NYX Professional Makeup

NYX Professional Makeup is worth a look if you want professional-quality makeup at drugstore prices. Based on the 5 products in our database, the brand sits in the $5.00 to $10.00 range, carries a solid 4.3/5 average rating, and racks up an impressive 78,800 total reviews.

So, is NYX Professional Makeup actually good? Yes—especially for affordable lip products, eyeliner, and everyday complexion basics. It isn't a clean beauty brand, but it is cruelty-free, owned by L'Oréal, and consistently delivers strong value for budget-conscious makeup shoppers.

What is NYX Professional Makeup known for?

NYX Professional Makeup is a US-based drugstore makeup brand best known for making trend-driven, high-performing products that feel more prestige than their price tags suggest. The brand's positioning is simple: professional-quality makeup at drugstore prices. And looking at the numbers, that promise mostly holds up.

In our database, NYX Professional Makeup has 5 standout products across eyeshadow, lip, and foundation categories, with prices topping out at just $10.00. The average product price is $8.50, which is firmly affordable even by drugstore standards. That's a sweet spot for shoppers who want variety without spending $25 on a single liner or lip gloss.

Honestly, I think NYX Professional Makeup has always done best when it focuses on staples you use constantly—liquid liner, gloss, setting products, matte lip color. These are the categories where formula matters, but price sensitivity is real. And with an overall 4.3/5 average rating, the brand shows it can compete where it counts.

NYX Professional Makeup brand background

Is NYX Professional Makeup a drugstore or prestige brand?

NYX Professional Makeup is clearly a drugstore-tier brand. Its products in our data range from $5.00 to $10.00, with an average price of $8.50. That's far below prestige makeup pricing, where one eyeliner alone can cost $24 to $30.

What makes NYX stand out is that it doesn't feel as basic as some entry-level drugstore brands. The packaging is trend-aware, the shade concepts are current, and the formulas are often designed to mimic the finish of more expensive products. You can see that especially in products like Epic Ink Liner and Butter Gloss, which both have massive review counts and ratings above or near the brand average.

Who owns NYX Professional Makeup?

NYX Professional Makeup is owned by L'Oréal, one of the biggest beauty companies in the world. That matters because large parent companies often bring stronger distribution, formula development resources, and more consistent quality control.

For shoppers, that usually translates to easier access, frequent restocks, and formulas that are tested at scale. It doesn't automatically mean every product is exceptional, of course. But it does help explain why NYX Professional Makeup has such broad visibility and why so many of its hero products have tens of thousands of reviews.

Is NYX Professional Makeup clean or cruelty-free?

Here's the quick answer:

1. Clean beauty: No
2. Cruelty-free: Yes
3. Country: United States
4. Parent company: L'Oréal

So, NYX Professional Makeup is not a clean beauty brand, but it is cruelty-free. If avoiding animal testing is your top priority, that's a meaningful plus. If you're specifically shopping for brands marketed as clean, though, NYX won't fully meet that standard.

What does NYX Professional Makeup do best?

NYX Professional Makeup performs best in three practical categories from our database:

• Eye definition, led by its bestselling liner
• Lip products, especially glosses and matte liquid lipstick
• Face-finishing basics, like setting spray and finishing powder

That mix makes sense dermatologically and cosmetically. Most people don't need a full face of expensive makeup every day. But they do want a few reliable products that improve longevity, add polish, and hold up through work, commuting, dinner, or a long day out.

Look, when a brand can give you a 4.4/5 eyeliner with 22,600 reviews for $9.00, that's not random luck. That's usually a sign the formula is easy to use, consistently pigmented, and wearable across skill levels.

The same goes for Butter Gloss, which costs just $5.00 yet has 19,800 reviews and a 4.3/5 rating. At that price, expectations are often modest. But products with nearly 20,000 reviews don't stay popular unless they deliver repeat-use appeal.

Best products by NYX Professional Makeup

Here are the 5 best NYX Professional Makeup products in our database, ranked by rating and backed by review volume.

1. NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner

• Category: eyeshadow n- Price: $9.00
• Rating: 4.4/5
• Reviews: 22,600

Epic Ink Liner is the highest-rated product in our NYX Professional Makeup data set, and it also has the largest review count. That combination matters. A 4.4/5 rating is impressive on its own, but maintaining it across 22,600 reviews is what makes this product stand out.

This is the kind of product NYX does extremely well: a daily-use essential with broad appeal. For under $10, you're getting a liner that clearly works for a lot of people, from makeup beginners to those who want a precise, dramatic eye. If I were recommending just one NYX Professional Makeup product to start with, this would be it based on the data alone.

2. NYX Professional Makeup Butter Gloss

• Category: lip
• Price: $5.00
• Rating: 4.3/5
• Reviews: 19,800

Butter Gloss is one of those classic affordable products that keeps earning shelf space. At just $5.00, it's the least expensive product in the lineup, yet it still holds a 4.3/5 rating across 19,800 reviews.

So why does that matter? Lip gloss is a category where texture can make or break the experience. People want shine without stickiness, color without fuss, and something they can reapply easily. The numbers suggest Butter Gloss hits that balance well. It's also a strong entry point if you're curious about NYX Professional Makeup but want to spend as little as possible.

From a value perspective, this is probably the easiest recommendation in the whole range. You're paying $3.50 less than the brand's $8.50 average price and still getting a rating right at the brand average.

3. NYX Professional Makeup Matte Finish Setting Spray

• Category: foundation
• Price: $8.99
• Rating: 4.3/5
• Reviews: 15,200

Matte Finish Setting Spray sits almost exactly at the brand's average price point and average rating, which makes it a useful benchmark product. At $8.99, it costs just under the $8.50 average by a small margin, and its 4.3/5 rating across 15,200 reviews suggests dependable performance.

If you have oilier skin or simply want your makeup to stay more put through the day, setting sprays can make a visible difference in finish and wear. I like that this one has enough review volume to feel trustworthy. A lot of drugstore setting sprays get attention, but not all of them sustain strong ratings at scale. This one does.

4. NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick

• Category: lip
• Price: $9.50
• Rating: 4.2/5
• Reviews: 11,400

Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick is the more statement-making lip option in the lineup. It comes in at $9.50, which is above the brand's $8.50 average price, but still comfortably inside NYX Professional Makeup's overall $5.00 to $10.00 range.

Its 4.2/5 rating from 11,400 reviews is slightly below the brand average, but still very respectable—especially for a matte liquid lipstick, which can be a polarizing category. Matte formulas tend to get dinged for dryness, transfer issues, or uneven wear, so a 4.2 across more than 11,000 reviews tells me the formula likely performs well enough to satisfy most users.

If you like a more long-wearing, higher-impact lip look than gloss provides, this is probably the NYX Professional Makeup product to try.

5. NYX Professional Makeup HD Finishing Powder

• Category: foundation
• Price: $10.00
• Rating: 4.2/5
• Reviews: 9,800

HD Finishing Powder is the most expensive product in this group at $10.00, though that's still very affordable compared with prestige finishing powders. It has a 4.2/5 rating from 9,800 reviews, making it the lowest-reviewed product by count in this set—but nearly 10,000 reviews is still substantial.

Finishing powders can be tricky because people want blurring without heaviness and oil control without chalkiness. This product's rating suggests it works well for many users, though not quite as universally as Epic Ink Liner or Butter Gloss. Even so, if you're putting together a polished full-face routine on a budget, it fits the NYX Professional Makeup value story nicely.

How much does NYX Professional Makeup cost?

NYX Professional Makeup is very affordable. Based on our data:

1. Lowest price: $5.00
2. Highest price: $10.00
3. Average price: $8.50

That means the entire product set we reviewed falls within a narrow $5 spread, which is great for shoppers who want predictable, budget-friendly pricing.

Here's how the 5 products break down by price:

• Butter Gloss: $5.00
• Matte Finish Setting Spray: $8.99
• Epic Ink Liner: $9.00
• Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick: $9.50
• HD Finishing Powder: $10.00

Honestly, the pricing is one of NYX Professional Makeup's biggest strengths. You can build a practical routine—liner, gloss, setting spray, and powder—without spending what one prestige foundation might cost.

Is NYX Professional Makeup good value for money?

Yes, NYX Professional Makeup offers strong value, especially when you compare price to rating and review volume.

Let's look at the numbers:

• Average rating: 4.3/5
• Total reviews: 78,800
• Average price: $8.50

A 4.3/5 average across nearly 79,000 reviews is a convincing signal that the brand performs consistently well in the categories it focuses on. That's what you want from a drugstore brand: not perfection, but reliable products at accessible prices.

The best value picks are easy to spot:

• Butter Gloss gives you a 4.3/5 rating for just $5.00
• Epic Ink Liner delivers the brand's top rating, 4.4/5, for $9.00
• Matte Finish Setting Spray offers dependable performance at $8.99

So, if your makeup budget is tight, NYX Professional Makeup is one of those brands where you can spend under $10 per item and still feel like you're getting formulas people genuinely like.

Is NYX Professional Makeup clean and ethical?

Is NYX Professional Makeup clean beauty?

No. NYX Professional Makeup is not a clean beauty brand. If your shopping criteria include ingredient standards associated with clean beauty marketing, this brand won't be the best match.

That said, clean beauty and product performance aren't the same thing. Many shoppers care more about wear, finish, shade range, and affordability than whether a brand uses the clean label. NYX Professional Makeup clearly appeals to that practical shopper.

Is NYX Professional Makeup cruelty-free?

Yes. NYX Professional Makeup is cruelty-free. For many consumers, that's one of the brand's strongest ethical selling points.

Cruelty-free status is often especially relevant in the affordable category, where shoppers don't want to choose between price and values. NYX Professional Makeup manages to stay accessible while still checking that box.

Does the parent company matter?

NYX Professional Makeup is owned by L'Oréal. Some shoppers are comfortable buying cruelty-free brands owned by large beauty conglomerates; others prefer independently owned companies. That's a personal decision.

From a product standpoint, being under the L'Oréal umbrella likely supports broader distribution and formula development. From an ethics standpoint, some consumers may want to weigh the parent company separately from the brand's own cruelty-free status.

Who is NYX Professional Makeup best for?

NYX Professional Makeup is best for shoppers who want:

• Affordable makeup under $10
• Cruelty-free options
• Reliable basics for eyes, lips, and face
• Trend-friendly formulas without prestige prices

Best for budget-conscious shoppers

This is the clearest fit. With products priced from $5.00 to $10.00, NYX Professional Makeup is ideal for students, beginners, or anyone trying to keep beauty spending reasonable.

Best for makeup beginners

Because the brand focuses on recognizable staples—liner, gloss, powder, setting spray—it works well for people building a routine from scratch. You don't need to overcommit financially, and the review counts give you a sense of what other shoppers actually like.

Best for lip and liner lovers

If your makeup style centers around a good eye and an easy lip, NYX Professional Makeup is especially compelling. Epic Ink Liner and Butter Gloss are the stars here, with a combined 42,400 reviews between them.

Good for oily or combination skin types looking for finish control

Products like Matte Finish Setting Spray and HD Finishing Powder suggest NYX Professional Makeup also works well for people who want to reduce shine or improve makeup longevity. I wouldn't call it a complexion-specialist brand based on this small product set, but it does cover the basics well.

Less ideal for clean beauty shoppers

If you only buy from clean beauty brands, NYX Professional Makeup probably won't fit your routine. That's one of the few clear limitations in the brand profile.

My verdict on NYX Professional Makeup

NYX Professional Makeup does a lot right. It offers professional-quality makeup at drugstore prices, stays within a very accessible $5.00 to $10.00 range, and earns a solid 4.3/5 average rating across 78,800 reviews. For a drugstore brand, those are very healthy numbers.

What impresses me most is the consistency. There isn't a huge gap between the highest- and lowest-rated products in this set. The top product, Epic Ink Liner, scores 4.4/5, while the lower-rated products still come in at 4.2/5. That narrow spread suggests NYX Professional Makeup is fairly dependable rather than built around one viral hit and several forgettable formulas.

If I had to sum it up simply, I'd say NYX Professional Makeup is best when you want affordable, cruelty-free makeup that performs above its price point. It won't satisfy every clean beauty shopper, and it isn't trying to be luxury. But for under $10 an item, it's doing exactly what many people need it to do.

FAQs

Is NYX Professional Makeup worth it?

Yes. Based on our database, NYX Professional Makeup has an average rating of 4.3/5 across 78,800 reviews, with prices ranging from $5.00 to $10.00. That's a strong value proposition for a drugstore brand.

What is the best NYX Professional Makeup product?

The best-rated product in our data is Epic Ink Liner, which costs $9.00 and has a 4.4/5 rating from 22,600 reviews. That's the strongest combination of rating and review volume in the lineup.

Is NYX Professional Makeup cruelty-free?

Yes. NYX Professional Makeup is cruelty-free.

Is NYX Professional Makeup clean beauty?

No. NYX Professional Makeup is not a clean beauty brand.

What are the most affordable NYX Professional Makeup products?

The cheapest product in our database is Butter Gloss at $5.00. The most expensive is HD Finishing Powder at $10.00, so the entire range we reviewed stays very affordable.

Who should buy NYX Professional Makeup?

NYX Professional Makeup is best for shoppers who want budget-friendly, cruelty-free makeup and especially for those shopping for liner, lip products, and face-finishing basics.