TikTok Is Obsessed With This ’90s-Inspired Lip Liner

If you ask ‘90s beauty fans which product they think represents the decade best, you’ll get a resounding answer: MAC Spice Lip Liner. The pinky-brown liner has a storied history and legions of fans (including one Linda Evangelista, NBD) but the version of Spice available today is reportedly not quiiiiiite the same as its predecessor, veering more orange than brown. (Check out makeup artist Erin Parsons’s TikTok investigation for all the info.)

Product formulas can change for a variety of reasons. Ingredient lists may be updated due to changing beauty standards and requirements. Certain ingredients or pigments may no longer be available. Companies may have changed hands and thus, changed formulations. A product you loved 30-plus years ago probably isn’t going to look exactly the same today as it did back then, but in the case of Spice, a new company with strong ties to the OG is bringing it back for a new generations.

Victor Casale, founder of Mob Beauty, was the chief chemist at MAC when the brand was founded, and he created the legendary Spice. After hearing the conversation around the original Spice formula and the resurgence of all things ‘90s, he got to work resurrecting the formula. The result? The brand’s M1990 Smooth Precision Waterproof Lip Liner, which is taking over TikTok.

Ahead, all the details and our honest review.

The Inspiration

“[Spice] was one of the most iconic shades of the ‘90s,” Casale tells Byrdie. “It was beloved by so many and became larger than life and a symbol for ‘90s makeup.” Casale set to work trying to recreate the shade “exactly as we launched it at MAC in the spring of 1990” to fill the void. 

He began by revisiting his lab books from the late-’80s and early-’90s, when he began working with MAC. Along with the books, Casale discovered an “original lab sample” of Spice and used both that and the books to recreate the exact color available via Mob Beauty. “It took science to reverse-age the lab sample I had from 1990 because it was almost 35 years old and color changes, the formula dried out, and the pigments shifted,” Casale explains of his process. After that in-depth research, the aptly-named M1990 Smooth Precision Waterproof Lip Liner was born.

The Product

Mob’s M1990 isn’t an exact duplicate of Spice, however. Casale modernized the formulation—not the color!—for today’s beauty audience. “The pencil had to meet our conscious standards so there were many ingredients we left out,” he shared. Mob does not use talc, carmine, silicones, or micro-plastics in its formulations, so those were ditched for the updated pencil. “Every ingredient in our waterproof lip liner is naturally derived from sustainable renewable resources,” he said. “Leaving out ingredients like talc results in a richer-looking finish, and the ingredients give a creamy glide to the application.” The pencil itself is made from FSC-sourced wood with an aluminum cap, and the sleeve is made from a 100% recycled paper pouch, so zero plastic is used whatsoever. 

The Review

“I was a baby in Spice’s heyday, so I’ve never tried the OG formula, but I’ve studied enough Kevyn Aucoin editorials to know what it should look like. Lip products in general tend to pull really warm on me, and the modern version of Spice, while pretty, looks too peachy on me for that true ’90s look. However, Mob 1990 is perfect.

“Even if it wasn’t an exact match for the original shade—which I really can’t confirm—I would love this lip liner. It’s a gorgeous rosy brown shade with cool undertones. It’s one of the only liners I’ve tried that looks the same on me as it does in the pencil without turning candy pink or peachy nude. It’s about one step deeper than a ‘my lips but better shade,’ with the cool undertones adding that classic ’90s cool girl edge.

“Shade aside, Mob nailed the formula as well. It’s super creamy and applies easily without dragging or skipping, but you can still get a crisp line. It feels very comfortable on, and has pretty good staying power—I have to reapply a few times a day but I use a lot of lip balm. It looks great with my collection of neutral lipsticks, but I’ve been loving just wearing it with a clear balm or gloss to let the liner shine on its own. Mob hit it out of the park, and the liner hasn’t left my purse since I got it.” —Bella Cacciatore, news editor