What Happened to Lip Smackers?

Bonne Bell's Lip Smacker lip glosses were once almost sacred to teens and preteens, a kind of right of passage as young adults began experimenting with make-up. Inexpensive and available in countless flavors, Lip Smackers were a coveted commodity on school playgrounds and at birthday parties and sleepovers. But after what seemed like 40 successful years on the market, the maker of Lip Smackers announced it would be closing its factory doors and selling the brand. So, what exactly happened to Lip Smackers?

0:00 Intro
0:38 Creation of Lip Smackers
1:35 Original Marketing
2:14 Delicious Flavors
2:54 Dr. Pepper
3:52 Other Early Brand Partners
4:31 Marketing to Preteens
6:08 Lip Smackers Craze
8:12 Where Did Things Go Wrong?
8:29 A New Parent Company
9:20 Similarities to Wet 'n' Wild
9:47 Hope for the Future
10:16 Thank You & Sources

Sources:
“Bonne Bell for Soft Skin, Smooth Lips,” The Ogden Standard-Examiner, May 26, 1974

Degaards ad, The Billings Gazette, Jun 2, 1974

“‘Lip Smackers’ Due Dr Pepper Flavor,” The Galveston Daily News, Jun 29, 1975

“John Grover Bell of Cosmetics Firm,” The New York Times, Dec 19, 1970

“Toot- Toot- Tootsie Hello,” Kerrville Mountain Sun, Jul 28, 1977

“Networking….An Integral Part of What SME-I is All About,” Marketing Times, Nov 1985-Feb 1986

“Bonne Bell’s Second Life,” Laura Klepacki, Women’s Wear Daily, May 21, 1999

“The Secret Life of Teenage Girls,” Jancee Dunn, Rolling Stone, Nov 11, 1999

“What’s Hot,” Edmonton Journal, Jun 26, 2000

“Flavoured Lip Glosses a Hit Among Pre-Teens,” Robin Harvey, Toronto Star, Mar 20, 2004

“Critical Mass: Wet ‘n’ Wild Takes Markwins Into Big League,” Faye Brookman, Women’s Wear Daily, Jan 14, 2005

“Obituary: Bonne Bell Chairman Dies at 80,” Andrea Nagel, Women’s Wear Daily, Sep 9, 2005

“Wet ‘n’ Wild Fetes 30th Anniversary,” Faye Brookman, Women’s Wear Daily, Jan 30, 2009

“Fergie’s New Wet ‘n’ Wild Gig,” Rachel Brown, Women’s Wear Daily, Feb 9, 2012

“Happy 40th birthday, Lip Smacker!” Emily Hamlin Smith, The Plain Dealer, Jan 15, 2013

“Bonne Bell Connects with Young Consumers,” Chain Drug Review, Jun 6, 2015

“Bonne Bell Co. to Close its Operations in Westlake, Sell Iconic Lip Smacker Brand,” Rachel Abbey McCafferty, Crain’s Cleveland Business, Jan 29, 2015

“Markwins in Deal to Acquire Bonne Bell,” Faye Brookman, Women’s Wear Daily, Jan 30, 2015

“Lip Smackers Will Cease Production: RIP, Our Glossy Youth,” Maggie Lange, The Cut, Feb 2, 2015

“The Future of Bonne Bell and Lip Smackers,” Faye Brookman, Women’s Wear Daily, Feb 5, 2015

“Markwins Beauty Brands Continues Growth and Innovation,” Press Release, May 29, 2018

“The Obituary Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker Deserves,” Marie Lodi, Allure, Jul 15, 2022