Since its launch in 2018, Nécessaire has made its way into the showers and onto the vanities of people across the globe. Focused on creating sensorial experiences rather than just chasing trends, the brand is minimalistic personal care at its finest. (It somehow manages to make a multistep body-care routine feel minimalistic). Though Nécessaire has mastered the body and hair categories, the new year marks a new chapter for the brand. Meet The Lip Balm, the brand’s first foray into lip care. I’ve been using it for a few weeks and love the formula. It officially launches on January 5, but we got early VIP access for you to shop now.
“We have worked on The Lip Balm for two-plus years,” says cofounder Randi Christiansen. “We are deeply committed to a product-first approach, not a trend-first approach. This means it takes us longer than most to release the final product. We are motivated by the very best in efficacy. This often takes time. The truth is that The Lip Balm was an add-in to our treatment architecture. We initially had Lip planned further out, but as the demand for lip care rose tremendously these past years, our community would come to us for our interpretation. We began to design to that intention.”
What Makes It Different
Everyone is talking about the importance of skin barrier creams these days, and this is Nécessaire’s version for the lips. “We believe lip care is skin care,” says Christiansen. “We set out to create a barrier balm for the delicate lip skin. We wanted to tackle that everyday essential and create a balm that helps provide instant relief to dry, chapped and compromised lips.” The formula contains five essential ceramides, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, omegas 6 and 9, and centella asiatica extract. “They are compounded into a proprietary complex that we deliver in shea butter,” Christiansen tells me. These are ingredients we typically see in good barrier-repair skin-care products.
The Lip Balm is vegan and has a natural, minty-fresh flavor thanks to the use of pure essential mint oil versus synthetic flavor. The finish is a clear, semi-gloss and you can wear it day or night. I use it all the time, but particularly love applying it at night before bed so it nourishes my lips while I sleep. I also love the cooling stainless steel tip, which helps the silky balm glide on really smooth. Overall, the texture, flavor and finish get high marks.
Will There Be a Tinted Version?
When I asked Christiansen this question, she said there is “no plan to add tints at this time.” She does “see complementary offerings in lip treatments” though. “As a first step, we want to see what the reception is to The Lip Balm,” Christiansen says. “We want to make sure the quality is there, and make sure our community tries it, then comes back. To me, success is not the first purchase. It is always the second purchase. When I see that pattern, I know we have earned a spot in someone’s life. That is what we are going for.” Either way, we’re excited for the first Nécessaire Lip Balm and can’t wait to see what comes next.
