Beekeeping (And Honey!) Is Buzzing This Season
When sisters Negar and Negin Mirsalehi were growing up outside of Amsterdam, honey was 'used for just about everything,' says Negin. They lived on a bee farm their father established in the 1980s, and the product soothed throats, sweetened teas, dressed scrapes, and 'kept my hair smooth and shiny,' says Negin, who bottled her own honey-based hair oil a decade ago for her brand, Gisou. Negar, 'beekeeper in chief,' now tends the hives, while Negin develops Gisou's oils, balms, and hair masks.
Honey's healing power has been documented by thousand-year-old Sumerian, Egyptian, and Chinese writings; Hippocrates recommended a pain-relieving blend. More than two millennia later, manuka honey is widely celebrated for its antibiotic properties. There are topical benefits as well. Rich in polyphenols, honey has anti-inflammatory and protective traits: One 2020 study looked at its effect in preventing damage from UVB exposure and found lower levels of DNA strand breakage. Guerlain's new Youth Watery Oil Serum includes honey from France's Ouessant Island, Ireland, and Norway. (The formula came about after testing 300 global varietals.) Flamingo Estate founder Richard Christiansen (whose parents are honey farmers in Australia) touts his Manuka Rich Cream—'made from the most powerful, pure ingredients nature gives us.' But the power can be sensory as much as chemical—see the new Villa Isar 224 fragrance from Krigler and Guerlain's Tobacco Honey perfume, now the brand's bestseller in America. It's a complex but simple scent, says Guerlain perfumer Delphine Jelk, like 'putting your nose in a honey jar.'
In France, honey is still applied to wounds, reports Natacha Bonjout, a doctor of pharmacy whose mother, a nurse, maintains the practice in the hospital where she works. 'It's the Manuka honey which is mainly used in this case: it contains methylglyoxal (MGO) in high concentration, the key to its non-peroxide-based antibacterial action,' she explains, adding that a rich composition of antioxidants and enzymes makes it 'particularly effective at soothing inflammation, deeply hydrating dry skin, and aiding in the prevention and treatment of acne.' In pharmacies, honey bestsellers include Nuxe Reve de Miel Honey Lip Care, packaged like a jar of honey with a dipper stick applicator, which is 'part of their success story.' Well-tolerated by most skin types, Bonout confirms that honey in raw form makes a great face mask (just ask the slew of TikTok tutorials inspired by the K-Beauty term 'honey skin' for a dewy, luminous complexion), though Bonjout notes that despite what some content creators believe, it 'won't perform miracles.' She still eats it on whole wheat toast every morning.
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