Why is bee venom so important for skincare?

Alice Smellie - Manuka Doctor Guest Author
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Award winning journalist Alice Smellie has written health and beauty features for leading national media outlets including The Daily Mail, Marie Claire and The Daily Telegraph.

Author views are not our own.

The buzz about bee venom really took flight a few years ago when it transpired that such smooth skinned celebrities as the Duchess of Cambridge and Gwyneth Paltrow were fans of this substance as a must-have skincare ingredient.1

And where they lead, we follow. Let’s face it, the chance to easily achieve a radiant and a-list complexion is beyond tempting. Their love of bee venom facials and creams started the rest of us wondering what was so fabulous about it - and where we might get some for ourselves!

It turns out that this bee by-product is quite extraordinary, with many different, and effective, uses on the skin.

Purified Bee Venom is effective at reducing UV - or sun - damage; when it’s applied, skin produces more keratinocytes, which are cells protecting against environmental factors such as sun damage.

It’s also anti-ageing, stimulating cell turnover and collagen formation, which is just what you need for reducing fine lines and wrinkles. In fact, when applied to skin, Purified Bee Venom has been actually shown to increase production of vital collagen producing cells, within a short space of time.

And if you’ve either acne or eczema, it may well be useful, as it has both antibacterial and antibiotic properties.2

In a nutshell - or a honeypot, if you prefer - Purified Bee Venom is quite incredible. Best of all, there's a cumulative effect over time, so it's well worth using on a daily basis!

So what’s actually IN Purified Bee Venom? Well, it’s pretty complex stuff.

The clear liquid is deceptively innocuous looking, and is basically an essential blend of enzymes, peptides and amino acids.

A key anti-ageing ingredient is melittin3, which helps the skin to produce collagen and elastin, both of which plump up the complexion, as well as helping to maintain youthful elasticity.4

The excitement about the 'Bee Venom Botox' trend has now settled down. Now, products containing Purified Bee Venom and which work - such as those created by Manuka Doctor - have entered the world of ‘cult’ rather than being considered ‘quirky.’ These days, creams and serums containing bee venom have become a bathroom shelf staple for many of us.

The best way to enjoy the benefits of bee venom is without question in the form of one of the divine to apply and super effective creams by Manuka Doctor.

Article References
  1. CELEBRITIES: Duchess of Cambridge - https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/beauty-products/a12009463/deborah-mitchell-skincare/, Gwyneth Paltrow has bee stings - https://www.vogue.com/article/gwyneth-paltrow-apitherapy-bee-stings-treatment
  2. ACNE CLINICAL TRIAL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jocd.12227 + ECZEMA: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6134939/Bee-venom-dampens-major-driver-eczema.html
  3. COMPOSITION OF BEE VENOM: http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2001/loveridge/index-page8.html
  4. MECHANISM IN SKIN CREAM: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2274969/The-new-buzz-cosmetics-Bee-venom-creams-fool-face-thinking-stung-youthful-looking-skin.html