The Dior lip oil is one of the most popular lip products in retail stores nationwide, which explains why many Black women flocked to purchase it. At $40 a tube, the luxury brand’s lip oil is marketed as a step above the rest. It’s formulated with nourishing cherry oil to offer a mirror-like shine that’s not sticky or greasy. However, there’s one aspect people didn’t intend to get from using the lip oil: black lips. Many users on TikTok, several being Black women, claim the oil is turning their lips black.
TikTok Users’ Claims About Dior Lip Oil
Earlier this month, hundreds of users flocked to TikTok, making videos asking others why their lips are turning black. After communicating with thousands of other people in the comments, the beauty lovers came to the conclusion. Nearly all of them were using the Dior lip oil.
Out of the array of videos, users have claimed their lips suffer from burning, intense hyperpigmentation, and in some cases completely black lips, as if they’ve been literally fried.
“I’m really considering a lawsuit – the skin on my lips are literally falling off. I feel like I got the worst of the worst,” TikTok user @oggleyboogely captioned her video showing the transformation of her lips.
Other users echoed the same sentiment, including TikTok account @saphdagoat1.
“It made my lips black, crack, peel, sore, this brought my self esteem so low when it happened to the point I was colouring my lips with pink lip liner. My lips haven’t been the same, but thank god they’ve turned back to their somewhat normal colour!!” her caption read.
Cosmetic Chemists Weigh in on Dior Lip Oil
With all these claims swirling around, it’s important to look to the beauty experts in the field. This includes beauty product developers, dermatologists, and cosmetic chemists. 21Ninety spoke with cosmetic chemist Julian Sass via email about the potential reasons Dior’s lip oil is turning women’s lips black.
Sass says that nothing in Dior’s lip oil ingredients list raises red flags, but a closer look reveals more.
“It’s a fairly standard formula meant for a lot of shine and gloss. Fragrance/flavor can be an issue with some people, as an allergy can develop over time. This is likely a combination of individual sensitivities/allergies and sun exposure combining to cause that reaction on the lips,” he shared via email to 21Ninety.
Some comments on social media echoed the allergy issue.
“Sweet pea you’re allergic to something thats in their ingredients,” a comment under @saphdagoat1 TikTok video read.
Another user under @oggleyboogely TikTok video mentioned they didn’t have the same reaction to the Dior lip oil.
“I’ve been using this lip oil for a year, and my lips look amazing. WTH is that?” her comment read.
Despite some not having a reaction, Dr. Sass says the lip oil’s impact on those experiencing discoloration shouldn’t be minimized.
“I don’t want to downplay that these reactions seem to be happening mainly to black women. It’s important to conduct safety-in-use testing for a wide variety of skin tones before going to market, but some things happen unexpectedly when exposing your formula to the general population,” his response read.
Dior Lip Oil’s Overall Safety and How To Fix the Lips Reaction
Overall, like any product applied to your skin, there may be complications and unexpected reactions. Whether the Dior lip oil changed your lips or not, these TikTok claims highlight why it’s important to do your own research. Don’t just keep using products blindly. If something is bothering you discontinue use.
It also shows why beauty brands must rely on Black experts to understand how products affect melanated skin. If Black women didn’t speak up about the lip oil, people wouldn’t know it could darken lips or cause burning.
On the bright side, many people have been able to reverse their cracked, burned, and deeply darkened lips. Some have claimed that adding an SPF heavy lip balm before the Dior lip oil application has cleared their reactions. Others simply switched to another lip oil that doesn’t cause the reactions and their lips eventually went back to their normal shade.