The TikTok ladies started trying an interesting lip liner substitute this month, and you don’t need to go to Sephora to get it. Move over, Urban Decay—the lip liner brand of the 2025 summer is Sharpie.
It seems to work pretty well, but there might be some ingredients in the permanent marker that will not pair well with sensitive skin.
Sharpie lip liner trends on TikTok
In early June, TikTok videos started trending with women demonstrating how to apply pink and red Sharpie pens as lip liner. User @kaitlyn.curtis2 got decent traction with a post from June 3 saying she got the idea from someone else.
@kaitlyn.curtis2 I saw @bexonk try this so of course I had to try!! I’m actually impressed hahaha! #sharpieonlips #lipliner #lipblush ♬ Heat Waves – Glass Animals
“I’m actually impressed,” she wrote.
On June 13, @rachelmadisoncarlisle nabbed 1.6 million views with her Sharpie lip liner video, claiming it “doesn’t budge all day and looks natural.”
Rachel Carlisle demonstrates how you can blend the ink before it dries, just like you do with regular liner. It comes out looking pretty good, especially when paired with a juicy lip gloss. Plus, Sharpies come in as many shades of pink as most makeup brands.
@rachelmadisoncarlisle i guess my new lip combo is a $2 sharpie and a gloss lol #makeuphacks #liplinerhack #lipliner ♬ NOKIA x SexyBack – Spectre
Commenters were floored over how good it looks.
“This is outrageous,” said @userbsndhdjdjj. “I’m doing it.”
As impressed as they were, a lot of folks took this as yet another recession indicator.
“Oh we in a recession RECESSION,” joked @septembernoelle503.
The rest are waiting for Sharpie’s new makeup line.
Is it safe to use Sharpie as lip liner?
The key question on many minds is whether or not one could suffer adverse effects from repeatedly putting Sharpie ink just around the mouth. Luckily, there’s already quite a bit of research on that, thanks to all the children who have scribbled on their skin with markers of all kinds.
According to the Missouri Poison Center, even small children drinking the ink from pens like Sharpies have a low poisoning risk. They recommend wiping the ink from the skin as well as giving the kid a glass of water and a snack to combat the risk of an upset stomach.
However, daily use of Sharpie ink as lip liner could result in some inflammation. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the ingredient xylene “can cause skin inflammation and defatting, particularly after prolonged or repeated contact with the liquid.”
One TikTok commenter claiming to be a skin cancer surgical tech also gave the green light for using Sharpie on the lips.
“Sharpie is fine on skin! It’s alcohol based so doesn’t harbor bacteria,” wrote @corndogslut. “If anything may dry out the area. Might give this a try.”
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