The next gen of lip gloss is also a hydrator

Paris Hilton and Mean Girls’ Regina George liked it in icy pink. New mother Naomi Campbell and just-married Ariana Grande like it as clear and cool as ice.

“You’re not an it-girl without lip gloss,” declares makeup artist Sylvina “Slo” Lopez. As iconic as a matte red lip to our generation, Slo adds, “It’s the epitome of makeup.”

These days, lip gloss can offer more than just a beautifying self-esteem boost. Now that our lips are mostly under a hot face mask, stuck in an air-conditioned room, or constantly seeking relief from thirst, it can act as an occlusive and make our lip balms work better against dehydration and dryness.

There’s a medical term for the problem: Transepidermal Water Loss is what happens when water passes from the dermis through the epidermis and evaporates from the skin’s surface. To keep it from happening, we must layer the moisturizing humectant/hydrator with a moisture-trapping occlusive. So why not come up with a product that does both?

This is what was going on at local brand Issy & Co. when Hydragloss was born. Slo, who helped develop the glosses, says, “Most lip oils and treatments tend to be mineral, petroleum, or essential. We wanted something that traps moisture while being nourishing.”

Hydragloss does that with shea butter, jojoba seed oil, aloe juice, coco nucifera oil, sodium hyaluronate (a hyaluronic acid with smaller molecules), and the surprising addition of “very little” lactic acid.

“At only 0.5 rounded off, it won’t make it peel but it keeps the dead skin off,” says creative director Joel Martin Andrade of the gentle AHA. On the lip, it feels lighter than a lip oil.

There are four sheer yet buildable shades. “We didn’t want a bunch of nude colors; we want it to be fun,” says Joel. “The local market is focused on pigment, but we’re the opposite.”

“For me, I love the versatility of a sheer gloss,” says Slo.

Surf is clear with a hint of pink “because our lips are already a bit pink,” she adds.

Loveboat is a rosy sunburnt shade for the person who wants a new MLBB straight out of a feel-good ’90s R&B music video.

Bikini is a warm brown gloss, a bronzy answer to the coppery shades now out in the market. For the cool-toned nudes and pinks in your repertoire that just feel dated and unflattering, undertone-wise, Slo explains, “This is the quick fix for those colors. We modernized it. Lots of Y2K shades have blue pearls. Bronzy makes it today.”

“Contextualizing it in your makeup collection, they work with people who have at least five to 10 lipsticks,” says Slo.

Don’t be intimidated by Baywatch, a Watermelon Cherry Kool-Aid popsicle red that’s very sheer yet buildable. “Red is intimidating for morenas but it’s so beautiful for many skin tones.”

Swiped or slathered on with the intuitive concave applicator — why have we stuck with the basic doe foot for so long — they can go from a primer to a lipstick or lip liner topper to as rich as an overnight lip treatment. When it has faded, you are left with a nice tint.

Slo has used it on different parts of the face for this campaign, applying it with fingers. “Since it’s not petroleum-based, it can moisturize other parts of the face. It’s non-comedogenic.” It’s also fragrance-free.

Priced at only P299, Joel says, “It’s a price for people to take their lip care seriously, to convince them to go for what’s good for you instead of just pigment na pang Instagram.”

Glossy lips, however, are the hottest thing on the ‘gram. Not that we’re doing it for anyone’s approval anymore. It’s just so hot!

“Never moisturize without hydrating,” Joel reminds. “Drink water then use it. Hydration will never go out of style.”

Issy & Co Hydragloss is available with a Buy 3 Get 1 promotion at Lazada’s LazMall.