The History of the Hero: Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick

8/1/2023

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 glossy lip trend and the baby braid hairstyle so reminiscent of the early '00s. Even perms are slowly making a return, alongside mullets – which no one saw coming. While most beauty trend renaissance 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 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 while younger generations have no doubt seen it splashed all over TikTok (#blackhoney has 330.8M views and counting). But what is it about this lipstick that makes the internet 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 were 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 deep blackberry hue transforms into a true your-lips-but-better 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 contains a small amount of blue, 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, a clever balance of red, blue and yellow pigments, and a 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 very 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 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 next for Black Honey?
Black Honey’s found life as a limited edition nail polish, all-over face colour and eyeliner but within the permanent collection you’ll find 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. The Best of Black Honey All About Shadow eye palette, which launched this year, quickly sold out online.
In the US and selected markets worldwide, Clinique Cheek Pop blushers are also available in Black Honey and we have it on good authority that the brand is constantly at work to create new extensions of this iconic shade. Watch this space.