Behind The Scenes: Kryolan Lipstick Matt

Matt lips are on trend, but what goes in to creating a perfectly matt yet moisturizing lipstick?
 
Kryolan’s latest offering: Lipstick Matt – a lipstick with a matt effect, which is smooth to apply and cares for lips like a shine lipstick, was created in response to the rising demand for matt yet velvety smooth lipstick.
 
Dominik Langer, Director of Kryolan, decided to give Kryolan Chemist, Yousef Atapour, the challenge of developing the product with a very specific request:
 
“The lipstick had to shine when you twist it up but be matt when applied. I didn’t want a dull first impression.”

Describing the creation process, Atapour says,

“The base for a lipstick consists of oils,waxes and bulking agents. For standard lipsticks we use ricin oil, which has a brilliant shine- but that’s not what we want here. Waxes, on the other hand, have the property of absorbing the oil. So I had to find a wax that would completely absorb the oil. This would create a smooth and velvet consistency but a matt effect. Filling agents such as talcum, which is also used for powder, kaolin, china clay or silicate compounds also absorb the oil and therefore contribute to a matt appearance.”


 
What Atapour summarizes so effortlessly here is in reality an incredibly complicated recipe. It is only when the balance between oils, filling agents and waxes is exactly right that the lipstick can achieve the desired matt effect. 

Yousef meticulously crafted the lipstick formula, watching it closely for a week before putting it into a drying oven and checking that it hadn’t lost any weight.
 
The 18 shades of lipstick were decided upon after reviewing both the feedback from selected make-up artists and the most popular of the 700 shades already in Kryolan’s repertoire.
 
Finally, after about nine months of durability and wearability testing, the final 18 shades of Lipstick Matt were revealed.
 
Kryolan are one of the only make-up companies in the world who still make their own make-up and have developed over 16,000 high-quality make-up and accessories products in the past 70 years. 
 
Kryolan Lipstick Matt is available from Kryolan City, Newmarket and Minifies, Christchurch at RRP $32.