Back in 2015, matte lips had a major moment: Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits were a coveted status symbol, Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick had beauty YouTubers in a chokehold and nearly every major makeup brand was riding the liquid matte lipstick wave. Then, post-pandemic, the beauty pendulum swung so far into the dewy category that we invented brand new moisture-forward trends: glass skin, glossy lids and glazed donut looks, to name a few. Now, we’re seeing a new era of the matte lip, and it’s getting a modern upgrade.

A decade ago, matte lip formulas were known for being chalky and stiff and leaving lips absolutely begging for moisture. This time around, things are different: In keeping with the industry’s prevailing “skinification” trend — non-skin-care products enhanced with skin-care ingredients — the 2025 matte lip formulas of today balance hydration with soft-focus velvety finishes.

“In the 2010s, matte lips were all about full coverage and flat, almost drying finishes,” Lisa Aharon, a New York-based makeup artist whose clients include Rachel Brosnahan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Dianna Agron and Kristen Wiig, tells Fashionista. “Today’s matte lip formulas are much more flexible and skin-like. They’re infused with skin-care ingredients — think hyaluronic acid, nourishing oils and smoothing complexes — so they feel comfortable and actually wear beautifully over time.”

Within the past few months, a handful of new matte lip launches have disrupted the sea of shiny glosses, including Westman Atelier’s Lip Suede, Sisley’s Phyto-Rouge Velvet, Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape and Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge Velvet Matte. Consumers are already responding to the matte lip renaissance: Trend forecasting agency Spate found that matte lipstick saw a 38.1% year-on-year growth across TikTok and Google combined, and garnered approximately 279.6 million total views on TikTok and 59,100 average monthly Google searches.

But why are matte lips making a comeback now? Just as fashion trends always reenter the zeitgeist (see: Gen Z’s Y2K fascination), beauty trends are cyclical, Spate’s Co-Founder Yarden Horwitz notes. “We went through the glossy cycle and now we’re ready for something different,” she says. “We have evolved from glossy lips to lip oil to lip stain to more of a bolder look with the matte lips.”

The beauty space has also seen plenty of innovation over the past decade, priming old favorites to return with upgraded formulas. “Brands are being able to infuse hyaluronic acid and vitamin E and cocoa butter without it having to be in a gloss format,” Nordstrom’s Beauty Director Autumne West says. “They’re able to do that now in lipsticks.”

This spring, makeup artist Jamie Genevieve’s beauty brand Vieve launched Poutder, a powder-infused “matte lip mousse” formulated with vitamin E, hyaluronic spheres and castor seed oil. “I really toyed with the idea of a matte lip that was super easy, you didn’t need to worry about it, there wasn’t an instruction manual with it, and I love the idea of a tint, but something that’s buildable,” Genevieve reflects. “Poutder really is that, it’s that wash of color if you want it, kind of the same way that you get a wash of color with a lip balm, but I wanted it to have that powdery rom-com-style lip.”

For makeup artist and beauty-industry veteran Lisa Eldridge, contemporary matte lips definitely shouldn’t sap moisture or have that dreaded cracking effect: “With the inclusion of the right ingredients, modern matte formulas can be hydrating,” she says. Her eponymous beauty brand’s Velveteen Liquid Lip Color is a “soft-focus” matte formula boosted by passionfruit seed oil, vitamin E and caprylic triglyceride for a smooth glide and all-day wear.

Violette_FR is also a leader in the hydrating matte lip space with its Bisou Balm, a sheer matte lipstick-balm hybrid. Powered by brassica campestris (rapeseed) seed oil for a boost of hydration and a flexible feel, Bisou Balm captures the signature French “bouche mordue” look, or “just-bitten lips,” with its blurring, soft matte finish. “This sense of ease is at the heart of French beauty — we never want to feel or look like we’re trying too hard,” Founder Violette Serrat shares. “When we first introduced Bisou Balm, there was nothing quite like it on the market that could deliver this effect in a single swipe.”

Though Violette_FR first introduced Bisou Balm back in 2021, the sheer matte lipstick has since exploded in popularity online and is a key driver for the brand’s growth: The product sells every minute and brings in 84% of the brand’s new customers, according to Serrat. With Violette_FR at the forefront of the renewed appetite for matte lips, Serrat attributes the growing appeal of the velvety finish to “a broader shift toward natural, effortless beauty.”

“People are moving away from high-maintenance, glossy looks and instead celebrating a more understated, confident approach,” she continues. “This ‘undone’ aesthetic has always been there; it’s just now gaining more attention as we embrace a more minimal and timeless way of expressing ourselves.”

Along with these new formula innovations, the application process for a matte lip look has shifted, too. Following K-beauty’s surge in popularity on TikTok during the pandemic, “blurry lips” (with a diffused, blended out feel) have emerged as the modern matte lip look. “Blurred lips” saw 360.5% year-on-year growth across TikTok and Google combined and amassed 56.6 million total views on TikTok, Spate found. Rather than defining the lip shape with a precision liner — very 2015 — “blurry lips” embrace a soft, diffused appearance achieved by blending out lip stains, lip muds or matte lipsticks. Blurry lips — along with other trending soft matte styles like velvet lips or Korean gradient lips — represent a growing consumer interest in various matte techniques and formats, Horwitz notes.

“After years of high-shine and glossy finishes dominating the beauty scene, I think we’re collectively craving a bit of balance — and that’s where matte lips step in,” Aharon says. “Matte textures bring a sense of intention and polish to a look. They feel a little more grounded, sophisticated and timeless.”

Ahead, see (and shop!) the expert-recommended hydrating formulas spearheading the return of the matte lip.

Westman Atelier Lip Suede Matte Lipstick, $50, available here

Rhode Peptide Lip Shape, $24, available here

Violette_FR Bisou Balm, $29, available here

Vieve Poutder, $25, available here

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge Velvet Matte, $36, available here

Les Filles en Rouje Semi-Matte Lipstick, $38, available here

Lisa Eldridge Velveteen Liquid Lipstick, $27, available here

Merit Signature Lip Matte, $26, available here

Revolution Beauty Air Blur Lipstick, $10, available here

Sisley Phyto-Rouge Velvet, $75, available here

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Matte, $24, available here

Thrive Causemetics Sheer Strength Moisturizing Matte Lip Tint, $26, available here

Valentino Spike Valentino Buttery Matte Lipstick, $48, available here

LYS Beauty Speak Love Moisture Matte Lipstick, $20, available here

Rare Beauty Lip Soufflé Matte Cream Lipstick, $20, available here

Benefit Cosmetics Plushtint Moisturizing Matte Lip Tint, $24, available here

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed, $25, available here

Haus Labs Le Monster Lip Crayon Vegan Lipstick and Lip Liner, $24, available here

Yves Saint Laurent The Inks Blurring Matte Liquid Lip Stain, $48, available here

Saie Lip Blur, $24, available here

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