The Art of Making Lipsticks

Crafting the perfect lipstick is a work of art. A lipstick must apply to the lips easily and evenly without bleeding into the fine lines around the mouth. It should feel moist, not dry, and provide complete coverage without looking unnatural.

To create lipstick, you should have a mixture of waxes, oils, and pigments. Waxes are the backbone of lipsticks as they make sure the lipstick becomes hard and inflexible. Typically, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, beeswax, and microcrystalline wax among other waxes are utilized in lipstick formulas. Each wax provides a unique feature and depending on how you want the final product to turn, determines which one you should use.

For example, Carnauba wax is primarily used to provide hardness and thermal stability as it has a high melting point of 50-85C (176-185°F). Whereas, Candelilla wax has a lower melting point (about 69-79°C or 156-163°F) and is not as hard, or rigid. Additionally, it provides more shine and has a less grainy feel. While this can be a complicated process, we’ve made it a little easier with our easy-to-follow formulas. One of our newest formulas, Natural Beetroot Lipstick (No. 1900), is made with Beetroot Extract Pigment and has a velvety feel when applied.

Ingredient	INCI	Function	Weight %	Weight (g)	Weight (oz)
Meadowfoam Seed Oil	Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) seed oil	Emollient	15.0	7.5	0.26
Castor Oil	Ricinus communis (Castor) oil	Emollient	28.5	14.25	0.5
Candelilla Wax	Candelilla wax	Thickener	13.0	6.5	0.23
Carnauba Wax	Carnauba wax	Thickener	3.0	1.5	0.05
Vegan Wax	Behenyl behenate, polyhydroxystearic acid, polyglyceryl-10 stearate, Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, sodium stearoyl lactylate	Thickener	2.0	1.0	0.04
Octyldodecanol	Octyldodecanol	Emollient	5.0	2.5	0.09
Organic Coconut Oil	Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil	Emollient	2.0	1.0	0.04
Beetroot Extract Pigment	Beta Vulgaris (beet) root extract	Colorant	10.0	5.0	0.18
D&C Red No. 7	Red no. 7 D&C lake	Colorant	2.0	1.0	0.04
Silica	Silica	Texturizer	1.0	0.5	0.02
BioJelly	Coco-caprylate/caprate, triheptanoin, C9-12 alkane, dilinoleic acid/propanediol/PDI crosspolymer	Emollient	15.0	7.5	0.26
Vitamin E Tocopherol	Dl-alpha tocopherol	Antioxidant	0.5	0.25	0.01
Polyhydroxystearic acid	Polyhydroxystearic acid	Thickener	3.0	1.5	0.05

Method

Add all ingredients into a heat-resistant glass beaker and stir well. Heat to 85C/185°F until all is melted and keep blending to avoid burning or settling. Continue until smooth. Pour into lipstick mold at 75-80°C.

This formula is one of many options that you can make for lipstick! You could create a lipstick in virtually any color that you like – it might just mean trial and error in regard to creating the perfect shade.

Check out our Recipes for Lip Care Products book to find even more lip-based cosmetic formulas! For formulating questions, please reach out to our tech department.