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Even Victoria Beckham Beauty has launched a clear lip gloss, confirming the trend’s staying power

‘Masks off, lipstick on’ has been a theme since Covid rules relaxed this summer. But to further embrace freedom from compulsory mask wearing we’ve been lacquering our lips with gloss – something far from compatible with face coverings.

But the revival of lip gloss is likely less to do with the pandemic and more embedded with the culture’s ever-increasing Nineties nostalgia.

The trend has been simmering since 2019, when sale of prestige lip gloss products started increasing in the UK. Now, with beauty movements being made on social media, it appears to be booming – if the 1,100,000 hashtags for ‘glossy lips’ on TikTok and Instagram are to go by.

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Then there’s Victoria Beckham’s endorsement of the trend. This week her beauty brand launched Posh Gloss High Shine Lip (at the designer’s ready-to-wear spring/summer 2022 presentation, no less); a clear gloss intended to be worn alone or layered over lip liner or lipstick.

“Throwing back to my Spice Girl days, Posh would always wear a high shine clear gloss with a heavy lip liner to make her lips look fuller,” says Beckham. And just like her former alter ego – and other Nineties beauty icons such as Jennifer Aniston’s Friends character Rachel Green, and original Supers Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell – brown lip liner topped with shiny gloss is well and truly back in style.

Indeed, retailer Look Fantastic has reported a 600 per cent increase in searches for the combo since July 2020, making the Victoria Beckham Beauty launch perfectly timed.

But while Beckham’s love affair with lip gloss began in the Nineties, formulations have come a long way. “I always found it heavy and uncomfortable to wear, and my hair would inevitably get stuck in it—especially riding on the back of David’s motorcycle,” she recalls. “So it became my mission to create a gloss that was beautiful, with reflective, mirror-like shine—but wearable and not at all sticky.”

Hers joins a new cohort of sophisticated lip glosses, that are shaking off their sticky reputation. See also Charlotte Tilbury’s Collagen Lip Bath; five sheer shades enriched with skincare ingredients. Or Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb; a high-shine lip conditioner offered in six shades.

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Whether layered or applied alone for a more modern, minimal vibe, lip gloss has graduated into more glamorous territory and it’s one Nineties revival we’re happy to embrace. Below, see more of Bazaar's favourites:

Debuting in one clear shade, Posh Gloss Ice moisturises and plumps while departing crystal shine.

Chanel's non-sticky gel texture hydrates lips with a high-shine finish. Shades range from barely-there to bold.

This best-selling formula comes in five sheer shades - all with skincare ingredients for conditioning properties.

Dior's signature lip gloss delivers shine and a volume-enhancing appearance.

MAC's aptly named Lipglass is a cult classic; boasting both intense pigment (of varying shade) and high shine.

A Glossier classic; this comfortable, long-lasting gloss imparts a glassy finish whether transparent, holographic or sheer red.

Available in a mega 32 shades, this shine-granting gloss lends lips an otherworldly lustre, as famed make-up artist McGrath might say.

A highly addictive lip conditioner, Fenty's Lip Luminizer's smells as good as it looks.