Thanks to online meetings, lipstick gets its colour back

Sales had dipped but Zoom meetings are pulling the numbers back up

Beauty trends indicate a shift in attention to the eyes and nails, with the lockdown forcing women to wear masks, but lipstick is making a comeback. The new regulation had caused a fall in the sale of lipstick, say trade insiders.

“With few stepping out, people have started focusing on their cleansing, toning, and moisturising more religiously and hence we saw high double digit growth in the purchase of night creams, sunscreens, face oils and face serums,” Mrunmay Mehta, head of the beauty and luxury section in Amazon, tells Metrolife.

Customers are slowly gravitating towards beauty tools and accessories, like facial massagers, gua sha stones and jade rollers, he adds. The premium beauty business is accelerating online. Digital portals are gaining more traffic because of the ‘Virtual try on’ feature, he explains. (The feature allows the customers to use a pre-stored photograph or live camera to try the lipsticks or eye products on themselves).

“This bridges the gap between the offline and online buying experiences,” says Mehta. Where lipsticks are concerned, consumers are moving from gloss and shine to matte, tints and smudge-proof lip-balms, according to Flipkart. Women continue wearing cosmetics under their masks and look for products that leave no marks, says a Flipkart spokesperson. “Buyers are also opting for niche verticals such as face and nail makeup, with a surge in foundations, compacts, powders and primers, especially during summers,” he tells Metrolife.

In the new mask-wearing world, eye products are selling more than lipsticks, says Samir Modi, founder and managing director, Colorbar Cosmetics, a beauty brand. “There had been a dip in the purchase of lipsticks by 20 per cent due to the lockdowns, but with the emergence of Zoom meetings, lipstick sales are slowly and steadily picking up,” he mentions. However, Nippun Aneja, chief business officer at online cosmetic store Purplle, has observed a contrary trend.

“Lipsticks still sell more than all eye products combined. And even though there was a slight decline, once the lockdown eases, it will make up for lost sales,” he says.

Sales up

Eye make-up
Kajal, mascara, eye shadow and liquid eyeliners.

Skin care
Creams, toners, moisturisers and facial massagers.