TikTok has completely changed the way we buy beauty products. The average social media user will open the social media app 13 times in 24 hours, with 49% of users claiming to have discovered something new on the platform. TikTokers are also one and half times more likely to immediately buy something they saw on TikTok, compared with users on competitor social media platforms. Here we investigate the Anatomy of a TikTok Product, to find out how these internet obsessions go viral. First up: Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey.
No matter what generation you identify with, you've probably heard of Clinique's Black Honey Lipstick. For millennials the slim tube was a staple in our mothers’ makeup bags and a clandestine companion for school dances and graduations. Today most people will recognize the dark lip stain from viral videos on TikTok, where the hashtags #blackhoney and #cliniqueblackhoney have racked up 242 million views in the past year alone, thanks largely to a Gen Z–fueled renaissance.
Known for its nearly black lipstick bullet, Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey first launched in 1971. A hybrid between lipstick and lip balm, the formula delivers a sheer berry tint with a subtle, balmy finish. The product was revolutionary for its formula and for its universally flattering shade, which uses a unique blend of red, blue, and yellow pigments to adjust to your skin tone. Black Honey rose to prominence in the ’90s and early 2000s, when it became a beauty staple on the red carpet and in television and movies.
Fifty years after its launch, Black Honey experienced a second life and sold out multiple times over in 2021. Clinique has offered data and brand history behind Black Honey's resurgence, but the simplest answer can be found in the ’90s and Y2K nostalgia that's dominated beauty trends over the past few years. The internet also keeps records: In June 2021, Lord of the Rings superfans on #tolkientok identified the exact lipstick that actor Liv Tyler wore onscreen as Arwen Evenstar in the 2001 film adaptation. The product? Clinique Almost Lipstick Black Honey.
TikTok content
TikTok content
TikTok content
It didn't take long for the rest of TikTok to take notice. What started as fan memorabilia quickly turned into a full-blown beauty phenomenon. Black Honey mania took over the app, with everyone from influencers to casual shoppers rushing to buy the shade and try it for themselves. By the end of the year, the lipstick secured a spot on TikTok's 2021 Gift Guide, a curated list of products whose popularity can be directly tied to the social platform’s video creators.
Celebrity makeup artist Neil Scibelli also credits the return of brown and raisin lip shades for Black Honey's major comeback. “With lip looks currently focused on deep mauve hues made popular in the ’90s, the beautiful raisin tone is the perfect way to stay on trend,” Scibelli says. “Plus, the hybrid gloss and lipstick finish literally adjusts to individual skin tones, allowing anyone to achieving that perfect ’90s pout with a balmlike texture. I’ve been excited to help my clients rediscover Clinique’s Black Honey Almost Lipstick, and it has been amazing to see this product continue to remain on trend generation after generation. It has truly become an iconic mainstay for any makeup fan.”
TikTok content
TikTok content
TikTok content
Of course, TikTok's stamp of approval is more important than any celebrity or influencer endorsement. The video platform has become the new word of mouth, with users looking to trending hashtags and sounds for the latest products, clothing, music—you name it. Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, believes there is a sense of gratification that comes from word-of-mouth recommendations that ultimately drives popularity.
“The impact on word of mouth on today’s beauty industry is undeniable,” says Berger. “People love to talk about Black Honey because it makes them look good. Not just visually—the product is universal and looks good on everyone—but socially as well. Telling others about a cool product that they don’t already know about gives people social currency that makes them look good to their peers. In today’s digital age, the power of word of mouth is only ever more important and something we will continue to see play a role with trends.”
Ariana Yaptangco is the senior beauty editor at Glamour. You can follow her on Instagram @arianayap.
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