Project Pan (#projectpan), a phenomenon that began around 2010, experienced a major revival, taking over social media last year.
What is Project Pan, you might ask?Â
Project Pan is an online beauty trend that encourages people to use up the makeup they already own before purchasing new products, inspired by the idea of “hitting pan,” or using up a product completely. Some participants also commit to “no buy” or “low buy” rules to limit or replace purchases.
As someone who owns a lot of beauty products, evidenced by the time it takes to unpack my dorm, I was immediately intrigued when I discovered this trend in 2025. However, as a young woman living in NYC, committing to a full no-buy felt unrealistic. So I found a compromise for myself that would allow me to step back from overconsuming.
I love lip balms: they’re a guilty pleasure of mine. I have so many that every holiday, someone seems to gift me another set. So in 2025, I decided to do the “no buy” version of Project Pan, but with my lip balms. Â
Here is what I found:Â
- Most of the time, I don’t actually finish a lip balm, but instead it gets lost in a bag or ends up in one of my pockets in the wash.Â
- Finishing even one lip balm is harder than it seems, let alone several. It’s important to give yourself grace and keep working toward your goal.
- Sometimes, when gifted a new lip balm, I’ll surprise someone in my life by gifting it to them. Regifting (under the right circumstances) or donating can be a great way to declutter your spaces, help the environment, and brighten someone’s day in the process.Â
- I try to prioritize finishing my nourishing lip balms (my favorites are currently Ole Henriksson and Eadem), especially in the winter when it is so cold and dry here in NYC.
- Saving money and being kind to the environment are clear benefits of this trend. I discovered a less noticeable benefit was finding more joy and appreciation in using items I already owned.
So far, I’ve only finished one lip balm, but I would still recommend Project Pan to anyone, even if progress feels slow. It’s a great way to save money and be more mindful about your consumption.Â
If you’re curious about getting started, here’s how I approached it. I decided to do Project Pan with my lip balm and hand cream collections. For me, this meant first collecting all my hand creams and lip balms and putting them in one basket. This way, you know exactly where to look for them every time, and when one gets misplaced, you know exactly where the rest are.Â
Second, I set smaller, more manageable goals as stepping stones. For example, when I started Project Pan, I decided that I wouldn’t buy another lip product—even if I ran out—until I had either finished or gifted (unused) a certain number of lip balms. I ended up settling on a goal of seven, and I recently achieved this goal.
Want to learn more, connect with Project Pan communities, or start your own journey? Click here.