The pathway from lip product to viral object of obsession is well-trodden, but the new Dior Médaillon, a hydrating, glitter-finish lip balm that comes in a palm-sized oval case, might be the most charming form a lip balm can take.
The product is part of the brand’s holiday beauty line and, depending on where you are, officially launches on October 15. But the internet is already blowing up with videos of people unboxing the whimsical, vintage-looking balm that comes in a locket-shaped, bow-topped, gold-tone case hot stamped with the Dior logo.
For now there’s only one shade—a creamy crystal pink you can dab on with your fingers—but it does come with a little sticker so you can attach the palm-sized container to the back of your phone (making it immediately visible in any mirror selfies you might take this festive season). This is not the only form of the Médaillon that Dior is unveiling for fall/winter 2026. House creative director Jonathan Anderson has introduced flap bags, bucket bags, belts, and even loafers accented with the vintage-looking hardware that’s actually one of the French house’s oldest emblems.
First introduced in 1947, the Médaillon is derived from the oval-backed Louis XVI chairs that founder Christian Dior had installed at his salon on 30 Avenue Montaigne. Decorator Victor Grandpierre selected the chairs for the house’s earliest shows and Monsieur Dior and his successors went on to use the Rococo-style motif on everything—decor, perfume bottles, branding, even as a print on their bags. It’s right up there as part of the essential Dior lexicon, next to the iconic Cannage (the quilted pattern on the Lady Dior), Toile de Jouy prints or even the Oblique logo.
With the Dior Médaillon lip balm, Anderson has brought the motif into a new era, turning what was the back of a chair into a sold-out beauty accessory.
Médaillon 24-Hour Hydrating Lip Balm, Dior, $95 (approx ₹9,189), available internationally on dior.com
