Honey of Bees
Honey was already considered food of the gods by the ancient Egyptians. Honey has a long tradition as a natural remedy. Many of its effects are scientifically confirmed and are used in medicine and naturopathy. The honey of bees is formed by the honey bee (Apis mellifera), which deposits this mixture of substances in honeycombs. In total, it contains about two hundred different substances, in variable proportions depending on the type of honey. The honey of bees consists of about 80 percent sugar (invert sugar, dextrin) and is also rich in organic acids, enzymes from the digestive tract of bees, carotene, B vitamins, including skin-caring pantothenic acid and nicotinic acid, acetylcholine, secondary plant substances with healing and anti-inflammatory effects, pollen (about 0.02-0.05%) and waxes. Thanks to the high sugar content, honey has a very long shelf life (even beyond the specified date). Honey of bees is a common ingredient in many cosmetic products due to its natural antibacterial and moisturizing properties.
Honey in medicine
In medicine, honey proves its worth in the treatment of wounds, and its antibacterial effect has been proven.
Chemically, honey is an acid with a pH of 3.5 to 5.5. In this acidic environment hardly any bacteria grow. This property plays a role in the use of honey for wound treatment; through it, certain enzyme activities of bacteria are stopped, allowing a gentler healing, without large scars.
Some types of honey contain larger amounts of glucose oxidase. The enzyme, in conjunction with the wound fluid, converts glucose into gluconic acid. The process releases hydrogen peroxide, which acts as a disinfectant.
A special plus of honey is that bacteria have not yet developed resistance to honey, making it superior to antibiotics.
According to metastudies, the proverbial spoonful of honey seems to soothe colds and scratchy throats, at least in children. It acts like a film on the mucous membranes in the throat. However, it should be taken pure and not consumed with milk, in tea or on bread. Heating the honey or heat destroys the valuable components of honey.
Children under one year should not be given honey, because the spores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum contained can lead to poisoning, because the intestinal flora is not yet completely developed in babies.
Honey in cosmetics
The sugar gives the honey of bees a high water binding capacity and makes it interesting for cosmetics as an ingredient in moisturizers. Together with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients, honey of bees lends itself not only to increase moisture retention, but also to support collagen and elastin formation, skin regeneration and to increase the luminosity of the skin. It is valued for its nourishing and stimulating properties for skin cell renewal, firmer skin, and a fresher complexion. It is also ideal for the care of dry hair and scalp.
The antibacterial properties of honey make it a useful tool in the treatment of acne and other skin conditions. It can help soothe inflammation and redness while moisturizing the skin. Honey also contains antioxidants that can protect the skin from environmental damage and premature aging. Blemished skin benefits from honey from bees.
Honey is also used in hair care products because it moisturizes and nourishes hair, making it soft and shiny. It can also help strengthen hair and prevent hair breakage.
In cosmetics, we find the honey of bees with INCI: Mel (CAS No.: 8028-66-8) as an ingredient in face creams, body lotions or creams, masks, lip cream/balm, hand cream, eye contour care, solid soaps, in hair conditioners and shampoos.
Cosmacon has been offering the cosmetic service of individual formulation development for more than 10 years and we can certainly help your product with honey to become a success.
The star among honeys: Manuka Honey
A special honey of bees comes from New Zealand or Australia. Here, the bees collect the nectar from the blossoms of the South Sea myrtle, also known as the tea tree shrub or botanically Leptospermum scoparium.
All honey has antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing properties, but Manuka honey is unique because of its high content of methylglyoxal (MGO). MGO is primarily responsible for the honey’s antibacterial activity.
Therefore, only this specially prepared Manuka honey is used as medicinal honey and used in wound healing.
It absorbs the wound fluid and, due to its high sugar content, deprives the bacteria in it of the vital water; they dry out and die. Active ingredients can be absorbed into the wound, and destroyed cells are removed.
The authenticity of Manuka honey can be recognized by the test seal MGO or the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor), which is mainly used in New Zealand and is therefore also protected there. It indicates the MGO content. Honey with MGO 800+ is the strongest Manuka honey offered on the market
In cosmetics, honeys with MGO of 100+-250+ are common.
As a cosmetic ingredient (INCI: Leptospermum Scoparium Mel / Manuka Mel), Manuka honey has the benefits described above as honey with the difference that it has a stronger anti-inflammatory effect and is more expensive.
Propolis a special by-product
Brown bee resin, also called putty, is the resinous mass produced by honeybees from collected tree resins, glandular secretions and digestive juices and used to fix honeycomb cells. The bees also use it as a foot scraper and floor covering to keep their hive germ-free.
The worker bees of a colony produce 50 to 250 grams a year to seal the hive.
Finely ground as a powder or dissolved in medicinal alcohol, it enters the market.
Numerous health effects are attributed to it. The German pharmacist newspaper speaks of a bioantibiotic. Already the Egyptians used it to protect wounds.
It is said to strengthen the immune system, relieve rheumatic complaints, help with bronchitis and have a beneficial effect on digestion. The antiviral and antibacterial effects are proven by laboratory tests, but not by extensive studies on humans.
Propolis is used in cosmetics as a preservative and for the care of impure skin and scores with antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.
These are based on the components benzene carboxylic acid (benzoic acid) and phenylacrylic acid (cinnamic acid), benzyl and phenyl alcohols and flavonoids. In addition, propolis contains 10-20 percent waxes.
In order to use the active substances in pure quality propolis is prepared in standardized procedures.
In cosmetics, the ingredient with INCI: Propolis Cera (CAS No.: 85665-41-4) is used for its anti-seborrheic and sebum regulating effect, moisture binding ability, positive effects on softness, smoothness, evenness of the skin.
It is used in clarifying face creams, all-purpose creams, lip care, protective creams against skin dehydration, foot creams, hand soaps, shaving creams and also in shampoos or hair treatments against greasy hair.
Honey of bees: Critical notes
HONEY: The effect of honey in wound healing is proven, other positive effects are possible and based on experience. Allergic reactions to pure honey are possible, although very rare due to the low pollen content. In order to avoid pollutants from the environment, attention should be paid to controlled, if necessary biological quality.
PROPOLIS: The fact that propolis should protect against Corona, belongs probably rather into the realm of the myths. There is also a problem related to its origin. The European rapid alert system RASFF has warned several times because of too high contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The substances, which are mainly found in products from China, are formed during improper drying and have a carcinogenic effect. The consumer centers make attentive to the fact that in some propolis products hereditary-good-damaging pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) were found.
On appropriate examinations, which guarantee the freedom from PAH and PA, one must pay attention with the purchase. In addition, people who are prone to allergies or who are allergic to bees and wasps should rather avoid propolis of any kind.
The purity makes it
In order to enjoy the many positive effects of honey from bees and propolis, the products must be pure and free of harmful substances.
Those who use the honey as food, should prefer mixtures of honey from EU countries or Germany if possible in bio quality. German beekeeper honey may contain a maximum of only 18 percent water and is not further processed after extraction.
There are special requirements for organic honey:
Three-kilometer limit: Hives must be located so that only organic crops or wild plants and no genetically modified plants grow within a 3-km radius.
The hives should be made of natural materials. Middle walls may only be replaced with biologically pure beeswax.
Winter feeding must be done only with honey or biologically pure sugar solution. Sick bees must not be treated with antibiotics.
The wings of the queen bee must not be clipped.
Honey must not be extracted from walls containing brood.
Attention, even organic honey can be contaminated (e.g., PA – comes from plants = natural contaminant). In fact, imported honey is examined more closely, with German honey often not even a pollen analysis is made to determine the variety…
In cosmetics, honey is used externally. But also here purity is the highest requirement, in order to use the advantages of the gold of the bees unhesitatingly.
Honey of bees – gold for cosmetics
Honey and also propolis are traditionally valuable substances, with many nourishing, protective, anti-inflammatory properties. Even though they are not all-rounders and only unfold their benefits when they are of pure quality, they provide natural, useful active ingredients for cosmetics for skin and hair. Cosmacon pays attention to purity, so that the honey of bees in the formulations becomes cosmetic gold.
You can get very good honey products at NOREVO:
NOREVO Ltd.
Völckersstrasse 14-20
22765 Hamburg
Email: Sales.Honey@norevo.de
Sources:
Effectiveness of propolis in maintaining oral health: a scoping review.; Saeed MA, Khabeer A, Faridi MA, Makhdoom G.Can J Dent Hyg. 2021 Oct 1;55(3):167-176
Bee Products in Dermatology and Skin Care.; Kurek-Górecka A, Górecki M, Rzepecka-Stojko A, Balwierz R, Stojko J.Molecules. 2020 Jan 28;25(3):556
Therapeutic Properties of Bioactive Compounds from Different Honeybee Products.; Cornara L, Biagi M, Xiao J, Burlando B.Front Pharmacol. 2017 Jun 28;8:412
Hydration and Barrier Potential of Cosmetic Matrices with Bee Products.; Pavlačková J, Egner P, Slavík R, Mokrejš P, Gál R.Molecules. 2020 May 28;25(11):2510.