SHINE On

It's LIP GLOSS's moment of GLORY, and the current versions are anything but juvenile. What was once an ENTRY POINT into makeup has taken CENTER STAGE in the cosmetics aisle and even become a coveted accessory. Ahead, the juicy formulas-from GLOSSES to OILS to TINTED BALMS-to carry for both HYDRATION and CLOUT.

- KATIE INTNER

It's a universal experience: the thrill of buying your first lip product, likely a Lancôme Juicy Tube, M.A.C Lipglass, or Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker. Lip glosses and tinted balms have historically been the stepping stone to building a makeup routine, especially before graduating to a true full-coverage lipstick. Today, there are more gateway glosses than ever from just about every makeup brand, including major players like Summer Fridays and Rhode, whose brand successes can be attributed to their powerhouse formulas. It's rarer to find a lipstick bullet in a makeup bag these days than half a dozen hydrating lip glosses-no matter the age of its owner.

"It's all about ease, and there's a real effortlessness to lip glosses and balms," says makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. "You don't have to worry about smudging or reapplying, yet it adds something special to the lips."

Not to mention that lustrous formulas are easy on the eyesand algorithm. It's the reason a TikTok video of someone applying lip gloss nearly always sparks a passionate comment section, with many praising the product or even asking for the shade so they can go and buy it themselves. Known as the lip-gloss tactic, it's a strategy that content creators have used at the start of a video to gain the attention of viewers. But lip gloss is more than a shiny object-it's a product category that is expected to generate up to $5.55 billion a year by 2032, according to a report by Market Research Future.