A flurry of new product launches in the lip and mascara categories is creating a buzz with packaging and applicators designed for optimum performance, usability, and marketability.

“The lip and mascara markets present significant opportunities for innovation in packaging and applicators. By focusing on sustainability, customization and technology integration, brands can differentiate themselves and meet the evolving needs of consumers,” observes Oliver Vogel, CEO, GEKA GmbH. “As trends continue to shift, staying attuned to consumer preferences and leveraging creative packaging solutions will be key to success in these competitive markets.”

In the lip category, traditional lipsticks will always be in demand. Cosmogen has engineered a square, golden-aluminum case for Spike Valentino, Valentino Beauty’s signature refillable matte lipstick. Designed specifically for travel retail and discovery sets, its size allows for the affordable presentation of all 13 shades. The case features an embossed brand name on the base and an embossed logo on the top.

Beyond traditional lipsticks, lip products are increasingly merging color and care. Plumping creamy gloss sticks, hydrating lip oils, long-wearing lip stains, and buttery treatment balms are helping brands generate buzz with the help of fresh packaging and applicators to heighten the user experience. 

Dana Peterson, Director of Marketing and Communications, ICONS|ICS, says demand is booming for lip oils, which offer a glossy, healthy look with natural ingredients and lightweight feel, with tubes often being the optimal choice for these new launches due to versatility, compatibility with a variety of formulations, and availability with a wide range of applicator options. 

 One of ICONS|ICS’s latest lip partnerships was with Ole Henriksen. The brand’s newly launched Glimmer Collection provides a “sparkling splash of lip-plumping hydration,” which the company sought to echo with an effervescent glimmer effect on the tube.  

“ICONS|ICS worked closely with Ole Henriksen to customize the tube sleeve with an understated, yet eye-catching glitter decoration that extends from neck to crimp, emanating the subtle glimmer effect within the formulation,” Peterson explains. “The 19mm tubes have a soft TPE slant tip applicator that delivers a precise, cushiony glide, and evenly distributes the formulation for optimal plumping results.”

ICONS|ICS also developed the brand’s full Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment range, which includes a wide selection of shades designed with luxuriously soft, matte-finish tubes and custom color-matched caps.

Applicators with Style & Substance

Megan Gunn, GPI Beauty’s Sr. Director of Strategic Marketing, says the onus is on packaging to adapt to the expanding range of lip product textures and viscosities, as well as consumer expectations. “This diversification is creating space for new delivery systems, like cooling metal tips for plumping formulas, flocked applicators with varying densities for soft or intense payoff, and airless or airtight components that better preserve active ingredients,” she comments. 

Lip formulas with delicate formula ingredients also have a significant impact on applicators and packaging. “Softer, creamier textures require applicators that can deliver smooth, even coverage without dragging or skipping [and] has led to a rise in flexible, curved, or paddle-shaped applicators that hug the lip contour and distribute product effortlessly,” says Gunn, adding that treatment formulas with peptides, botanical oils and hyaluronic acid can also benefit from airtight or UV-resistant packaging, or even split-chamber systems and multifunctional applicator tips. 

GPI Beauty’s latest lip product packaging developments include a premium Zamac lip applicator collection that combines cooling precision and luxury. The company has also introduced innovations in lip gloss packaging, including custom-engineered applicators and new closure mechanisms combined in a sleek, modern aesthetic for improved product control, and hygiene, with a more intuitive and satisfyingly elevated user experience.

Related: Cosmetic Applicators & Makeup Brushes Designed for Results

At Qosmedix, Sari Sternschein, the company’s Division President, says there’s been a push for lip applicators that enhance product performance with ergonomic designs and intuitive applicator shapes while also aligning with evolving sustainability values. 

Qosmedix’s new bio•wand is a disposable cosmetic applicator designed with both biodegradable tips and handles. The bio•wand is positioned as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional single-use plush doe foot lip gloss applicators without sacrificing professional quality or high-performance standards. Sternschein says the applicator is made using a proprietary blend of materials, including Polylactic Acid (PLA) derived from renewable resources like corn, cassava, and sugarcane. 

Performance + Sustainability

According to Lucie Ray-Lalanne, Marketing and Communication Manager, Axilone, sustainability is no longer an option, it’s a prerequisite.

A brand partnership with Bare Minerals resulted in a new application of Axilone’s “full aluminum lipsticks” expertise. For its new Dewy Lip Gloss Balm product, Ray-Lalanne says the Bare Minerals brand sought eco-designed packaging in line with the vegan composition of this colorful, moisturizing balm. “To achieve this, we developed a packaging entirely in aluminum, from the outer packaging to the mechanism, for a premium effect combined with a recyclability ensured in existing domestic streams,” she says.

Richard Esterbrook, Director of Sales at The Penthouse Group, has observed a growing interest in lipstick case packaging made in Japan and Thailand. “Japan has always been at the forefront of global innovation in cosmetics packaging, from airtight compacts to in-mold labeling and other technologies,” he says. “Now, with the increased tensions behind the tariff issue, particularly with China, customers are more motivated than ever to source their packaging from our factories in Japan and Thailand.”

Furthermore, he says, Japan has led the push toward refillable packaging, and much of it is designed from the beginning of development to be refillable. To that end, The Penthouse Group’s Katsushika partners in Japan developed a more eco-friendly version of their traditional refillable lipstick case, in which the aluminum refill sleeve can be disassembled into individual parts, allowing for separate recycling of plastic and metal. 

Tantalizing Textures

Sustainability combined with a visually clean “Instagrammable” aesthetic is another driving trend, as are “smart” and interactive packaging attributes like QR codes and AR experiences that connect users to tutorials, product information, or brand stories, directly from the package. They’re features that Kristen Corso, VP Marketing, Innovative Beauty Group (IBG), says help enhance engagement and discovery. 

Another lip packaging trend is sensory-rich packaging. Think tactile finishes, embossed patterns, and magnetic closures, all designed to create a more immersive and memorable unboxing experience, which is especially important for influencer-driven content, she says.

IBG’s latest innovation is the Sensacurve Tube, which was created in response to the hybrid lip care/color trend. “This flow-through tube applicator can be customized with varying degrees of hardness (durometers) to deliver distinct sensory experiences,” Corso explains, noting that options include a soft-touch, flock-free technology that provides a gentle massaging sensation, or a firmer flocking option that introduces a subtle exfoliating element. “This versatile applicator creates a unique sensory journey suitable for glosses, oils, balms, and treatment products. PCR or our Oceanworks® resin can be included in this tube to enhance the sustainability properties.”

Finishes also help convey a brand’s image. For Sisley’s new Phyto-Lip Balm, TNT Group USA produced a refillable gold and white zebra-patterned case with a base and cap made of gold-anodized aluminum plus a PP liner. The zebra stripes and the “S” visible on top of the cap are silk-screen printed, while the Sisley Paris logo is debossed on the ring of the base.

The configuration also includes a removable mechanism with an aluminum shell refill, featuring a PET spiral and cup, which can be easily removed or clipped into the lipstick base.

Achieving Lash Perfection

Just as lip product brands search for the best packaging and applicator choices to showcase their formulations, monumental work goes into pairing mascara formulas with the most appropriate applicators and wipers. 

“We’re seeing a strong trend toward bold, oversized packaging for mascara and liquid lip products, often featuring prominent embossed text for high impact at shelf,” observes Stephanie Rowntree, International Product Manager, HCP Packaging. “Molded brushes for mascara and brow products continue to gain momentum, with successes like Maybelline’s Sky High and the MAC Stack mascaras. Refillable formats are also emerging in mascara, though the dip-in nature of these products makes it a complex challenge.” 

HCP recently produced a custom package and brush combination for Marie Dalgar’s Black Sand Long-Lasting Mascara, a fiber-enriched formula. The product’s precision-molded Infiniti brush features a curved shape designed to hug the lash line, ensuring maximum lash contact, with patented reflected arches for targeted application. The bristle structure was engineered for optimal product loading, preventing clumps while enhancing separation and curl.

Customization Destinations

Taking the art of customization one step further, some contract manufacturers and packaging suppliers have created interactive opportunities to help brands achieve their holy grail mascara combinations. 

Geka’s Mascara Workshop works directly with brands to help develop their ideal mascara. “One day of constructive discussions yields inspiring results: with the right instinct for trends, we can find the perfect product for all brands in a single day,” Geka’s Vogel says. “You tell us your requirements for volume, fibers, brush shape, packaging, and formulation, and we advise you while testing possibilities during the workshop. By the end of the day, you will receive exactly the product combination that you want, and gain interesting insights and targeted advice.”

Albéa Beauty Lab (formerly known as Albéa Tips Studio) is located in the heart of Italy’s cosmetics valley. “Through an in-house workshop, we brainstorm with our customers to develop their custom applicator to create the perfect ready-to-go solution from an infinite possibility of packaging and formulas,” explains Laura Boroni, Marketing Manager, Dip-ins, Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance. “Thanks to fast-prototyping capabilities, they can take part in live development and carry out makeup tests in real-life conditions before leaving with their brand-new product.”  

Groupe Clarins worked with Albéa at its Albéa Bottanuco European center for mascara, lipgloss and eyeliner packaging to devise a package made of recycle-ready materials (PP, PET ,and PBT) for its Wonder Volume Mascara XXL. The brand’s bottle and cap feature silver metallizing and black silk-screening with an exclusive brush that was manufactured with dye-free, bio-based castor bean fibers. It maximizes volume via three “cuts” that function as formula-loaded reservoirs.

“The conical brush has shorter hairs at the tip to instantly define fringe, even in the corner, [with] 300 softer hairs that enable the brush to load the right amount of product to bring lashes the perfect volume,” says Boroni.

Cosmetic Start-Up Has Sustainable Mascara Customizability at Its Core

Paige DeAngelo’s journey to founding Aer Cosmetics began with her frustration about the waste generated by traditional mascara tubes and how quickly formulas dry out or expire before they’re fully used. “I wanted to create a product that not only reduces waste, but also offers high performance—something clean, sustainable and refillable, without sacrificing lash quality or wear,” she says.  

DeAngelo, then in college, invested her last $20 to find a better way, and after four years in development, she’s launched her signature product, Infinity Mascara, which is unlike any mascara in the marketplace: every aspect of the formula and packaging reflects lower-waste and heightened circularity. 

The patent-pending product puts users in control of mixing their mascara for peak performance as it’s needed, to avoid spoilage. The Infinity Mascara tube is fitted with a removable bulb topper filled with dissolving solution for activating the brand’s dry mascara tablets, which when liquified, deliver elongating, tubing, smudge-proof, flake-free wearability. 

The tube’s branding balances an earthy, natural look with a touch of luxury, reflecting the company’s “nature meets performance” ethos. The refillable aluminum mascara container tube has a green printed finish, with gold detailing and olive branches symbolized throughout (a personal touch to honor DeAngelo’s late grandfather, an inspiration behind her business). 

The outer carton is recycled paperboard for the outer box, recyclable glass and aluminum refill containers, and compostable or recyclable materials wherever possible. 

DeAngelo said she sought an applicator that could hold up to a slightly different viscosity compared to off-the-shelf formulas. “We prioritized a brush shape and bristle density that worked well with a fresh, solution-activated formula, delivering volume and length without clumping,” she comments. “However, because there are so many different eye shapes and lash needs, we plan to expand our lineup to include multiple brush options, giving customers the ability to choose the performance style that best suits them, whether they want extra volume, definition, curl, or precision.”

Standout New Lip Launches

Several brands have launched lip treatment products that not only promise peak lip hydration, but also make great use of brand tie-ins and unique packaging.

Hard Candy collaborated with the Girl Scouts on Sweet Treat Lip Oils, a line of hydrating, high-shine lip oils in Thin Mints, Coconut Caramels, and S’mores cookie-inspired flavors. Each product has a supersized, fuzzy doe-foot wand.

Burt’s Bees partnered with Mike’s Hot Honey to create a “swicy” (sweet and spicy) twist on Burt’s Bees’ beeswax lip balm. The non-plumping balm is a flavor-forward launch that’s available for a limited time. 

Daise’s new hydrating balm line extends the brand’s nod to 2000-era nostalgia with playful, pocket-friendly packaging. The non-tinted lineup comes in six flavors that the brand says can be layered.

Scarlett Johansen’s The Outset brand relaunched and expanded its Lip Oasis Glossy Treatment line to include three sheer shades that color, nourish, and plump. The slanted applicators and packaging are “designed to minimize excess waste and incorporate post-consumer recycled materials.”

Pure Color Melt-On Glossticks from Estée Lauder are advanced via a click button at the bottom of the pen, and are formulated with an emollient peptide blend, lip conditioning oils, and “occlusive polymers” for a melt-on-contact application. The product’s mirror-like shine is echoed in its gleaming, gold metallized packaging.

Abature has channeled its sustainable ethos into STAXX, a three-step, vitamin-based lip care system designed for convenience, portability and a lighter environmental footprint. Each magnetic, plastic-free jar is crafted from sustainably harvested walnut wood and aluminum, and labeled with FSC-certified paper—and clicks together for stackable organization.

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