Not just a skin care brand: Clinique targets Gen Z with latest Lash Power, Black Honey launches

On July 29, beauty brand Clinique hosted an event to introduce its new Lash Power High-Fi Full Volume Mascara.

It also surprised audiences by unveiling the new Black Honey collection, which consisted of all new spin off products from the iconic Black Honey Almost Lipstick, including the limited-edition Pop Lip + Cheek Oil in Black Honey and High Impact Mascara in Black Honey.

These makeup launches are a strategic focus on attracting a younger audience.

“At Clinique, we are known for our skin care heritage, but makeup is the collection that we want to use to recruit all the new young people with,” said Heng Hui Qi, brand manager, Clinique.

Heng added that this is why the brand decided to launch the new Black Honey range exclusively at Sephora.

The original Black Honey lipstick, launched 53 years ago, has been a huge success since it first launched in this part of the world a couple of years ago.

“Clinique may be a skin care brand, but surprisingly, the Black Honey Lipstick is the number one lipstick at Sephora Singapore. That’s almost unimaginable because there are so many lipstick brands there. We’ve been verifying it almost every month and for more than a year since we launched it has been number one,” said Heng.

Upgraded power

The new Lash Power High-Fi Full Volume Mascara was launched in Singapore at Clinique counters nationwide and Sephora online in July.

Heng told CosmeticsDesign-Asia that this upgraded Lash Power iteration was developed to “work harder” in a market where lash treatments such as extensions, curls, and tints, are becoming increasingly the norm.

Clinique Lash Power High-Fi Full Volume Mascara [Clinique]​

“Today, you see a lot of consumers just going to get false lash extensions and lash curls. This new formulation can sustain a curl for the whole day and is really for volumising.”

The brand claims that the mascara can give wearers 175% more volume, 102% more length, and 265% more lash curl, according to clinical testing conducted on 35 Asian women.

The brush itself was tailored specifically for Asian lashes with a trimmed down, more petite tapered brush paired with a smaller rod and wiper.

In addition to performance, the formula was also imbued with a triple oil blend of Argan, coconut, and moringa oil to condition lashes to prevent lash loss during application.

“This is important to the brand because even though we have makeup, Clinique is always seen as a skin care brand first, so all our products are actually a hybrid,” said Heng.

Furthermore, the brand emphasised that the mascara was ophthalmologist-tested, safe for sensitive eyes, and safe for contact lens wearers.

“Even with the mascara, we have to take some sort of dermatological angle, which is why we focused on eye safety. I think this is a very unique angle and people don’t usually think about how mascara can affect their eye safety,” said Heng.