Tower 28's New Lip Plumper Is All About Good Vibrations

I love a good lip plumper, but my lips don't. Seriously—they don't. The whole point of most of those formulas is that they irritate your pout.

Unfortunately, the way lips show a little bit of irritation is by... looking plump. But what if you could have all that juiciness without any irritation? It's something to consider, and a real-life option come Friday, May 15.

"My favorite thing is honestly that it doesn’t hurt!" says Amy Liu, founder and CEO of Tower 28, when asked about the brand's new lip plumper: ShineOn Plumping Lip Jelly. "If you’ve ever used a traditional lip plumper, you know how intense they can feel. I love that this gives you that glossy, fuller-looking lip effect with a gentle tingling sensation instead of pain. It still feels fun and effective, but you’re not sacrificing your skin barrier to get the result."

Ahead. discover everything there is to know about the brand-new launch. It doesn't sting; it vibrates.

The Inspiration

Tower28 already has a great shiny lip offering in their original ShineOn Lip Oil Jelly formula. This one "has that same non-sticky, juicy finish people already love" but adds a little bit of extra plumping power.

"As someone with sensitive skin, lip plumpers were always one of those products I was just too scared to use. Most plumpers literally irritate lips to work, so you’d end up with burning, stinging, and that red ring around your lipline afterward," explains Liu. "That really became the inspiration for this product. We wanted to reinvent the category for people like me who have sensitive skin but still want the fun, juicy effect of a lip plumper."

As mentioned, this product plumps through vibration, not sting. The shade names are all inspired by oxymorons (there's clear Chill Heat, sheer nude pink Only Choice, sheer lilac Bitter Sweet, sheer warm beige Static Flow, and sheer chocolate brown Act Natural) because the brand says "a pain-free lip plumper sounded like a contradiction until now."

"Innovation for us is always about solving a real problem first, and in this case it was creating a plumper that actually feels good on your lips while still delivering visible results," adds the founder.

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The Formula

Interestingly enough, the formula was inspired by ingredients traditionally used in personal lubricants, "where the goal is gentle sensory stimulation rather than irritation." ShineOn Plumping Lip Jelly features a new, trademarked ingredient called VibePlump that stimulates microcirculation to boost visible volume.

"Traditional lip plumpers typically work by creating irritation-induced swelling using ingredients that sting or inflame the lips, ie. essential oils like cinnamon and tea tree oil. VibePlump works through gentle microcirculation instead," says Liu. "It creates this soft vibrating sensation that helps stimulate blood flow to the lips without the harsh burn."

Formulators paired VibePlump with ingredients like Volulip, a plant-based peptide complex that supports collagen and hyaluronic acid production over time, hyaluronic filling spheres to smooth and fill the look of fine lines, tortula oil for hydration, and arnicato to proactively calm any inflammation that may arise.

"So you get both the immediate juicy effect and longer-term benefits, but in a way that still feels comfortable and safe for sensitive lips," explains Liu.

All the plump, none of the pain.

You can shop ShineOn Plumping Lip Jelly on the Sephora App starting May 14, and at sephora.com starting May 15.