The term for a cosmetic applied to the lips to add color is lipstick.
Lipstick is usually made from a blend of waxes, oils, pigments, and emollients. Waxes give a solid stick its shape, while oils help it glide across the lips. Different formulas create matte, satin, sheer, glossy, or long-lasting finishes.
Lip coloring has ancient roots. People in Sumer and the Indus Valley used colored materials on their lips roughly 5,000 years ago, and ancient Egyptians used red pigments made from substances including carmine. In the modern Western cosmetics industry, Guerlain helped popularize lipstick in stick form during the late 19th century.
Lipstick is often confused with lip gloss, lip balm, and lip liner. Gloss mainly adds shine, balm focuses on moisturizing, and liner defines the lip edges. Lipstick’s defining purpose is depositing color and texture directly on the lips.