This Iconic Benefit Product Just Had An Update – And It's Better Than Ever

Graziadaily

a day ago

Few beauty products enjoy the same level of fame and success as Benefit's Benetint. While there are lots of lip stains available in 2025, from peels to felted markers, it was Benefit's OG product that put the revolutionary long-wear, budge-proof formula on the map in 1976. 49 years later, the San Franciscan brand's first-to-market beauty product shows no sign of waning and it's got the numbers to prove it. Boasting a whopping one billion views on TikTok, one bottle of this blush sold every 11 seconds in 2024 and three million vials sold that year alone. It seems the buzz around the internet's favourite lip-to-cheek multitasker is about to reach fever pitch, as Benefit introduces two new shades into the fold for the first time ever: Raspberry and Dark Cherry, which are on sale right now for £19.10 at Sephora.
Cementing its iconic status, the brand has teamed up with Desi Perkins, mega influencer and founder of @deziskin, to create the DEZI X Benetint Dark Cherry Sunglasses and Lip & Cheek Stain Set, which includes a pair of cherry-pink coated Dezi sunglasses, a custom pink case, and a full-size Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain in the new Dark Cherry hue. While the $95 limited edition kit is exclusively available at Sephora USA, the collaboration has already helped to ensure that Dark Cherry is a sell-out success.
Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, using Dark Cherry
The new colour expansion welcomes hues of ruddy brown in Dark Cherry, and berry pink for Raspberry, giving us a whole new way to enjoy the cult classic. Unlike other Benetint iterations like the Floratint and Playtint, the two newcomers share the same well-loved formula as the original, that being a natural-looking flush of long-lasting, non-drying colour that is smudge, transfer, water and humidity-proof. If you're into a monochrome make-up moment (guilty as charged), the multitasker can be swiftly swiped across lips and cheeks for a lightweight sheer look that can be built up all while guaranteeing a believable second-skin finish, thanks to its barely-there watercolour-resembling stain.
Jean and Jane Ford, the twin founders of Benefit, actually created the Benefit Benetint as a nipple enhancer for exotic dancers, but almost 50 years on it's the secret to perking up our complexions. A flurry of A-listers including Winona Ryder, Nicole Kidman and even Rachel Zegler are known to love it, the latter of whom used it to create Snow White's classic red-lipped look in the 2025 live-action remake of the Disney classic.
Swatches of Benefit's new Benetint in Raspberry (top) and Dark Cherry (bottom)
Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'I am quite serious about blush; I often forgo all cheek products (like bronzer and contour) but will never complete my make-up without a stippling of something flesh-toned across my cheeks, nose, lids, temples and chin. I did say serious, didn't I? To feed my addiction while avoiding blush blindness – there's a fine line, I know – I have long held on to clever formulas that lend a breathable, buildable, natural skin finish, and that's where Benefit's original Benetint comes in. I've used it years and was doubtful that the OG stain could get any better, but I'm happy to report I stand corrected. While the original Benetint promises to stain cheeks with a perky rosey red colour that is perfect for summer, the new shades offer deeper, muted hues that I will likely lean on year-round. I've taken to Dark Cherry, a ruddy brown that works beautifully against my medium, olive complexion. It packs all the staying power of the original, meaning one application in the morning is enough to last me through most of the day, but offers up more options that will work across a plethora of skin tones and make-up moods.' 1.
Benefit Benetint
Price: £19.10
What the brand says: The long-lasting, non-drying lip and cheek stain promises a smudge-, transfer-, water-, and humidity-proof formula that lends a lightweight, sheer, and natural-looking flush that can be built up.
Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer, says: 'I've used Benefit's original Benetint for years and was doubtful that the OG stain could get any better, but am happy to report I stand corrected. While the original Benetint promises to stain cheeks with a perky rosy red colour that is perfect for summer, the new shades offer deeper, more muted hues that I will likely lean on year-round. I've taken to Dark Cherry, a ruddy brown that works beautifully against my medium, olive complexion. It packs all the staying power of the original, meaning one application in the morning is enough to last me through most of the day, but offers up more options that will work across a plethora of skin tones and make-up moods.' Pros Long-lasting
Non-comedogenic Cons Budge-proof, quick-dry formula means there is less play time
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia's beauty writer, covering all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).