Rare Beauty Selena Gomez is Changing the ‘Lip Oil’ Game

BY AUDREY NOBLE

Lip oils are tricky. Some are too thick and sticky. Others give absolutely nothing in terms of texture and shine. But leave it to Selena Gomez to help solve the lip oil conundrum with her newest launch. On March 30, Rare Beauty dropped the ultimate lip oil for all your summer adventures: The Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil.

“I wanted to create a lip product that had the same effect for lips as the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush has for cheeks,” Gomez tells Faced. “This lip oil is comfortable and buildable, just like the liquid blush, and it’s perfect for summer, which is why we decided to launch it now.”

The new Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil is a lip jelly texture that turns into a lightweight oil once applied to the lips. Gomez says she and her Rare Beauty team focused on creating a variety of different shades and developing a unique texture that just feels good to wear, and it took two years to get the lip oil formula just right.

The formula leaves a nice shiny finish and a subtle hint of color. As an added bonus, it’s also made with nourishing skincare ingredients such as jojoba and sunflower seed oil for hydration and antioxidant protection from the environment. It comes in eight shades that range from pink and brown to peach — Hope, Happy, Joy, Serenity, Affection, Delight, Wonder, and Honesty — to match the eight shades of the brand’s TikTok-famous Liquid Blush. Choosing a favorite shade is always near impossible, but if you were wondering which one the Only Murders in the Building actress is vibing with right now, it would have to be the rose mauve in Wonder. “When I want a bolder lip, I reach for Wonder,” she says. “It really amps up my whole look.”

Other than wanting to give her fans an array of fun colors, Gomez says the most important thing to her was creating lip oil with long wear.

“It’s great for all day when I’m not thinking about reapplying,” she says. “I always test products on set. It’s fun to see how the formulas I’m working on wear throughout the day and how products look under such bright lights.”

I clearly wasn’t the only one influenced by Gomez—the Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil nearly sold out on sephora.com and rarebeauty.com; only select shades are still available at the moment.

Just as Gomez promised, the Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil is indeed “comfy.” The key ingredients are jojoba seed oil and sunflower oil, which are rich in antioxidants and protect the skin barrier to seal in hydration.

The oil really does melt into your lips and creates a cushiony and hydrated feel that isn’t sticky or clumpy. It’s a texture I’ve never felt before on my lips. While it is certainly an oil, it doesn’t feel thin or oily. At first application, it feels a bit more viscous and more similar to a slick gloss, but eventually the formula begins to dry and transform into a shiny tint. Other lip oils have felt similar at first, but they’ve always absorbed too quickly, been too oily, or left my skin feeling dry not long after application. The shine does fade after some wear, but the color stays intact and gives your lips that justate-a-Popsicle look. So if you want to boost the glossy effect without piling on the color, I’d recommend topping it off with your favorite lip treatment or clear lip gloss. At $20, it’s clear why this innovative lip oil is already flying off shelves. If you’ve been wondering if the Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil hype is real, consider this a resounding yes—and a sign to turn on notifications for the next restock.