The Truth About Lip Gloss: What is Lip Gloss Made Of?

By Jami Stansfield

September 08, 2024

What Is Lip Gloss Made Out Of?

Lip gloss is primarily made from a combination of ingredients that gives a shiny and fine finish, allowing easy application onto lips and staying in place. Most Lip Glosses are made up of ingredients like emollients like oils (e.g. castor oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil) and waxes (e.g. beeswax, carnauba wax), which help create that luxurious texture. Interestingly, many lipsticks and lip care products like gloss contain saturated hydrocarbons. These either come from mineral oil-saturated hydrocarbons(MOSH) or synthetic sources such as polyolefin oligomeric saturated hydrocarbons(POSH).

According to the NIH National Library of Medicine (NLM), these hydrocarbons are added for their ability to smooth and condition the lips, making them a key element in many gloss formulations. Additionally, Other ingredients like fragrances, oils, and pigments are added to lip gloss to alter its scent, texture, and color, creating a unique shade and finish.

Fun Facts About Lip Gloss

1. Invented for Film Stars: The first lip gloss was created in 1930 by Max Factor to give actresses glossy lips on the big screen, enhancing their appearance under bright lights.
2. Gloss for Guys: In ancient times, both men and women wore lip products to enhance their lips. Gloss isn’t just for women!
3. Custom Colors: There are lip glosses designed to change color based on your body’s pH, creating a unique shade that perfectly matches your natural tone.

What are the Primary Ingredients in Lip Gloss?

Lip gloss varies in texture and appearance, and typically contains a few core ingredients that serve as the foundation of its formulation. Let’s take a look at the most common components:

Emollients

Emollients are moisturizing ingredients added to give a smooth feel and keep lips soft. They ensure ease of application while keeping the lip gloss slick and shiny. Common emollients used in lip gloss include:

Mineral oil: A light oil that helps lock in moisture without being overly greasy.
Lanolin: It is a waxy substance taken from sheep's wool and is often utilized due to its great hydrating properties.
Petrolatum: Used for creating a barrier against moisture loss.

Waxes

Waxes play a major role in giving structure and texture to lip gloss. Clear lip gloss often relies on waxes to provide a high-shine effect without altering the natural lip color. It's responsible for the semi-solid nature of the product, which enables smooth application and retention on the lips. Some commonly used waxes are:

Beeswax: It is a natural wax obtained from honeybees. It thickens the formula and helps the gloss cling to the lips.
Candelilla Wax: This is a botanical substitute for beeswax; it's thus very commonly used in vegan products. It provides gloss and texture.
Carnauba Wax: Derived from the leaves of the carnauba palm, it lends durability and a glossy finish.

Oils

Oils in lip gloss provide hydration, but they also help to give it that smooth, slippery texture. Unlike lip balm, which primarily serves to relieve dryness, oils in lip gloss also contribute to its glossy finish. Texture and level of glossiness can vary depending on the type of oil used. Following are some of the staple oils in lip gloss products:

Castor Oil: A thick and shiny oil that helps the gloss stay shining longer and also last longer on the lips.
Jojoba Oil: This oil is similar to natural skin sebum, moisturizing it deeply without leaving a greasy feel.
Coconut Oil: Renowned for its nourishing properties, coconut oil ultimately gives lip glosses a rich, creamy texture.
Almond oil: Sweet almond oil is another beneficial ingredient used, for its ability to soften and soothe the skin while preventing moisture loss.

Pigments and Colorants

To provide lip gloss with its myriad hues, different companies utilize either natural or artificial pigments and colorants, depending on the formulation. Using a lip liner before applying pigmented gloss can enhance the color and provide a more defined look. Common colorants include:

Iron Oxides: It yields various shades of red, brown, and orange colors.
Mica: It is one of those minerals that deliver shine and glittery effects in most glittery as well as pearlescent glosses.
Carmine: This is the natural red pigment made from a type of crushed insect called cochineal, but while lots of lip glosses include carmine, strict vegan avoids it.

Fragrances and Flavorings

To enhance the sensory experience, many lip glosses include fragrances or flavorings. These can be anything from fruity to floral sweet to give your gloss a great smell and pleasant taste. Examples include Vanilla Extract, Peppermint Oil, and Strawberry Flavoring.

Lip-Plumping Active Ingredients

For those desiring a fuller, more pouty lip, many glosses contain ingredients that swell the lips to create a bigger appearance, known as plumping lip gloss. These ingredients will slightly tingle the lip as it makes it full. Some common plumping agents:

Cinnamon Oil and Capsaicin: Naturally derived irritants that increase the size of the lips from increased blood flow.
Hyaluronic Acid Spheres: These microspheres draw moisture and swell up upon contact with the skin, thus giving the impression of fuller lips.

Moisturizing Additives

While many glosses are moisturizing due to having additional moisturizing ingredients such as aloe vera, shea butter, or vitamin E added to their formula to help soothe dry or chapped lips. Creating your lip gloss allows you to customize the moisturizing additives to suit your specific needs.

UV Protection Ingredients

Most modern lip glosses like Diamond Lip Gloss from StansBeauty contain SPF to guard the lips against damage from UV rays. For this purpose, ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are added, which are effective at blocking UV rays and providing sun protection. These ingredients help prevent sun damage, which is particularly important for the lips, as they are vulnerable to UV exposure.

Different Types of Lip Gloss Formulations

Not all lip gloss formulations are identical. They are formulated in several ways depending on their specific impact, texture, and finish. Using a lip brush can help achieve an even application of sheer lip gloss for a polished look. Here are some of the main types of lip gloss formulations and their unique ingredient compositions:

1. Sheer Lip Gloss: Sheer glosses are intended for a light, natural look, which gives just a hint of color and shine. These are usually oil-based, with a high concentration of emollients and light oils like jojoba oil and grape seed oil, to create a slick, non-sticky finish.

2. Matte Lip Gloss: Matte lip gloss combines the hydration of gloss with the flat, non-shiny look of matte lipstick. These usually contain silica or kaolin clay that absorbs oil and cuts down on shine but still allows the lips to stay moisturized.

3. Shimmer or Glitter Lip Gloss: Formulated with reflective ingredients such as mica or glitter particles, these glosses give a sparkly effect. The base ingredients in shimmer glosses are the same as other types of gloss, but more reflective particles are added to give that extra shine.

4. Vegan Lip Gloss: Vegan glosses are those that contain absolutely no animal-derived ingredients. Therefore, they do not contain beeswax, carmine, or any other by-products of animals. They contain some plant-based alternatives like candelilla wax and colorants from fruits or plants.

Recommend to read:[ How to Choose Lip Gloss Color for Your Complexion ]

Is Lip Gloss Made Out of Whale Sperm?

No, lip gloss is not made out of whale sperm. This is an uninterrupted myth and is entirely false. The rumor has been thrown around for years, and many are still wondering if there could be something to this. The confusion likely stems from the historical use of spermaceti, a waxy substance derived from the heads of sperm whales. Spermaceti was once used in various products, including cosmetics, but synthetic or plant-based alternatives have long since replaced it.

Modern lip gloss formulations rely on a blend of ingredients like emollients, waxes, oils, and pigments, none of which come from whales or any whale-derived materials. Today’s beauty industry prioritizes ethical sourcing and sustainability, making the use of animal-derived ingredients, especially from endangered species like whales, a thing of the past. So, there’s no need to worry—your lip gloss is free of whale by-products.

Lip Gloss Ingredients to Avoid and Why

Understanding the ingredients used in lip gloss is important for safety and personal preference. Though many lip glosses are made up of FDA-approved ingredients, some ingredients, like parabens and phthalates, disrupt hormones or cause skin irritation over time. Being aware of potential allergens and harmful chemicals allows you to make safer choices for daily use. Opting for natural or clean beauty formulas, rich in nourishing oils and waxes, not only enhances your lip health but also aligns with eco-friendly and cruelty-free values. The best you can do is always check the labels.

Here are some harmful ingredients found in lip glosses that can cause problems in your health after long-term use:

Parabens: It is one of the most commonly used preservatives in cosmetics to avoid the development of bacteria and extend the life of products. However, these substances were linked to hormone disruption because of their ability to imitate estrogen within the human body, which can, over time, affect a person's reproductive health.
Phthalates: These chemicals are added to lip gloss to make it smoother and more flexible. They have been surrounded by many controversies because they interfere with the regular mechanisms of hormone production. With long-term exposure, their effect can be seen in the balance of hormones or cause developmental abnormalities.
Lead: It is a widely used active ingredient in certain pigments of lip gloss. Considered one of the toxic heavy metals, low levels of lead are still dangerous and more hazardous when used regularly to cause neurological and developmental disorders.
Petrolatum: Since this ingredient is refined from petroleum, it can contain carcinogenic impurities such as PAHs. though this ingredient is widely used for skin moisturizing, it is safer to replace it with natural alternatives.
Synthetic Fragrances: These give your lip gloss that pleasant smell but also contain many undisclosed chemicals that can irritate the skin, cause allergic reactions, or respiratory problems.
Butylated Compounds: BHA/BHT serve as preservatives for stability in the product formulation, but have been linked to possible carcinogenic properties with long-term use.

Natural vs Synthetic Ingredients in Lip Gloss:

With the increasing trends towards clean beauty, several questions among consumers are further raised concerning the difference between natural and synthetic ingredients used in lip gloss and their respective benefits.

1. Natural Ingredients: Plant oils, like coconut or jojoba oil, are some of the natural ingredients; other natural ingredients include mineral pigments such as mica and waxes like candelilla wax. Many people prefer lip glosses that contain natural ingredients because of sustainability and environmental safety.

2. Synthetic Ingredients: Synthetic ingredients are man-made chemicals usually used in cosmetic products to create a certain feel, color, or smell. These range from petrolatum to polybutene and synthetic dyes. Synthetic ingredients tend to be affordable and offer consistency in texture and color. While synthetic ingredients may be effective in enhancing the performance of lip gloss, potential risks of skin irritation, allergic reactions, or other long-term health effects might also arise.

Conclusion

Whether you're looking for hydration, shine, or a bit of sparkle, the ingredients in your lip gloss work together to create that glossy, smooth finish we all love. Knowing what lipgloss is made of can help you make better decisions with the product you choose to carry on your lips into its best look and feel. Lip gloss is made of a mix of emollients, waxes, oils, and pigments, and sometimes added ingredients like SPF protection or lip-plumping agents.

FAQs

What Makes Lip Gloss Sticky?

Lip gloss is made sticky by the combination of oils, waxes, and polymers in the formulation. These ingredients give a thicker texture to help the gloss stick onto the lips and hold on for a long, shiny effect. Thicker oils, such as castor oil, are always used in the making to give it this tacky nature. Additionally, synthetic polymers such as polybutene or petrolatum, enhance staying power and make sure the gloss does not wear off. While this stickiness contributes to longevity, it is also responsible for that high-shine effect.

Are There Harmful Chemicals in Lip Gloss?

Some lip glosses can have harmful chemicals, depending on the brand. Ingredients like parabens, used as preservatives, and phthalates, which make the gloss smoother, have raised health concerns because they might affect hormones. There’s also a risk of lead or heavy metals in some lip glosses, especially those with certain pigments. Luckily, many brands now focus on clean beauty, offering products without these harmful ingredients. To stay safe, it’s a good idea to check the label and choose glosses with safer, more natural ingredients.

Is It Ok to Use Lip Gloss Every Day?

Yes, most lip glosses can be worn daily, especially those containing components that help nourish the lips, such as vitamin E and coconut oil. The only thing to do is just avoid formulations that have hazardous chemicals like parabens or phthalates in them and opt for clean or natural formulas for better performance.

Can Lip Gloss Expire?

Yes, lip gloss does expire in 12 to 24 months after opening. Changes in texture, smell, or color are indications for replacement. Always check the expiration date and store it in a cool, dry place.

Are lip gloss ingredients safe?

Generally, most of the ingredients in lip gloss are FDA-approved. However, beware of allergens such as fragrances, and make sure to avoid harmful chemicals like parabens and phthalates. Some even contain traces of heavy metals such as lead or cadmium. Go for natural formulas, which can be safe, and check the label.

How do I make my own lip gloss?

You can make your own lip gloss by combining a few basic ingredients like beeswax (or a vegan wax substitute), coconut oil, castor oil, and any pigments or essential oils you may want to add for color and scent. Melt the wax and oils together, mix well, and pour into small containers. Pour the mixture into small containers. Let it cool and solidify before use. This DIY approach allows you to customize the texture, color, and scent of your gloss.

What is most lip gloss made of?

Generally, most lip glosses contain emollients, waxes, and oils. Common ingredients include castor oil for shine, beeswax or carnauba wax for structure, and mineral or plant-based oils for smoothness. Some lip glosses also contain pigments or mica for color and shimmer, along with moisturizing ingredients like vitamin E.

What is the main ingredient in lip gloss?

The main ingredient in most lip glosses is castor oil, as it provides a thick and shiny finish; moreover, it gives the product an easy glide onto the lips. It is often combined with other oils such as jojoba, coconut oil, and waxes to provide the gloss with its texture and durability.

Are there animal products in lip gloss?

While some lip glosses do indeed contain ingredients derived from animals, specifically beeswax and lanolin (from sheep's wool). Many brands now offer options that can be considered vegan and cruelty-free. Alternatives derived from plants like candelilla wax or carnauba wax are the substitutive elements in these products. Always remember to look for vegan on the label, if that is what you desire.

About the author

Jami Stanfield, the founder of StansOut Beauty Company, is a renowned makeup artist and beauty expert. With a talent for designing popular beauty products like the StansOut Beauty sponge, Jami shares her knowledge and experiences to provide practical makeup tips.