Trending 20th January 2026 by Aicha Chalouche

The Lip Stain: Our New Holy Grail Beauty Product

2026's first truly viral beauty product

Lip stains have been around for a few years now, but only recently have they picked up in their popularity, and beauty gurus across social media are going nuts over them.

If you’re into makeup at all, your go-to lip combo probably holds a very special place in your heart. Sometimes, though, it can be a bit tiresome to constantly have to top up your lipstick or worry about your lipgloss drying up, especially if you’re someone who wears makeup throughout the day. Lip stains are the perfect solution to this, but what exactly are they?

Lip stains provide your lips with a long lasting colour without the weight or maintenance of regular lipsticks and glosses. Lip stains sink into your lips and essentially dye them, allowing you to go about your day with a vibrant colour and not have to worry about your lips drying up or looking patchy.

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They typically come in gel or water based formulas, and all you need to do is brush a bit onto your lips, let it sit for the required amount of time (usually about five minutes) and then rub or peel it off.

It’s the perfect low maintenance way to ensure a gorgeous, even colour on your lips that’ll last longer than regular lipstick. Lip stains are also usually able to endure daily habits like eating and drinking without losing their tint or becoming patchy.

On TikTok and Instagram, you can find thousands of videos of makeup enthusiasts using lip stains in a number of different ways to achieve different lip looks.

Some choose to completely cover their lips with the stain, while others just trace the outline of their lips with it, using it as an alternative for lip liner. Either way, this fun and durable lip product is likely going to be a holy grail in makeup for 2026.

If you like what you hear, we’ve made a quick list of some of the most popular and highly praised lip stains that you can try out this year.