Multi-Use Cheek and Lip Tints Are Quietly the Most Profitable Category in Makeup

Multi-use cheek and lip tints are among the least glamorous products in most makeup lineups — usually a simple tinted balm in a squeeze tube or stick, with none of the pigment complexity of an eyeshadow palette or the formulation challenge of a long-wear foundation. They're also, according to several brands' internal figures, disproportionately profitable relative to how simple they are to produce.

The economics make sense once laid out: a single formula serves two use cases, reducing the SKU count needed to cover a customer's cheek-and-lip routine, while the ingredient list required for a sheer, buildable tint is considerably shorter and cheaper than what a full-coverage foundation demands.

Consumer behavior has cooperated with the trend too — the five-minute-face shift toward minimal routines makes a single multi-use product more appealing than two separate ones for the same effect.

It's not a flashy category, but as an example of formulation simplicity translating directly into margin, cheek-and-lip tints are one of the clearer stories in the industry this year.