National Lipstick Day Date in the current year: July 29, 2024

Lipstick is a makeup product applied to the lips to improve or change their color. Its principal ingredients are wax, oil, and pigment. The use of lipstick dates back to ancient civilizations; it is believed that lipstick was invented by ancient Sumerians about 5,000 years ago. Interestingly, back then lipstick was worn both by women and men. In ancient Egypt, for example, it indicated a person’s status rather than gender.

The use of lipstick in the Western world was popularized in the 16th century. Bright red lipstick became fashionable during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1558–1603). Made from beeswax and red pigment from plants, it was worn by upper-class women and male actors.

Modern lipstick was developed in the second half of the 19th century by the French perfume and cosmetics house Guerlain. According to the brand’s own account, an employee of Aimé and Gabriel Guerlain came up with the idea of creating a lip product that would easier to use than carmine lip dye that needed to be applied with a brush while walking past a candlemaker’s store.

Guerlain began experimenting with mixing wax and pigment to create lipstick in 1870 and released the first commercial lipstick in 1884. Its main ingredients were beeswax, castor oil, deer tallow, and pigment. This first lipstick did not come in a screw-up tube. Instead, it was wrapped in silk paper. By the early 20th century, lipstick became acceptable and fashionable. Push-up metal lipstick tubes were invented in the 1910s; during World War II, they were replaced by paper and plastic tubes.

The first modern lipstick was dark red. Various lipstick colors were first introduced by Elizabeth Arden in 1930s. Since then, different lipstick colors have gained different connotations. For example, red is associated with sensuality, pink with youthfulness and innocence, and the color black is primarily associated with various subcultures such as goth and punk.

The exact origins of National Lipstick Day are unclear because it has been observed occasionally on different dates for decades. The founder of the modern version of the holiday, celebrated annually on July 29, is American makeup artist, beauty blogger and entrepreneur Hudda Kattan, who submitted it to National Day Calendar in 2016.

There are many amazing ways to celebrate National Lipstick Day. You can put on your favorite lipstick, take a selfie and post it with the hashtags #NationalLipstickDay and #LipstickDay, learn fun facts about lipstick and share them with anyone who is willing to listen, splurge on an expensive lipstick you’ve been eyeing for some time, buy a couple of lipsticks with creative names such as Unicorn Blood or Pink Pigeon, watch makeup tutorials on YouTube or make and post your own tutorial, and give a shout-out to your favorite lipstick brands on social media.