Honey
Propolis
Beeswax
Royal Jelly
Bee Pollen
Each of these bee products is a uniqly great and beneficial skincare ingredient.
Humans have been beekeeping for more than 10000 years. Along with organs and meat, honey is at the very top of the list of the most nutrient and desirable human foods throughout our history.
But honey, beeswax and royal jelly were also used in cosmetics for thousands of years.
Cleopatra bathed in honey & milk to have youthful skin.
Helen of Troy used honey & olive oil-based cosmetics.
Qin Liangyu (Ming dynasty) used honey & orange seeds to keep her skin free of blemishes.
Queen Elizabeth used honey, lemon juice & rosewater to maintain healthy skin.
🍯 Honey
Honey is the most famous bee product. But apart from food, it is a secret ingredient in many skincare routines of the most beautiful women in the world.
Honey helps to balance bacteria on the skin which helps cure acne, eczema and psoriasis.
It works simply by speeding up the skin cells' healing process. This reduces inflammation and helps keep skin looking radiant and fresh.
Honey is also a gentle exfoliator as it effectively removes dry dead skin cells.
There are numerous benefits of honey in skincare:
1. Hydration & moisturisation
Honey draws moisture from the air and into the skin which helps to keep our skin hydrated from the outside. Enzymes in honey go deep into our skin to moisturise it from within.
2. Anti-age & wrinkles
As a powerful antioxidant honey is the original anti-age ingredient in skincare. It helps to keep skin looking young and reduces wrinkles and other skin spots or blemishes.
3. Acne, eczema, psoriasis
Honey has strong antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties which help to remove excess oils from the skin. It also helps to clear out pores which prevent the development of acne and other skin blemishes leaving you with healthy and clean skin.
4. Skin colour & appearance
Honey is a natural antioxidant and antiseptic. Together with its other benefits, this helps to soothe scarred tissue by reducing inflammation and assisting the skin to heal faster.
Historically honey has been used as it leaves the skin glowing.
5. Sunburn
One of the original treatments for sunburn is honey. Its deep moisturisation combined with honey’s anti-inflammatory properties provides everything our skin needs to heal after a sunburn.
🕯 Beeswax
Beeswax is a building block for beehives. It’s been used by humans for at least 9000 years. It’s edible - tribes like Hadza eat wax, honey and larvae regularly.
Ancient Egyptians used beeswax in the mummification process. In ancient China, it was used to make candles.
1. Great for sensitive skin
Some studies show that beeswax is superior to synthetic ingredients when it comes to managing sensitive skin. It will not irritate and will protect the skin.
2. Treating skin conditions
Beeswax is amazing to treat psoriasis, dermatitis, wounds and even diaper rash. Vitamin A in beeswax helps with cell regeneration. It is also antibacterial - helping with acne, scars and dry skin.
3. Skin protection
A natural protector for our skin. It will protect the skin from moisture loss and it acts as wind protection. That’s why it is a top ingredient in lip balms, sunscreens and other skin protection balms.
4. Skin hydration
Beeswax attracts water molecules. When you add it to the skin it will help hydrate it. This is very interesting when you combine it with the protective property of beeswax and the fact that it’s used in natural sunscreens to improve waterproofness.
🌲 Propolis
Magical ingredient bees produce that you’ve never heard of. Ancient Egyptians considered it to be a secret to eternal health and life.
Propolis is a bee glue - a mix of bee saliva and beeswax along with a variety of tree sap and buds.
Bees use it as glue or cement to cover small holes in their hives.
It’s scraped from the hives as dry, brownish resin.
Humans have been keeping bees for more than 8500 years.
Ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Persians all used propolis as one of the major medications. It was also used for mummification in ancient Egypt.
In ancient Greece Hippocrates, was using it to treat sores, ulcers, and bruises. Roman physician Pliny used it to treat tumours and Roman Legionnaires carried it as a standard part of their first aid kits. They used it to treat wounds and cuts.
Propolis today
Even though it has numerous benefits propolis is one thing no one heard of today.
Similar to many natural remedies its use faded away in the modernization of medicine when only oil-based medicines became cool and everything else was considered a scam.
People who use it today swear on the efficacy of propolis and consider it a magical substance with many uses.
Today, propolis is mainly used in ethanol alcohol tincture to treat ulcers and minor injuries and to boost immunity.
Benefits of propolis
Propolis is a potent antioxidant with numerous benefits.
1. Wound healing
Being a natural antiseptic propolis is highly effective to heal smaller wounds, cuts and bruises. It prevents infection, reduces inflammation and helps blood flow.
2. Immunity boost
Propolis is a natural antibacterial and antiviral substance. Even in the smallest of quantities (several drops per day), it can visibly boost the immune system.
3. Oral health
Anti-fungal and antibacterial properties of propolis help with the prevention and treatment of various oral issues. It works like magic for plaque, canker sores, herpes or mouth ulcers.
4. Anti-inflammatory
Propolis is often used to treat bug or mosquito bites, rashes and skin inflexions. It works great to treat acne, eczema, psoriasis and other skin issues.
5. Reduces allergies
Propolis can inhibit the production of histamines and prevent an allergic reaction. It significantly improves the quality of life for people suffering from allergies.
Propolis also helps to:
- stimulate circulation
- prevent cancer
- improve cognitive abilities
- improve vision
- reverse UV damage to the skin
👑 Royal Jelly
Royal Jelly is a creamy white secretion that comes from the throat glands of honeybees. It is fed exclusively to larvae to produce bee queens - hence the name Royal Jelly.
Bee queen that eats Royal Jelly lives up to 5 years while worker bees die after just 7 weeks.
It was used by ancient Egyptians and of course Cleopatra in skincare products.
Today, Royal Jelly is a highly valued skincare ingredient found only in the most exclusive skincare products. There are many benefits of Royal Jelly for our skin.
1. Collagen production
Collagen is a crucial element for healthy skin. By helping with collagen production Royal Jelly helps to treat and prevent fine lines, wrinkles & skin sagging.
2. Acne, ulcers, burns
Royal Jelly is a powerful antibacterial and helps with acne, ulcers, burns and minor wounds or blemishes. It will help to heal skin faster and reduce redness.
3. Hydration and elasticity
Royal Jelly keeps your skin plum, well moisturised and bouncy. It retains water in the skin and helps to achieve great sin without dark spots.
4. Balances oil production
Our skin needs a balance of oil production to be and look healthy. Royal Jelly will balance the sebum production. Sebum is your body’s natural oil that’s produced by sebaceous glands.
In addition to this Royal Jelly is also:
- a powerful antioxidant
- anti-inflammatory
- rich in protein, lipids, amino acids, minerals & vitamins
🌼 Bee pollen
Bee pollen is not ordinary pollen.
It’s a natural mixture of flower pollen, nectar, enzymes, honey and wax.
It was used by humans for at least 5000 years. From Aztec, Egyptian, Chinese, Green and American Indian - most native civilisations used it.
Today bee pollen is used to treat conditions such as acne, allergies, arthritis, asthma, eczema, high cholesterol & osteoporosis.
Being loaded with zinc, silica, and dozens of anti-oxidants and fatty acids it is also a top choice for skincare.
1. Anti-aging
Bee pollen is rich in antioxidants which help prevent skin ageing due to outside impact. It can also protect the skin from sun damage.
2. Acne
The antibiotic properties of bee pollen can help treat acne and prevent its appearance. The nucleic acid in bee pollen helps to soothe and repair acne-damaged skin and return its glow.
3. Sores and wounds
Bee pollen can help heal wounds and sores due to its antibiotic properties.
Bees and humans have a long and productive history of working together. Bees are not only crucial for our planet's survival and pollinating plants but also their products are extremely beneficial for humans - both in food and skincare.
In summary, bees produce:
- Honey
- Beeswax
- Propolis
- Royal Jelly
- Bee Pollen
Each of these is crucial in cosmetics and skincare - equally 5000 years ago and today.