Why is the Lip Ink® Trademark so Special?

Lip DivaTM Why is the Lip Ink® trademark so special?

Rose’s brother Steve was commissioned to design the plume and bottle on the package design ;and Rose added the finishing touch of the smiling lips, to give it character and a face that makes people smile. The Lip Ink trademark is the seal of approval. It was recognized by Wikipedia in 2006, giving it permanence in an everchanging world.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Lip-Ink International is a privately owned company in the United States, which specializes in the invention, manufacture and distribution of semipermanent cosmetics.The company was founded in 1991, and incorporated in 1995 by Rose Nichols, (also known as the Lip Diva), based on her invention of a Semi-Permanent liquid lip coloring consisting of an insoluble film forming process, which does not use a wax of any kind, unlike other lipsticks. Nichols went on to create and patent several other varieties of long-lasting, smear-proof cosmetics, over 500 and counting.

Lip Ink According to the company website, the “Lip-Ink” formula is made of over 90% natural herbal ingredients, and contains no wax. The balance being FDA and FTA approved color. It does not rub or wipe off on cups or clothing, not even when eating hot or greasy food. In general, it will stay in place until the cosmetic remover provided by the company is used. This improves appearance and durability, but also prevents the ingestion of lipstick that is common with other lip products.

The formula was patented in 1995, four years after Nichols conceptualized the idea for her senior thesis project for Merchandise Marketing and product delopment at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. She then founded her business and began marketing the product online in 1995, creating one of the first e-commerce cosmetics sites on the then fledgling World Wide Web. It won awards at the International Invention Convention in 1997 and 1998, and over time, the Lip-Ink line became available in spas, salons, plastic surgery offices and multiple other retail locations.

The Lip-Ink product line has been mentioned in numerous news and print media and television shows; Home and Family, Good Morning Arizona, the Style Network and Noticias 34, as well as Glamour magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Tampa Bay Times, Salon Journal, Beauty Launchpad, Makeup Artist Magazine, Estylo, Paula Begoun’s book, Don’t go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me, and more.The company has seen some competition, and even infringement of patents by the major players in the marketplace. With considerable time and effort in the area of patent enforcement Revlon, and Senegance agreed to reformulate to include wax in their lip moisturizers leaving Lip Ink International with favorable results. In one case Lip Ink International was awarded back licensing fees for infringment of at least two of the patents. Avon Products, The Body Shop and Urban Decay also had to be instructed not to use the trademarked name “Lip Ink” for their products. Major companies like MAC and Revlon now use names like “lip stain”, “lip glass”, “liquid lip” and so on, for their attempts at a similarly long-lasting product. But none use the wax-free herbal formula of the original Lip Ink product line.