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Lip-Ink International is a privately owned company in the United States which specializes in the invention, manufacture and distribution of semi-permanent cosmetics. The company was founded in 1995 by Rose Nichols, (also known as the Lip Diva), based on her invention of a semi-permanent liquid lip coloring which does not use a wax base, unlike other lipsticks. Nichols went on to create and patent several other varieties of long-lasting, smear-proof cosmetics.Lip-Ink International: Company History
Lip Ink
According to the company website, the "Lip-Ink" formula is made of over 90% natural herbal ingredients, and contains no wax. It does not rub or wipe off on cups or clothing, not even when eating hot or greasy food. In general, it will stay in place until the cosmetic remover provided by the company is used. This improves appearance and durability, but also prevents the ingestion of lipstick which is common with other lip products."According to a report in Glamour magazine, the average woman consumes four to nine pounds of lipstick in her lifetime."
The formula was patented in 1995United States Patent Office: Patent #5,747,017 for "Lip cosmetic", after Nichols invented it during her senior thesis project for Merchandise Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los AngelesFIDM Alumni Profile: Rose Nichols. She then founded her business and began marketing the product online in 1995, creating one of the first e-commerce cosmetics sites on the fledgling World Wide Web. It won awards at the International Invention Convention in 1997 and 1998, and over time, the Lip-Ink line became available in spas, salons, plastic surgery offices and certain retail locations.
The Lip-Ink product has been mentioned in numerous news media, including television shows Home and Family, Good Morning Arizona, the Style Network and Noticias 34, as well as Glamour magazine, The Baltimore Sun "No need to blot", The Baltimore Sun, May 21, 2006, Tampa Bay Times,"Luxurious lashes in a blink", Tampa Bay Times February 23, 2006, salon journal Beauty Launchpad"What's my Line?", Beauty Launchpad, April 2004. Makeup Artist Magazine, Estylo and more.
The company has seen some competition, and even infringement of patents, by the major players in the market. Revlon and Senegence both brought a similar wax-free product onto market, but agreed after court action to reformulate their products with a wax base. Avon Products, The Body Shop and Urban Decay Cosmetics also had to be instructed not to use the trademarked name "lip ink" for their products. Major companies like MAC and Revlon now use names like "lip stain", "lip glass", "liquid lip" and so on for their attempts at a similarly long-lasting product, but none use the wax-free herbal formula of the original Lip-Ink.
Other products
Since 1999, the company has received several more patents on other semi-permanent, smear-proof cosmetics, including for eyebrows, eyelids, and eyelashes, as well as face color cosmetics.
In 2005, the company spun off the "Girl Makeup" line for young women, and in 2006, plans to put out a Lip Diva book.
References
External links
- Lip-Ink International - Official site
"Lip-Ink International"