Prada’s banana lip balm is bringing fun back to beauty

Prada Beauty banana Sabrina Carpenter
From a bright yellow formula with a banana scent, to a marketing campaign that features limited-edition sweets and a cameo in a Sabrina Carpenter video, it seems that Prada Beauty thought of everything for its new launch. (Prada Beauty)

From its quirky colour and limited-edition banana sweets to a teaser in a Sabrina Carpenter video, Prada Beauty’s new launch stands out in a crowd of beauty products.

Prada Beauty is launching a new Prada Balm lip balm in Banana Yellow, as a homage to the Italian fashion brand’s iconic Spring/Summer 2011 collection that featured bananas.

According to the brand, the Instagrammable bright yellow balm has a “banana-inspired scent” and leaves a “golden warm sheen” on the lips or cheeks – as it’s designed to be a makeup multitasker.

The unexpected yellow bullet has been shaped in Prada’s signature triangle shape and was formulated to give a “special melting texture” when applied.

The beauty brand, which is part of the L’Oréal Group, added that the balm creates a “glittering effect of ice particles in a banana granita” on lips and cheeks and that the formula is enriched with Prada’s signature caring complex, which contains Bifidus extract and jojoba oil for 24-hour hydration.

The balm also comes in a refillable format, which Prada Beauty claims “allows consumers to save 76% in packaging weight when compared to repurchasing a new case.”

Marketing campaign with Sabrina Carpenter

Although there are many well thought-out elements to the launch, perhaps one of the smartest moves is that Prada Beauty took inspiration from the early-Noughties trend of subtle celebrity endorsement for the marketing campaign. It worked with pop star Sabrina Carpenter to tease the new launch a few weeks before the on-sale date.

In the singer’s new ‘Manchild’ music video, she is seen snacking on Prada branded banana sweets, which will also be available to buy in a savvy diversification of product offering.

The lip balm itself will be available from 1st July 2025 and is set to retail for €48.