-driven trends.
- For example, in March 2025, Merit’s Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil surged in popularity after celebrities, including Cameron Diaz and Ayo Edebiri, were seen using it. The product gained over 6,000 waitlist sign-ups within weeks and received more than 200 five-star reviews, as reported by Page Six.
As influencer culture and short-form video content continue to shape beauty behaviour, brands with strong social engagement strategies will hold a competitive edge in the tinted lip balm market.
Market Restraint
Short wear time
While tinted lip balms are favoured for their hydrating properties and natural finish, they often fall short in delivering strong pigmentation and long-lasting wear. Consumers who prefer intense colour payoff or extended coverage tend to use lipsticks or stains. Most tinted balms require frequent reapplication and may fade quickly, especially during meals or prolonged wear. This limitation creates a functional gap for users seeking bold, defined lips for formal occasions or all-day events. This restricts their appeal to colour-focused consumers, limiting their market potential in the broader decorative cosmetics segment.
Product melting sensitivity
Tinted lip balms often contain natural emollients such as shea butter, coconut oil, or waxes that can be highly sensitive to heat. In warmer climates or during summer, these ingredients may cause the product to soften excessively, melt, or leak, leading to a poor user experience. Consumers may face issues with portability, as carrying the balm in handbags or pockets can result in messiness or damage. Without proper temperature-resistant formulations, brands may struggle to maintain consistency and quality across markets with varying climates, ultimately limiting global adoption and consumer trust in certain regions.
Tinted Lip Balms Market Opportunities
Expansion into emerging markets
Emerging markets offer strong growth potential for tinted lip balms due to rising disposable incomes and shifting beauty preferences. These regions are seeing increased demand for affordable, hybrid beauty products tailored to local trends.
- For instance, in January 2025, Nykaa launched its “Wanderlust” tinted balm collection during the “Nykaa Wali Shaadi” campaign, a wedding season-focused promotion in India. The campaign received strong engagement, boosting awareness of the brand’s lip care offerings and highlighting the importance of culturally relevant timing.
Brands can capitalise on these opportunities by aligning product launches with local festivals and regional shopping peaks. This strategy allows companies to establish deeper connections with emerging consumers while expanding their footprint in fast-growing beauty markets.
Development of personalised lip care solutions
Many consumers now seek beauty products tailored to their skin tones, routines, and ingredient preferences. This demand drives innovation in personalised lip care solutions, especially in premium categories.
- For instance, in May 2024, Augustinus Bader partnered with Sofia Coppola to launch a luxury tinted lip balm range focused on personalisation and minimalist elegance. The line offered shades and textures catering to diverse lip care needs and reflected a rising preference for exclusivity and customisation in skincare and makeup products.
As consumer expectations evolve, brands offering personalised tinted balms stand to gain a loyal user base and premium positioning within an increasingly segmented beauty landscape.
Product Type Insights
SPF-infused tinted lip balms cater to consumers seeking sun protection alongside cosmetic benefits. These balms typically offer broad-spectrum SPF ranging from 15 to 30, making them ideal for daily outdoor use. They are especially favoured in tropical and high UV regions, where users want subtle colour without compromising lip safety. Formulations often combine UV filters with hydrating agents like shea butter and vitamin E. With growing awareness of lip sun damage, especially among younger demographics, SPF-infused tinted balms are becoming an everyday skincare essential.
Gender Insights
Women’s tinted lip balms represent the largest gender specific product category in the market. These balms are formulated to meet aesthetic and functional needs, offering various shades from nudes to berry tones, often enhanced with shimmer or gloss. Popular among working professionals and casual users alike, they serve as an effortless alternative to lipstick while providing nourishment. Many are infused with natural oils and fruit pigments to appeal to health-conscious users. With a long-standing consumer base and evolving trends toward minimal beauty, women’s tinted balms remain a core offering in both drugstore and luxury product lines.
Distribution Channel Insights
Online retail platforms have become the most dynamic distribution channel for tinted lip balms. This type leverages direct-to-consumer models and broad availability through sites like Amazon, Sephora, and Nykaa. Consumers benefit from easy access to reviews, ingredient details, and curated product selections, especially for shade-specific or clean beauty variants. Online exclusive releases, influencer-driven content, and algorithm-based recommendations drive high conversion rates. Online retail supports trialability, visibility, and fast reordering, making it the most influential channel for reaching digitally native shoppers.
Application Insights
Tinted lip balms formulated for dry skin offer a therapeutic base infused with emollients, humectants, and soothing agents. This type is specifically developed to target cracked, flaky, or dehydrated lips, while providing a subtle tint for cosmetic appeal. Common ingredients include shea butter, lanolin, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid, which are known for their deep conditioning properties. These balms are most in demand during colder months and in regions with low humidity. As consumers prioritise wellness-driven beauty, tinted balms designed for dry skin are gaining traction in clinical and natural product ranges.
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Regional Insights
North America
North America remains a significant market for tinted lip balms, driven by high consumer awareness and demand for multifunctional beauty products. The region's emphasis on clean beauty and sustainable practices influences product development and marketing strategies. The U.S. market, in particular, has seen a surge in tinted lip balm sales, with consumers favouring products that combine hydration, colour, and sun protection. Brands are leveraging social media and influencer marketing to reach a broader audience, particularly among Gen Z and millennials.
Europe
Europe’s tinted lip balm market thrives due to strong consumer demand for natural, organic, and ethically sourced products. The market is driven by rising awareness of ingredient transparency and sustainability. Regulatory bodies like the EU’s REACH encourage clean formulations and eco-friendly packaging. Countries such as Germany, France, and the UK dominate demand, with consumers favouring lip balms enriched with botanical extracts, SPF, and hydrating properties. Brands like Burt’s Bees, Lavera, and Nuxe are popular for their tinted variants that combine soft pigmentation with lip care.
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific represents the fastest-growing market for tinted lip balms, led by K-beauty and J-beauty trends emphasising natural, radiant skin and subtle lip enhancement. Consumers in South Korea, Japan, China, and India increasingly prefer hybrid products that offer both skincare benefits and light colour payoff. The regional market is expanding due to growing disposable incomes, rising beauty consciousness among Gen Z, and a strong inclination toward innovative, natural formulations. Korean brands like Innisfree and Etude House have captured significant market share, while global players are localising products to meet regional preferences.
Latin America
Latin America’s tinted lip balm market is steadily expanding, driven by urbanisation, a growing middle class, and the rising popularity of affordable, multifunctional beauty products. Consumers in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia embrace lip balms that combine hydration, sun protection, and colour tint, especially in climates where dryness and UV exposure are common. Local and international brands such as Natura, Maybelline, and Boticário are expanding their tinted product ranges, using natural ingredients like acai oil and shea butter to meet consumer demand for skin-loving, colour-enhancing solutions.
The Middle East & Africa
The Middle East and Africa region is witnessing a gradual rise in demand for tinted lip balms, fueled by cultural openness to global beauty trends and rising beauty standards among urban youth. Countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa are emerging as promising markets due to higher disposable incomes, changing consumer habits, and growing sun protection and hydration awareness. The market is supported by innovations like halal-certified beauty products and SPF-infused tinted balms tailored to local needs.
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Company Market Share
The tinted lip balm market is dominated by global beauty giants and niche innovators, with key players including Major brands that leverage R&D, sustainable packaging, and mass distribution, while indie labels differentiate via clean ingredients, refillable formats, and cult-fave aesthetics. Both heritage and D2C brands invest in hybrid skincare-lip products, aligning with consumer demands for effortless, wellness-centric beauty.
Burt’s Bees ranks among the top tinted balm providers, offering affordable shea-butter tinted balms (like the 3-pack on Amazon) that combine hydration with natural colouring. The brand’s emphasis on natural beeswax and clean ingredients continues to capture eco-conscious consumers. In July 2025, Burt’s was featured in multiple Sephora “best-of” lists, reinforcing its strong mass and digital retail presence.
Avon holds a notable share in emerging markets with its Beyond Glow Lipcure line. Launched October 9, 2024, the tinted balm features glycerin, shea butter, and peptides for plumping hydration. The product debuted across the Middle East and Latin America, supporting Avon’s push into skincare-driven colorsticks and boosting sales in wellness-beauty segments
Key Players in the Tinted Lip Balms Market
- Burt's Bees
- Maybelline New York
- NYX Cosmetics
- Rhode Skin
- e.l.f. Cosmetics
- Estée Lauder
- Typology
- Summer Fridays
- Victoria Beckham Beauty
- Nykaa
- L'Oréal Paris
- Revlon
- Byredo
- Clinique
- Nivea
- The Body Shop
Recent Developments
- July 2025- Rhode Skin, founded by Hailey Bieber, launched a new Peptide Lip Tint shade called Lemontini, a sheer, shimmery gold inspired by citrus cocktails. The release comes shortly after Rhode’s acquisition by e.l.f. Beauty, expanding Rhode’s product range while maintaining its minimalist, skincare-forward approach.
- June 2025- Byredo released its Tinted Lip Care Lip Balm, available in four shades. The balms feature a vegan formula with over 92% natural ingredients, including rock samphire, rose flower extract, shea butter, cocoa butter, and sunflower seed wax. Designed to adapt to the wearer's mood, they offer a glowy finish and up to 24 hours of hydration.
- April 2025- NYX Cosmetics launched its Smushy Matte Lip Balm collection, featuring 12 tinted flavours like Berries & Cream and Pineapple Smoothie. Each balm is enriched with mochi rice powder and sugar-derived ceramides to deliver long-lasting hydration with a velvety matte finish. The product combines skincare and colour in a playful, candy-inspired format.