In my opinion, the word dupe has been overused in recent years. Many consider products that are similar in appearance to be dupes, even if they fall short on performance, longevity, packaging, or other factors that contribute to a satisfying user experience.
As a beauty journalist, I can’t label something a true, universal dupe if it’s anything less than that. But we did discover three affordable lip balms with similar shades that we genuinely liked.
Brittney, who has a medium skin tone, preferred Nivea Blackberry Lip Care, which retails for about $3 a pop. “Not only does it have a near-perfect color dupe, it also feels so luxe and nourishing on the lips,” she said. And she said she plans to continue wearing it. But I didn’t love this lip balm on my light skin tone, and I thought the blackberry smell was off-putting.
My favorite product of the bunch was the NYX Fat Oil Slick Click in the shade In A Mood. The color isn’t exactly the same as that of the Black Honey Almost Lipstick, but it came pretty close for me. And I like the finish of the NYX balm, though the film isn’t quite as evenly distributed as the Almost Lipstick—a difference I’d personally, and happily, pay more for.
Naakoshie, however, adored the CoverGirl Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm in Bliss You Berry. She said it gave even more color payoff than the Clinique balm, which is something she prefers. And she said she thinks the CoverGirl balm is great for deeper skin tones and those with two-tone lips.
The other lip balms we tested didn’t make the cut because their colors didn’t quite match Black Honey on any of our testers, and the consistencies were too far off. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t be perfect dupes for someone else.
In the end, finding a dupe for the Black Honey balm is as personal as the shade itself.
There are plenty of lip balms out there that we didn’t test, and there may be a hidden gem among them that checks every box. There also may be more to come, since beauty brands are likely taking note of this everlasting fan-favorite shade.
That said, if you’re simply after a budget-friendly tinted balm with a similar color, it’s worth trying the more affordable options first. From CoverGirl’s Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm to Nivea’s Blackberry Lip Care and NYX’s Fat Oil Slick Click in In A Mood, there are excellent choices at a lower price point than $25.
Yet Black Honey devotees may find it hard to feel fully satisfied with these alternatives. Despite some close shade matches, differences in color payoff, scent, packaging, and texture may prevent them from feeling like true dupes. For die-hard Black Honey fans, the $25 price tag may still be worth it.
Then there’s the matter of history. For some—myself included—using a product beloved by the beauty community since 1971, and wearing the same shade my mom once adored in the ’80s, holds its own kind of value. You simply can’t dupe nostalgia.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.
