MAC Ruby Woo is the Best Selling Lipstick

Photo: Courtesy of MAC

Cherry red lipstick has demonstrated remarkable staying power over the past decade. From the red carpet to the office, you’ll find very few women who don’t have a favorite shade and formula. In fact, it turns out most of them will have the same answer: MAC’s Ruby Woo ($16). Out of the $377 million spend on lipstick last year, the velvety matte formula was the country’s best-selling shade of 2013 according to a new study from the NPD Group.

Ruby Woo first launched in 1999 as part of collection with a new formula called Retro Matte. It was essentially a mattified version of the brand’s popular Russian Red. “It immediately rose to success as the best red on the market,” says Jennifer Balbier, senior VP of global product development at MAC. “It is iconic! We sell millions of units a year. We call Ruby Woo the perfect sexy red from the runway to you.”

A hit from North America to the Middle East, it’s also a favorite amongst celebrities like Dita von Teese and Scarlett Johansson thanks to its classic color, long-lasting formula, and high-impact color payoff. “Rihanna loved Ruby Woo and wanted to work off that shade with a few tweaks to make her own personalized limited edition shade, Riri Woo,” says Balbier. (RiRi Woo sold out within minutes.)

According to the same NPD study, other shades won out in the rest of the world. In the UK, Lancome’s L’Absolu Rouge 06 Rose Nu came in first, while Chanel Rouge Allure 104 Passion won in Spain, and Dior Rouge Dior 999 took top honors in both France and Italy.