To say that beauty is going through a moment of nostalgia is an understatement. The last few years have seen millennials embracing the fluffy, Farrah Fawcett haircuts of the '70s and getting into the art of blush draping a la the '80s, while Gen Z is heading full throttle into the '90s glossy lip trend and the baby braid hairstyle so reminiscent of the early '00s. Even perms are slowly making a return, post-our second mullet era – which no one saw coming.
While most beauty trend renaissances involve modern formulas – frosty eyeshadow now feature refined shimmers while lip glosses are dewy, glassy and much less sticky – there are a handful of innovative products that have stood the test of time.
Clinique Black Honey, which originally launched in 1971 by the heritage brand's founder Carol Phillips, is experiencing an unexpected boom in recent years. Those who grew up in the '80s and '90s will be familiar with the slim silver tube housing the dark berry, gel-like bullet which caused a stir at launch, while younger generations have no doubt seen it splashed all over TikTok (#blackhoney has 758.2 million views and counting). But what is it about this lipstick that makes users go wild?
How did Black Honey start?
This lip colour didn’t always look so sleek. The original Black Honey was one in a six-shade line-up of Clinique lip glosses known in the industry as ‘The Honeys’, named after its gooey, honey-like texture.
“In 1971, lip glosses were very popular. Everybody was wearing that super gooey, wet, super shiny gloss,” Clinique global senior vice-president of product development Janet Pardo tells Bazaar from the brand's headquarters in Manhattan. The Honeys came with a brush for application to lend “a tremendous amount of precision and elegance”.
The original Black Honey in 1971.
Ever the trailblazer, Phillips wanted The Honeys to have a broad shade range. “I was told she went to the lab and she made it. I think it had three pigments in it and the gloss base,” explains Pardo. “Because the base was sheer, the pigments came through intensely. But when you put it on, it came across very light. It actually allowed your natural lip tone to shine through. So regardless of your complexion, it looked different on everybody.”
Fast forward to 1989, Phillips relaunched The Honeys in the handy stick form as we know it today as pot lip packaging started falling out of fashion. Black Honey is the only one that lives on to this day, existing as Almost Lipstick in Black Honey.
Is Black Honey truly ‘universally-flattering’?
In short, yes, and it all goes back to Clinique’s skincare-for-all approach. “We are a brand that came out of the dermatologist’s office where you treat everybody, nobody's excluded from this conversation. No one is excluded from Black Honey,” explains Pardo.
While a lot of ‘self-adjusting’ lip balms tend to lean pink no matter your colouring, Black Honey’s blackberry hue transforms into a true your-lips-but-richer shade depending on your skin tone. This can vary between a soft plum, a brown-tinged berry, a reddish-pink, a mauvey sheen or something in between. The pigment also balances red, blue and yellow, which helps to make the whites of your eyes and teeth appear brighter, hence the overall skin-lifting effect.
What makes the formula stand out?
Black Honey went through a reformulation in the late '80s to ensure a more modern, less gloopy finish. It is now the perfect lip balm-stain hybrid thanks to its translucent finish and comfortable, all-day wear.
“Carol tried very hard to get the base to mimic the clarity of a gloss so that the pigments can shine through,” says Pardo. The combination of a clear base with rich pigments is the reason why the bullet appears much more intense than the actual colour payoff. The lack of opacity also eradicated any risk or chalkiness or ashiness.
“It's not very high-tech but it is very high concept. It’s aesthetically-pleasing and inclusive,” says Pardo, who’s had colleagues that worked alongside Phillips in the '70s and is a proud owner of all the original Honeys.
What led to the Black Honey renaissance?
In an unexpected sequence of events, it was The Lord of The Rings fanbase on TikTok (colloquially known as #TolkienTok) that reignited the Black Honey obsession. Users on the platform identified Arwen Evenstar’s (played by an ethereal Liv Tyler) lip colour in the film as Black Honey, which gave Tyler’s famous pout a naturally flushed hue. Soon enough, the beauty community on TikTok took notice and Clinique could barely keep Black Honey in stock.
Products that go viral on social platforms often see popularity plateau or decline after a short amount of time. But Black Honey is one of the few that shows no signs of slowing down. It’s a testament to the product’s uniqueness and quality. Instead of reaching then losing new audiences, Black Honey’s impeccable formula sees longtime fans restocking and new customers recommending it to their peers.
What’s new for Black Honey?
Within the brand's permanent collection the pigment is also present as the Pop Plush Cream Lip Gloss in Black Honey which offers a high-shine finish with extra hydration thanks to plant butters and hyaluronic acid, and the Best of Black Honey All About Shadow eye palette, which launched in 2023 with eight versatile shades in one pan.
Constantly at work to create new extensions of this iconic shade, Black Honey temporarily found life as a limited edition nail polish and all-over face colour and eyeliner, while Clinique has just launched two more limited-editions: a Black Honey colourway in its most-loved High Impact Mascara – poised to flatter all eye colours – and the Clinique Pop Lip + Cheek Oil in Black Honey. This dual-purpose, sheer tinted oil for lips and cheeks is the ultimate modern take on the true make-up classic.
Clinique Pop Plush Creamy Lip Gloss in Black Honey
