Honey is the sweet and sticky substance produced by bees. Honey formation begins with bees collecting flower nectar that has broken down into simple sugars, and then storing it in honeycombs. The bees vigorously fan the honeycomb with their wings to dry the honey due to its high moisture content. This curing process makes sure the honey will never ferment or spoil and causes the evaporation that creates the thick liquid of honey.
As far back as the Ancient Egyptians, honey was hailed as a skin-healing ingredient, and Cleopatra supposedly mixed honey and milk to make face masks. Honey then became a popular ingredient in many makeups and skincare creams.
Rich in sugars, antioxidant flavonoids, vitamins & trace elements.
The use of honey in skincare is not a new concept. However, researchers have recently started to verify some of the anecdotal evidence about the benefits of applying honey to the skin. These benefits may include the following:
MOISTURIZING ACTIVITY
Honey is a natural humectant due to its hygroscopic nature. It attracts and retains moisture from the surrounding environment to keep the skin and hair moisturized.
WOUND HEALING
Honey is useful in treating open wounds because it can help prevent scarring by keeping the skin moist and encouraging the growth of new tissue.
By providing moist healing, it can minimize hypertrophic scarring. Honey also stimulates angiogenesis, granulation and epithelialization, which helps speed up the healing process.
Honey benefits wound healing through its anti-inflammatory effect. It decreases wound inflammation which is revealed by the reduction in the number of white blood cells. The anti-inflammatory action of honey reduces edema and exudates, which can subsequently improve wound healing.
SOOTHING ACTIVITY
Honey is also considered an anti-irritant, which makes it suitable for sensitive skin and baby care products.
ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY
Honey is rich in natural antioxidant flavonoids that are capable of scattering free radicals thus reducing oxidative stress. Due to its antioxidant properties, honey is an ideal ingredient to be used in anti-wrinkle and anti-aging products.
Therefore, honey can keep the skin cells repaired and renewed and results in a firmer and brighter skin appearance.
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY
Honey inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi by reducing their development on the skin surface. Honey is a useful treatment for cuts, abrasion, wounds, and burns by preventing bacteria and fungi from entering the wound and promoting healing.
The effective antimicrobial agent in honey prohibits bacterial growth. The antimicrobial property of honey is mainly due to its high sugar content, acidic pH, low protein content, and the presence of enzymes that produce hydrogen peroxide.
Moreover, honey can help treat minor acne by attacking the bacteria that cause the outbreaks while moisturizing the skin to aid rejuvenation. Therefore, facial products containing honey are ideal for helping to treat people suffering from acne.
Honey is safe to use in cosmetics with the concentrates specified in this safety assessment.
https://online.personalcarecouncil.org/ctfa-static/online/lists/cir-pdfs/FR804.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2269714/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7036894/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5661189/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941901/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665090/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941901/