When Clinique’s Black Honey lip color rolled out in 1971, it became a cult classic. Three decades later, it’s a viral sensation.
 

Natural tone lips were one of the beauty industry’s biggest trends in 2021, which sparked one of TikTok’s most coveted products in 2021: Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. In fact, there were 242 million views on the hashtags #blackhoney and #cliniqueblackhoney.
 
Black Honey garnered fame after TikToker Shannon Johnson (@shanniedarko_) posted about the product in August. The raisin shade, which is known for its versatility across all skin tones and pout-like effect, sold out immediately across Sephora, Ulta and Clinique’s website.
 
Almost Lipstick in Black Honey climbed to No. 1 on TikTok’s highly competitive 2021 Gift Guide. 
 
In 2021, more than 1 billion people turned to TikTok to be entertained, according to the social media platform’s own reporting.
 
“There's something really special about TikTok's diverse global community that people just can't find anywhere else. For us, 2021 was a year for connection and we’ve seen people on TikTok laughing together, entertaining us, starting cultural phenomenons, and teaching us new things. It's been incredible to see the depths of entertainment and creativity from this community, and we're delighted to celebrate all the ways we've come together this year on TikTok,” Vanessa Pappas, COO of TikTok, said in a statement.
 
The Clinique brand owned by The Estée Lauder Companies, No. 2 in Happi's 2021 Top 50 Report, debuted 1968. Today, Clinique skincare and color cosmetics are sold in 107 countries.
 
Interested in other social media influencers active in the beauty category? Check out our list here.