Lipstick is a visual, shade-driven category, which makes ads easy to learn from. This directory includes inclusive and indie brands like Mented Cosmetics and Nudestix, mass-market favorites like e.l.f. Cosmetics, NYX Professional Makeup DTC and Wet n Wild DTC, luxury names like Charlotte Tilbury, Westman Atelier and La Bouche Rouge, and K-beauty and regional labels like 3CE, Sugar Cosmetics and Kiko Milano. Their ads show how color brands win attention and trust.
3CE (3 Concept Eyes) is the makeup brand of Korean fashion label Stylenanda, acquired by L'Oréal in 2018 for approximately $400M. Founded by Nana Yoon, 3CE pioneered the Instagram-pink aesthetic in Korean makeup, offering lip products, eye looks, and base makeup that defined a generation of K-beauty visual identity. Now distributed globally through DTC and Sephora. Also searched as 3CE.
About-Face is a gender-fluid color cosmetics brand founded by Halsey in 2021. Known for bold editorial aesthetics and an inclusive, non-conformist creative philosophy, the brand launched DTC-first before expanding to Ulta Beauty, targeting Gen Z consumers who reject traditional beauty gender norms.
BLK Cosmetics is a Philippine DTC beauty brand co-founded in 2018 by actress Anne Curtis and Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez. Targeting Gen Z and millennial Filipinas, BLK is known for its All-Day Wear Cushion and vivid lip collections, sold via DTC, Shopee, and Lazada. Also searched as BLK.
Charlotte Tilbury is a London-based luxury beauty brand founded by makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury in 2013, acquired by Puig in 2020. The brand built its DTC business on founder credibility, hero SKUs (Magic Cream, Pillow Talk lip pencil), and aspirational luxury creative across global paid social. Also searched as Charlotte.
Colorkey is a Shanghai-based Gen Z beauty brand founded around 2019, best known for its Velvet Air Lip Mud — a whipped matte texture that became a Douyin phenomenon. The brand distributes through Tmall and Douyin live commerce, targeting young Chinese consumers with vibrant shades and trend-first product innovation.
e.l.f. Cosmetics is an Oakland-based mass-market color cosmetics brand founded by Joey Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba in 2004. The brand pioneered TikTok brand marketing with the viral 'Eyes Lips Face' song in 2019 and has since acquired Rhode Beauty, positioning itself as a DTC-native beauty platform. Also searched as E.l.f..
Espoir is AmorePacific's professional makeup brand, positioned at the intersection of artist-grade performance and DTC accessibility. Known for the Real Skin Founwear foundation range and rich lip products, Espoir targets makeup-literate consumers who want professional results without department store pricing.
Florasis is a Chinese cosmetics brand selling makeup products including lipsticks, eyeshadows, and complexion products with packaging and branding drawing on traditional Chinese aesthetics. It sells primarily through e-commerce platforms in China and internationally. The brand advertises on Meta to reach beauty consumers.
INTO YOU is a Shanghai-founded Gen Z beauty brand that pioneered dopamine colour cosmetics in China. Launched around 2020, it rapidly became known for vivid blush and lip shades amplified by Douyin creator campaigns, achieving top-10 domestic brand status on Tmall within two years. Also searched as INTO.
Implora is an Indonesian cosmetics and personal care brand selling makeup and beauty products through e-commerce and retail across Indonesia. The brand targets budget-conscious beauty consumers with a broad product range. It advertises on Meta to reach its target market.
IsaDora is a Swedish colour cosmetics brand founded in Malmö in 1983. Known for its wide shade range of foundations and long-wear lipsticks, it became a fixture in Scandinavian drugstores and pharmacies before expanding into European and US retail via Walgreens. The brand is rooted in the idea that makeup should suit Nordic skin tones and climate — buildable coverage, staying power in cold weather, and accessible price points. After a period of private equity ownership under Axcel, IsaDora returned to family-backed ownership, continuing its expansion into DTC e-commerce while maintaining its mass-prestige drugstore positioning.
Kay Beauty is an Indian makeup brand co-created with actress Katrina Kaif, selling foundations, lipsticks, and other cosmetics. The brand is sold through Nykaa's retail and online channels in India, advertising across Meta placements.
Kiko Milano is an Italian cosmetics brand founded in Bergamo in 1997 by the Percassi group, offering affordable-premium makeup and skincare through over 900 global stores and a growing DTC e-commerce channel. Known for rapid new product launches and one of Europe's most active beauty loyalty programmes, Kiko bridges mass-market accessibility with Italian beauty credibility. Also searched as Kiko.
La Bouche Rouge Paris was founded in 2017 by former L'Oréal marketing director Nicolas Gerlier. Every product is plastic-free, with lipstick refills housed in handcrafted leather cases made at the Tanneries du Puy. The brand sells DTC and through luxury retailers including Net-a-Porter and Sephora, proving sustainability and luxury are not opposites.
M.O.I Cosmetics is a Vietnamese DTC cosmetics brand founded in 2016 by superstar singer and model Hồ Ngọc Hà. The brand is known for bold colour cosmetics — particularly lip products — and positions itself as a premium Vietnamese alternative to imported K-beauty and Western cosmetics. M.O.I's celebrity founder gives it organic media reach and aspirational appeal with Vietnamese consumers. Also searched as M.O.I.
MAC Cosmetics built its DTC channel on makeup artist credibility and limited-edition drop culture on MAC.com. MACSelect loyalty rewards, the Back-to-MAC empties return program, and high-profile collaborations with cultural figures (RuPaul, Viva Glam) drive direct purchase and repeat engagement. Also searched as MAC.
Make Over is Indonesia's leading professional-grade cosmetics brand, owned by PT Paragon Technology and Innovation. Founded around 2010, it has built a reputation for bold, highly pigmented formulas and editorial-style advertising campaigns closely tied to Jakarta Fashion Week, appealing to makeup artists and beauty-forward consumers across the archipelago. Also searched as Make.
Mented Cosmetics is a New York-based color cosmetics brand co-founded by KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson in 2017. The brand launched to fill the nude lipstick gap for deeper skin tones and expanded into full-face color products, distributed DTC and through Target and Ulta. Also searched as Mented.
Milani Cosmetics is a Los Angeles-based affordable beauty brand founded in 2002, offering richly pigmented makeup formulated for diverse and multicultural skin tones. The brand built a strong DTC channel at milanicosmetics.com and is especially beloved by Latina consumers for its bold color range and accessible pricing. Also searched as Milani.
NYX Professional Makeup was founded in 1999 by Toni Ko and acquired by L'Oréal in 2014 for approximately $500M. Known for professional-quality affordable cosmetics and a strong MUA following, NYX operates DTC via nyxcosmetics.com. Also searched as NYX.
Nudestix is a Toronto-based minimal makeup brand co-founded by Jenny Frankel and her daughters Taylor and Ally Frankel in 2014. The brand sells multi-use makeup crayons designed for a fast, no-makeup-makeup look, distributed through Sephora and Ulta.
Nykaa Cosmetics is the in-house beauty label of Indian beauty retailer Nykaa, selling makeup products including lipsticks, foundations, and eye cosmetics. The brand is sold through Nykaa's own e-commerce platform and stores across India, advertising across Meta placements.
Pupa Milano is an Italian cosmetics brand founded in Milan in 1975, celebrated for its playful, collectible packaging and themed limited editions. The brand markets to fashion-forward women who view makeup as a creative expression, distributing through DTC e-commerce, pharmacies, and beauty retailers across Italy and internationally. Also searched as Pupa.
Quem Disse, Berenice? ('Who said, Berenice?') is Grupo Boticário's Gen-Z-targeting color cosmetics brand, launched in 2012. Known for irreverently named products, affordable pricing, and vibrant social media presence, the brand targets Brazilian Gen-Z women through franchise stores, DTC e-commerce, and aggressive social commerce campaigns. Also searched as Quem.
R.E.M. Beauty is a Los Angeles-based color cosmetics brand launched by Ariana Grande in November 2021. Named after her single 'R.E.M.,' the brand features a space-age aesthetic with extraterrestrial packaging and intergalactic color palettes. Multiple products sold out on launch day, driven by Grande's massive global fanbase and the visual distinctiveness of the brand's UFO-inspired campaign imagery. R.E.M. Beauty expanded into Ulta Beauty retail and has broadened its range to include fragrance-adjacent products. The brand targets Grande's core demographic — beauty consumers 18–30 who value bold color and distinctive aesthetics — with a mix of fan-driven organic demand and performance marketing. Also searched as R.E.M..
Rollover Reaction was founded in 2016 by four friends — Naya Tinanda Nabila, Dinar Amanda, Novianti Haryanto, and Sarah Novia Hartono — as Indonesia's first independent cruelty-free cosmetics brand. The brand's lip-and-cheek multifunctional debut product became an instant hit, establishing a loyal following for its clean, pigment-forward formulas at mid-range prices. Also searched as Rollover.
Rose All Day Cosmetics is a Philippine beauty brand selling color cosmetics, including lip and face products, through ecommerce and retail channels. It advertises across Meta placements to reach beauty consumers in Southeast Asia.
Sugar Cosmetics is an Indian colour cosmetics brand founded in 2015 by Vineeta Singh and Kaushik Mukherjee in Mumbai. Built on the insight that international makeup formulas fail in India's tropical humidity, Sugar develops long-wear, high-pigment products engineered for Indian skin tones and climate. The brand has grown to over 45,000 retail touchpoints alongside its DTC channel. Also searched as Sugar.
Vice Cosmetics is a Philippines beauty brand launched in September 2017 by celebrity comedian Vice Ganda. The brand became famous for its entry-level lipstick priced at 88 pesos — a deliberate affordability signal that positioned Vice Cosmetics as the beauty brand accessible to every Filipino. Despite the entry price, the brand maintains quality formulations and has expanded beyond lip products into a broader colour cosmetics range. Also searched as Vice.
VIOLETTE_FR was founded in 2021 by award-winning French makeup artist Violette Serrat with $2.75M in seed funding. Hero products include Boum-Boum Milk facial mist and Bisou Balm sheer lipsticks. Following Series A and B rounds, the brand expanded into Sephora, Liberty London, and Le Bon Marché.
Vult is a Brazilian mass-market makeup brand under Grupo Boticário, launched to serve the high-volume color cosmetics segment. Offering foundations, lipsticks, palettes, and more, Vult positions itself as the go-to affordable option for Brazilian consumers who want trend-forward looks.
Westman Atelier is a New York-based luxury clean makeup brand founded in July 2018 by celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman and her husband David Neville, co-founder of Rag & Bone. The brand achieved $100M in retail sales by 2023, five years post-launch, with Sephora, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus distribution. Also searched as Westman.
Wet n Wild is a Los Angeles-based cosmetics brand owned by Markwins International, offering bold, affordable makeup since 1979. The brand experienced a major Gen Z revival through TikTok virality, with products regularly going viral for delivering premium-quality pigment and finish at drugstore prices of $1–$10. Also searched as Wet.
Swatches are the core of lipstick advertising. Arm swatches, lip close-ups, shade ranges across skin tones and try-on videos let viewers judge color before buying. Inclusive shade ranges are a strong angle for brands such as Mented Cosmetics, and regional labels like Sugar Cosmetics speak to formulas and shades made for local skin tones. Mass-market brands including e.l.f. Cosmetics, NYX Professional Makeup DTC and Wet n Wild DTC sell trend, value and virality, using playful, creator-led content. Luxury names such as Charlotte Tilbury and Westman Atelier lean on glamour, founder credibility and high-performance formulas. La Bouche Rouge adds refillable design to its luxury story. Korean brands such as 3CE and Espoir mix playful visuals with trend cycles. Offers include shade-matching tools, minis, gift sets and limited collections, and launches are frequent. The best creative gets to the color within the first second and uses a hook that names the finish, wear time or look.
Start with how color is shown. Compare swatches, application clips, tutorials and before-and-after looks, and note whether shades appear on a range of skin tones. Check positioning signals: inclusivity, long wear, comfort, clean formulas, glam, viral trend or pro-grade performance. Brands tend to own one, and the choice shapes everything from copy to casting. Study creator involvement. Makeup artists, beauty creators and everyday users each carry a different kind of credibility. Note launch cadence. Many lipstick brands release frequent shades and collections, and tracking what refreshes and what stays live shows which creative is carrying the account. Finally, look at how offers are packaged. Minis, bundles and gift sets reduce risk for shade-uncertain shoppers, and the way brands frame them helps you design your own first-purchase incentive.
They rely on swatches, application clips, creator tutorials and trend-led hooks. Mass brands like e.l.f. stress value and fun, while Charlotte Tilbury leans on glamour. Reviewing ads across several brands at once makes it easier to see which messages are common, which are rare, and where your own positioning could stand out.
In this directory, Mented Cosmetics is built around shade inclusivity, and brands like Sugar Cosmetics focus on shades made for local skin tones. Comparing several brands side by side shows which angles repeat across the category and which are still open, so you can spot patterns before you brief creative or plan tests.
Luxury brands such as Charlotte Tilbury emphasize glamour and performance. Drugstore brands like NYX and Wet n Wild emphasize value, trend and variety. Look at how long each ad has run and which formats repeat. Those signals usually separate tested, working creative from one-off experiments and help you set realistic expectations.
Search a brand in AdLibrary to browse its active and past Meta and TikTok ads and compare creative and offers. Treat what you find as a starting point for your own hypotheses, then adapt the angle, format and offer to your product and audience rather than copying a competitor directly.
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