Vintage Lip Lickers flavored lip glosses ('70s & '80s)

Girls who grew up in the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s: Do you remember these little “Lip Lickers” brand of lip glosses that came in metal slide-top tins? They were available with both single and double flavors, and all came with the tagline, “For soft, smooth, scented lips!”

Single flavors we rediscovered included peach, tropical punch, strawberry, wild cherry, grape, watermelon, vanilla, orange juice, green apple, bubble gum, butterscotch, spearmint.

Double flavors (two separate stripes of gloss per tin) included watermelon & ice, strawberry & cream, lemonade & lime, banana & strawberry, pineapple & coconut, cherry & cola.

Made by Village Bath Products of Minnetonka, Minnesota, “Lip Lickers” was a trademark the company had from 1977 to 2002. Fun fact: The original name for these products was apparently going to be “Original Lip Lickers Licketty Lip Balm,” per the trademark the company filed in 1976.

Pineapple & Coconut double Lip Lickers

Bubble gum lip gloss

Tropical Punch Village Lip Lickers

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Root beer lip balm

Watermelon & Ice double Lip Lickers tin

Watermelon lip gloss tin

Raspberry & cream Lip Lickers in separate flavors

Village Lip Lickers Watermelon still in the package

Each package noted that their lip balm “Protects and moisturizes your lips from the drying effects of the weather.”

Whatever happened to Village Bath?

The company’s business profile notes that in 1987, Village Bath and Softsoap brands were acquired by Colgate-Palmolive. Later, a new company, Minnetonka Brands, was founded in 1993 by former Softsoap execs who re-acquired the rights to Village Bath. (Minnetonka Brands then changed its name to The Village Company in 2005.)

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About this story

4 Responses

Lea McIntire December 31, 2013

Is there anyway to get one??

Laurie January 7, 2016

I am trying to buy village lip smackers. Where can i buy them from???

Kia Rich March 6, 2016

https://www.tintecosmetics.com/shop/best-sellers/

Laurie, I found this site called Tinte that apparently sells the Village Lip Lickers lip balm in tins.

Loved these as a kid. Green Apple!

stacy reid July 18, 2016

TINte Cosmetics brought back the original slider LIP LICKING lip balms and they are AVAILABLE for purchase NOW for $5.50! We offer bubble gum, watermelon, vanilla, grape and strawberry! They are better than you remember and formulated with natural & organic ingredients! Purchase them at https://www.tintecosmetics.com/shop/lip-licking-lip-balm/