The Magic of Manuka Honey (and the Medical Research to back it up)

The reason for manuka honey’s growing popularity is that it is the Dom Pérignon of the honey world; the finest quality honey you can buy. What makes it so unique is that it is derived from honeybees who feed from the flowers of the manuka bush native to New Zealand. Manuka honey has very specific healing properties that cannot be found in any other regular honey (not all honey was created equal, who knew?) which is what makes it so special.

Like me, you might be used to adding it to your breakfast in the morning, but what about adding it topically to your skin? There is a wealth of research that has shown that adding manuka honey to your skincare regime can have numerous benefits such as accelerated wound healing, skin brightening, improving acne, clearing debris from the skin and even eradicating harmful free radicals. This is because manuka honey has natural anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties that soothes skin and reduces redness. But don’t take our word for it, we spoke to a medical professional and delved deep into the research for the top benefits of incorporating manuka honey into your skincare regime.

TOP BENEFITS OF MANUKA HONEY FOR SKIN:

• Wound healing - Manuka honey creates a moist environment and a protective barrier around the skin which accelerates wound healing. We spoke to an experienced GP nurse, and she said she regularly uses dressings made of medical grade raw manuka honey to treat wounds for accelerated healing due to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that draws in moisture and soothes the skin. Research also suggests that manuka honey promotes the growth of tissues needed for wound repair, supresses inflammation and promotes the body’s natural debris removal process.¹

• Skin brightening & fading scars – Manuka honey naturally contains an enzyme that produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide (yes, like in hair dye) which has mild lightening properties, therefore it’s very effective for lightening hyperpigmentation and acne scars and gives the skin a bright and fresh appearance.²

• Improves acne, eczema, psoriasis and other skin concerns – As previously mentioned manuka honey contains hydrogen peroxide but also methylglyoxal (MGO), which means it can protect against a variety of bacteria, preventing additional breakouts. It also has high anti-inflammatory properties which helps with not only acne, but also other conditions such as psoriasis and eczema because it reduces the redness and calms the irritated skin.³

• Exfoliation – Manuka honey has all natural exfoliating properties by helping the skin to clear debris, so you can throw away any harsh exfoliators containing microplastics and replace it with our manuka honey cleanser instead!

• Moisturises – Dry skin? No problem because this special honey naturally draws moisture towards the skin’s surface and helps to retain that moisture for soft, dewy skin. For those with sensitive skin, it is very gentle due to manuka honey being a completely natural product.

• Anti-ageing – Manuka honey is packed full of vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants, which all work to neutralise free radicals that are responsible for skin cell damage and the formation of wrinkles. It’s also been shown to promote the structural growth of collagen skin cells for youthful looking skin.⁴

So, there you have it, manuka honey is the best all-natural solution to pretty much all your common skin problems! Unsurprisingly, dermatologists have caught wind of this and are absolutely raving about it being an all-in-one natural miracle product, but this is something the founder of Nuka Skin has known for over a decade from growing up in New Zealand, and she wanted to share this secret with the rest of the world.

So aside from applying sticky, raw manuka honey to your face (which may not be too practical), we have a range of manuka honey skincare products for you to include in your skincare routine. When selecting manuka honey skincare products, we recommend choosing products with a high potency of manuka honey for maximum benefits for the skin. We recommend you look for an MGO rating of at least 300, as this ensures it will be highly potent and therefore high quality. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with our Manuka + Aloe Gel Cleanser, Honeytox Cream and Drops of Honey Serum that you can start your beautiful skin journey with today.

With love, Nuka x

By Lauren Williams
Contact for enquiries: laurenjcwilliams96@gmail.com

1. (Kapoor, N., & Yadav, R. (2021). Manuka honey: A promising wound dressing material for the chronic nonhealing discharging wounds: A retrospective study. National journal of maxillofacial surgery, 12(2), 233–237. https://doi.org/10.4103/njms.NJMS_154_20
2. Yaghoobi R, Kazerouni A, Kazerouni O. Evidence for Clinical Use of Honey in Wound Healing as an Anti-bacterial, Anti-inflammatory Anti-oxidant and Anti-viral Agent: A Review. Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod. 2013 Aug;8(3):100-4. doi: 10.17795/jjnpp-9487.
3. McLoone, P., Oluwadun, A., Warnock, M., & Fyfe, L. (2016). Honey: A Therapeutic Agent for Disorders of the Skin. Central Asian journal of global health, 5(1), 241. https://doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2016.241
4. https://www.nowtolove.co.nz/health/body/5-skincare-benefits-of-manuka-honey-anti-aging-40510