Clinique

Almost Lipstick in Black Honey.

Lip

About this product

A long-wearing lip tint in the shade Black Honey that delivers colour with a glossy, hydrated finish.

Full ingredients

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Triacetyl Ricinoleate, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax/Candelilla Cera/Cire De Candelilla, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cera Carnauba/Cire De Carnauba, Polyethylene, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Barium Sulfate, Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Mica, Carmine (Ci 75470), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 22 Lake (Ci 45380), Red 30 Lake (Ci 73360), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985), Bismuth Oxychloride (Ci 77163), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410)

Guru Score

84%

Yay

4 experts · Moderate agreement

4Gurus

4Yay

0Mixed

0Nay

What they liked

Hydrated gloss finish with bold pigmentation
Versatile for low-maintenance makeup
Currently discounted

What they flagged

Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

What the gurus are saying

The hydrated gloss finish pairs with bold pigmentation that sits between a tinted gloss and a true lipstick, making it low-maintenance for those who want colour without fuss. The shade reads as universally flattering for autumn and beyond, and the current sale price makes it worth trying if cost was holding you back before.

Synthesized from 4 expert reviews · most recent take April 2025

Type

LipStick & roll-on

Key actives

Vitamin E

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Amazon → Google →

Opens a search for this product. We do not sell anything ourselves.

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

James Welsh

1.58M subs

✓Yay

"The black honey lipstick, which I think has gone viral again, it's had its moment or something like that. Introduced in 1971, the black honey lipstick was relaunched in 1989 as Almost Lipstick. It quickly became a cult favorite with many consumers loving its universally flattering shade and versatile texture. It actually really significantly boosted the brand's visibility and sales during the 1990s, and the same thing happened again just a few years ago."

Skin Obsessed Mary

33k subs

✓Yay

"The iconic black honey lipstick by Clinique, you know I got this from my daughter for Christmas last year. She just put a little swipe on and I thought gosh that looks really good on her, so I took it and threw a bit on myself, and the interesting thing is that the color looked completely different on each of us. So my lips are naturally a lot darker, so even though we were wearing the same color you would never have guessed it. So anyway I had to go out and get one for myself and I had actually forgotten how much I loved this product. It's super easy to use, it just glides on, it feels so nice and nourishing on the lips, and it's just a great color. It's almost like it's just the perfect universal color because it's very different depending on who's wearing it. I have to say I swear I was wearing this when I was her age, just out of college back in San Francisco in the 90s. And what's even more interesting is that this color itself has been around forever. This shade was originally created in 1971, by the way that's the year I was born, and it originally came in a little glass pot."

Allie Glines

829k subs

✓Yay

"The Clinique Almost Lipstick in the shade Black Honey, which you guys know has been viral, you know it went viral again over the past couple of years. This is going to be $12.50, it's normally $25, so again if you haven't tried it and maybe it was the price that was stopping you, I feel like now is a great time."

Dr Dray

2.68M subs

✓Yay

"Clinique's Almost Lipstick in the Black Honey shade is perfect for fall, and if you're someone like me who's very low maintenance in your makeup, this is great because it gives that hydrated gloss from like a lip gloss but the pigmentation that you get from it is much bolder than just a tinted lip gloss. I frequently wear this shade in the fall and always get compliments."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Sunscreen filters

Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

Source: DermNet

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey?

A long-wearing lip tint in the shade Black Honey that delivers colour with a glossy, hydrated finish.

Is Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey worth it?

Yes. All 4 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey's Guru Score?

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 4 expert reviewers we have collected.