Consumers are back in the color game, but they're rethinking what they want to put on their lips. Consumers are looking to protect not only their look, but their health, as skincare and skin protection benefits are of top importance among makeup shoppers. At the same time, as clean beauty continues to become the new norm across BPC, consumers are also recognizing that the more benefits and uses a product has, the fewer other products they'll need -- leading to sustainability benefits among multi-functional products. Consumer trend data from Mintel shows:

• Beauty and personal care consumers are "seeking more than ever before from the products they buy, a trend that is highly emphasized in the lip care category," says Mintel, and successful new lip care launches focus on multi-functionality and sustainability.
• Lip color should bring skin benefits: In China, 61% of women have used lip color products with skincare benefits in the last six months. In In India 42% of women say it is important for a lipstick/color to be moisturizing.
• In the UK, "50% of female buyers of makeup think skincare/skin protecting benefits are most important when buying makeup (among top three factors)."
• Multifunctional can tap into sustainability: "hybrid makeup/skincare and multi-use makeup formats can garner greater interest by aligning with a shift towards simpler and more sustainable BPC routines that require fewer products."

As consumers seek out both the fun and the socially and environmentally conscious, brands have the opportunity to leverage innovations to support their consumers' causes. Multi-functional products can drive sustainability, while combining color with skin care can invite consumers to play. Consider the following ways brands can adapt to meet the market:

• Key multi-functional into sustainability
  "Give consumers functional lip care and raise sustainability bar," says Mintel. Moving away from single-use products into more functional and multi-use products results in less waste all around -- from packaging to emissions. A rockstar lip product that pulls double-duty with true skin care benefits like UV protection and free radical prevention can be a winning ticket.
• Tap into feel-good products.
  Tapping into creativity with a color pop can provide a mood boost for consumers. "Standout innovations are promoting skin-friendly benefits, blurring the lines between digital/physical realities and reminding people that makeup usage is fun,” says Mintel. By combining color with skin care, consumers can have the best of both worlds and play with products they feel great about using.

Hydrating Lip Shield is a uniquely powerful, multi-functional, liquid lip gloss that provides rich hydration, masks imperfections, and protects the lips from environmental stressors that cause premature aging. This health-boosting gloss benefits from a patented technology that guards against UV rays and pollution while bolstering the anti-oxidant system for improved skin health. Featuring sustainable squalane, this product meets consumer demand for products that use key botanicals and make compelling beauty claims, while changing the game by taking “color plus care” to new heights.

Original Active Stress Defense™ technology-enabled claims:

• Patented glossy fluid provides moisturization and youth-preservation benefits
• Non-nano, mineral-based broad-spectrum SPF 35+ sunscreen protects the skin from 97%+ of UV radiation
• Reduces pollution-induced free radicals by over 85%
• Protects against HEV (blue) light
• *If added* a super-powered anti-oxidant complex works in synergy with Active Stress Defense™ to boost anti-oxidant activity by as much as 200%

Additional marketing claims available:

• Sustainably produced squalane delivers moisturization benefits and provides lasting nourishment with continued product use
• A wrinkle-masking effect corrects imperfections on the surface of the lips
• Available in three shades
• Non-nano, Chemical-sunscreen-active-free, Water-free, Paraben-free, Alcohol-free, Fragrance-free, Cruelty-free