Clinique
- Clinique's 40-year-old Black Honey Lipstick is selling out after TikToks praising it went viral.
- Clinique has targeted Gen Z customers through social platforms like TikTok.
- Though the lipstick is out of stock in Clinique and Sephora, you can still buy it on a handful of sites.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Clinique's Black Honey Lipstick, which the company has sold since the 1970s, is becoming popular with a new generation of women and is selling out online after it went viral on TikTok.
TikTokers say the lipstick matches well with nearly any skin tone and is a versatile shade that can be worn for any occasion. Videos praising the lipstick have garnered almost 40 million views on the app and have resulted in the lipstick selling out on almost every major online retailer.
It's out of stock on Clinique, Target, Macy's, Ulta, and Sephora's websites, but you can still snag it on Amazon and HSN.
Clinique has targeted younger customers by growing its presence on platforms like TikTok, which have become places for Gen Z to discover new products by looking at reviews from influencers and other social media users, Insider's Bethany Biron reported.
"TikTok is a platform that is driven by the community, less the brands themselves," Michelle Freyre, Clinique's global president, told Insider. "So for us, our priority is to ensure that we harness all the conversations that are already taking place within that community and we find the best way to help them find the products that are right for them."
Clinique has capitalized on the Black Honey Lipstick's popularity by creating video after video on TikTok extolling the lipstick, including one featuring actress Emilia Clarke.
But if you can't get your hands on the real thing, videos advertising dupes abound and are racking up millions of views on TikTok. Popular substitutes for the sold-out lipstick include Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in the shade red dahlia and Ulta Beauty's gloss stick.