What is your lipstick preference?
When it comes to lipsticks the variety is huge. For manufacturers, this can be a challenge, because what is in vogue today is left on the shelf tomorrow. Celebrity endorsements and fashion shows are key ways to expose the global brands. Lipstick manufacturing offers some very interesting opportunities – for those who are ready to grab them.
A growing demand of lipsticks
Cosmetic companies see a growing demand for lipsticks. Worldwide sales in 2017 were 12.4 Billion USD. The forecast is growth up to 19.4 Billion USD in 2025, which corresponds to a good 8% increase per year in this market.
Since the market is growing, more players are now entering it and they are starting to get interested in lipstick molding. At the same time individualization is high-end phenomenon causing the price per lipstick to rise, which makes it even more appealing for investors.
A shift towards personalization and online purchases
No matter which continent you are on, you will be able to put on your red lips (or any color you choose). Among the major brands are L’Oreal Group, Procter and Gamble, Estee Lauder, Revlon, LVMH, Shiseido, Chanel, ROHTO, Beiersdorf and Avon – just to name a few.
Other than the big brands, there are private actors who find success in many markets, especially if they are able to surf the new trend waves. The individualization trend enables niche actors to grow. The more they grow, they more they have resources to move from manual lipstick moulding into an industrialized manufacturing process.
Point of-sale is also a cause of this major shift in the lipstick industry. Niche players consider the online market as an interesting platform to launch their niche products. Digitization and e-commerce, along with social media influencers, are big drivers of the personalization transformation. More and more people are buying online. Well, you can get lipsticks basically everywhere, but there is a major shift towards online purchases, which are related to an increased desire for personalization.
Why only straight?
New lipsticks are now being launched every few months – what is in vogue today might be left on the shelf tomorrow. Just four years ago one of the world’s leading cosmetic makers offered 60 different lipsticks. Fast-forward to 2019 and that same manufacturer has over 400 lipsticks to choose from, which tells you just how much the industry is changing – and how quickly. And to accommodate a diverse demand, the variation in lipstick offerings is extreme.
Interesting and unusual shapes are an increasingly important component in the market. Different markets are presenting different demands. This is changing how cosmetics companies operate – and that means production needs to adapt and be flexible.
Citus Kalix machines are designed to produce a variety of specially shaped lipsticks, from square and oval to triangular and even teardrop. By offering machines that are flexible and address the needs of the market today, Citus Kalix is helping cosmetics companies keep on top of the rapid changes digitization and the desire for customization have brought – and keeping their end customers satisfied and loyal.
How to make a lipstick
Citus Kalix is manufacturing lipstick machines in the range of 10 per min up to 60 pc per minute.
1.) PRE-HEATING
The process requires the product to be heated to have a certain viscosity, which happens during heating. This is the pre-heating stage
2.) FILLING OF PRODUCT
The heated product is filled.
3.) COOLING
After the body is filled the product needs cooling. Producing flaw-free lipsticks that do not have bubbles or markings is critical to a customer’s success. That is the reason why soft silicone molds are used in Citus Kalix machines – they are designed to avoid any scratches. This is a patented technology that was invented by Citus in France.
4) UPPER MOLD OPENING
The demolding process is just as important as the filling itself. It is when the lipstick is brought out of its filled form that the shape was created in.
5.) PICKING
Now the lipstick is in contact with air for the first time. The machine is carefully lifting the stick up from the mold.
6.) LOWER MOLD OPENING
Additional release is required and the lower mold opening is helping to create the flaw-free lipstick that is now turned into bottom down, screw back to hide most of the body. In the final position the lipstick gets its cap.
