Honey Skin Benefits & Uses
Honey is one of the best natural skin care ingredients out there. It’s probably one of the closest things to liquid gold for skin because it’s just so beneficial for the skin. I mean, there’s just so much good stuff in it - alongside being a source of natural sugar, it’s rich in proteins and amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals, plus a few other more minor bits that might vary between different types of honey.
While there are differences in kinds of honey depending on where in the world it’s from and the flowers that the bees harvested nectar from, there are four major underlying benefits that you’ll get from all kinds of honey - they’re four great reasons why you should add honey to your skincare routine, ASAP!
1. Promotes Skin Hydration
Honey is an exceptional humectant. As a humectant, honey helps bring water into the stratum corneum - this helps the skin look and feel better. Hydrated skin is smooth and slightly bouncy - it’s also less wrinkly looking, as increasing water levels in skin plumps it temporarily. Hydrated skin means healthy skin, and healthy skin means beautiful skin!
L'Occitane Shea Butter Rich Body Lotion | $44
Your body doesn't have to miss out on the good stuff - this body lotion is fortified with shea butter and honey for ultra-moisturised skin.
2. Banishes Acne-Causing Bacteria
Honey’s also a natural antibacterial, making it a super effective, yet incredibly gentle option for zapping zit-causing acne. It’s fantastic for reducing acne, especially in sensitive skin. Traditional acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic can overwhelm sensitive skin and cause a bit of irritation - honey swoops in to save the day to halt breakouts without stressing out your skin.
Guerlain Abeille Royale Night Cream | $255
A combination of royal jelly and honey nourish skin in a super-luxurious formual from Guerlain.
3. Boosts the Skin’s Recovery Process
Honey, especially manuka honey, is widely known for its ability to help skin heal and bounce back quickly. This means that any breakouts and irritation heal faster than they normally would without - yes please! Boosting skin recovery is essential to overall skin health and in the long run, helps to diminish the appearance of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation - the dark spots you might get after a breakout.
Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Serum | $219
A serum to repair and nourish skin with the best of bee-created ingredients: honey & royal jelly.
4. Reduces Redness
If your skin tends to flush and look a bit red, honey is a skincare ingredient that you’ll absolutely love. Studies have found that some strains of honey are even more effective than over the counter medication when it comes to calming down rosacea.
L'Occitane Immortelle Divine Crème | $152
This cream combines honey and hyaluronic acid to soothe and hydrate skin.
5. Fights Off Wrinkles
However, perhaps the best benefit of all when it comes to honey is its ability to delay the signs of ageing from showing up. It’s thought that a combination of the (mild) levels of lactic acid in honey combined with its antioxidant abilities help to encourage collagen production for younger-looking skin.
L'Occitane Immortelle Divine Serum | $155
Honey, Vitamin C, and Hyaluronic Acid make this a super-powered anti-ageing serum.
Can I Use Raw Honey on My Face?
As far as DIY beauty goes, using raw honey on your face is probably one of the better things that you could do since it’s actually good for your skin. Here’s the thing though - I still wouldn’t recommend it.
Honey is sticky, messy, and runny - all not necessarily things that you’d enjoy in your skincare, right? That’s why skincare lines are starting to introduce honey as a star ingredient - some are even including other bee-created ingredients, like propolis and royal jelly for their skin-beneficial abilities as well. Using skincare that’s formulated with honey means that you can benefit from more than just honey on its own.
When it comes down to it, honey is a fantastic all-round skincare ingredient. It’s amazing for every single skin type. Need some help putting together the best skincare routine for your skin?
Try our skin quiz!
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