A natural beauty multi-tasker that is a powerful humectant, rich in antioxidants and packed with potent antibacterial compounds, honey is increasingly front and centre in modern formulations.
That being said, it’s an ingredient that has been also been used for hundreds of years, and can regularly be found in simple DIY skincare and haircare recipes.
If you prefer for someone else to do the formulating from the hard work of our buzzy pollinators, you’ll find plenty of options.
New natural New Zealand-based skincare line KAEĀ uses honey from hives on land in Northland transformed from a neglected 800 acre farm in Northland into an award-winning sustainable and productive nature sanctuary and eco-retreat called Tahi. Silky The Cleanser Multi-Active Gel Balm contains UMF 15+ Mānuka Honey and offers a purifying deep clean and reset for skin.
Unique to New Zealand, Mānuka Honey hydrates, moisturises, nourishes, rejuvenates, and restores skin’s natural glow. Its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties make it great for helping address the appearance of blemishes and as a it helps draw vital moisture into the skin.
Further afield, French skincare giant Guerlain has established Beelab, a research platform dedicated to conservation and new discoveries around bees, bee products and their connection to skin repair. Many of its products can be found boasting the regenerative and nourishing properties of honey, royal jelly and bee products including those from the Black Bee. A species found on Ouessant Island off the coast of France, the Black Bee is said to produce honey with exceptional properties.
Guerlain has also committed significant funds and resources in recent years to bee conservation programmes, including mentoring more female beekeepers and creating education opportunities for children around caring for bees and their environments.
Netherlands-based, honey-infused haircare brand Gisou is another recent success story. Founder Negin Mirsalehi saw the potential to extend her family’s legacy of beekeeping, which dates back six generations to Iran, after using honey-based hair oil to nourish, moisturise and strengthen her hair growing up. The brand now cultivates the Mirsalehi Bee Garden in Almere, a small town just outside of Amsterdam, where honey for its luxe hair and skin products are sourced. New Honey-Infused Lip Oil has been a viral hit thanks to the golden and glossy finish it gives your lips.
Try these: (L-R) Gisou Honey Infused Lip Oil; Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask ; Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter; KAEA The Cleanser; Guerlain Abeille Royale Double R Renew & Repair Advanced Serum; Anihana Manuka Honey and Almond Shampoo Bar; Wild Ferns Manuka Honey Radiance Renewal Facial Serum; Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm; Living Nature Mānuka Honey Gel
