Honey-honey, how he thrills me… 

Skincare world right now offers enormous variety of different ingredients and formulas that benefit different skin types and conditions. Today one of the hero ingredients are Honey, Royal Jelly and Propolis, which many of skincare lovers consider to be pretty much the same thing, however it is time to dive deeper and talk about difference between those ingredients. 

Honey 

Honey is a long-known liquid substance that is produced by bees and stored in hives. Honey is an effective natural humectant component, which helps to hydrate the skin and lock up the moisture preventing sense of dryness or dehydration. Honey is a ‘super-food’, which has more than 180 ingredients among which enzymes and list of vitamins and minerals, as well as acids. Honey is a great antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory ingredient which can benefit different skin types. 

Few other benefits of HONEY that are worth mentioning; 

- Acne care. Thanks to its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, honey helps to prevent and treat acne breakouts and soothe irritations. 

- Mild exfoliation. As was mentioned before, honey contains different types of acids, including citric acid and lactic acid. Those mild types of acids will help to gently remove dead skin cells making skin smooth and soft. 

- Treats dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Among all active ingredients, honey has hydrogen peroxide which appears after glucose oxidation processes. Due to brightening properties, Hydrogen peroxide helps to target dark spots and pigmentation. 

- Deep hydration and Glow. As a humectant, honey tries to draw moisture from everywhere locking in in the skin.  

Honey based products to try today:

ABIB Mild acidic pH sheet mask Honey fit

SKINFOOD Honey Sugar Food Mask 

Royal Jelly

- Increase skin elasticity. Royal jelly is an effective skin hydrating ingredient which helps to moisturize the skin at different levels, keep it from evaporation and make the skin look plumper. 

- Anti-aging. Royal jelly contains hero acids which can boost production of collagen and help to improve skin elasticity, as well as improve appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. 

- Treat and heal acne and wounds. Like honey, royal jelly also has strong antibacterial properties which help to fight with acnes and reduce redness and irritations, 

- Antioxidant protection. As was said before, royal jelly contains lots of different components, among which are antioxidants. Antioxidants help to protect the cells from damaging effect of external factors and free radicals, which lead to premature skin aging and weak skin barrier. 

Royal jelly based products:

DR.CERUACLE Royal Vita Propolis 33 Ampoule 

JM SOLUTION Honey Luminous Royal Propolis Mask 

Propolis

At last, let’s talk about propolis. Despite the fact that it is considered a bee-product, propolis is produced by combining tree sap and beeswax, and used to build up the hives and repair them if needed. Propolis combines more than 300 active ingredients, including vitamin C, E, zinc, flavonoids, antioxidants, acids and many more. Propolis today is considered a hero component of Korean skin care, and here are some benefits you might consider: 

- Healing and repair. Propolis contains active component called pinocembrin, which is an antimicrobial and antifungal ingredient. Thanks to its properties, pinocembrin helps to speed up wounds healing process as well as provide protection from external damage and decrease bacteria activity. 

- Hydration and moisture. Propolis is as effective in hydrating the skin as honey, and also has properties on retaining moisture for long time, dealing with dehydration and dryness. 

- Antioxidant protection. Sun exposure and constant air pollution may cause an increasing skin damage from free radicals and skin cells’ oxidation. Antioxidants in propolis extract help to prevent cell damage from free radicals, decrease premature aging and strengthen skin’s barrier. 

Products to try: 

SKINFOOD Royal Honey Propolis Enrich Essence

SOME BY MI Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Mask