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Activities:
Analgesic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumor, antiseptic, antipyretic, antiulcer,1 hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory2
Important Chemical Components:
Honey: Hydrogen peroxide, lysozyme, polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, methylglyoxal, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, carotenoids, glucose oxidase, catalase, and bee peptides3
Propolis: Flavonoids (e.g., galangin, chrysin, pinocembrin, quercetin),4 phenolic acids and their esters (particularly caffeic acid phenethyl ester),5 cinnamic acid derivatives (i.e., drupanin, baccharin, and artepillin C), sesquiterpene quinones, coumarins, amino acids, and steroids1
Royal Jelly: 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-HDA), water, proteins, free amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals, and vitamins
Origin Classification:
All of these ingredients used in skin care are natural products of bees.
Personal Care Category:
Antioxidant, antiaging, photoprotection, antiseptic, wound healing
Recommended for the following Baumann Skin Types:
DRNT, DRNW, DRPT, DRPW, DSNW, DSPW, ORNT, ORNW, ORPT, ORPW, OSNW, and OSPW
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Honeybees, Apis mellifera, play an important but often underappreciated role in our lives (Figure 60-1). Human beings rely on bees for pollinating approximately one-third of our crops, including numerous fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.6,7 Of course, they also play a pivotal role in the propagation of other plants, flower nectar, and flower pollen. A. mellifera, the European honeybee, is the primary pollinator in Europe and North America but other species, including A. cerana, A. dorsata, A. floria, A. andreniformis, A. koschevnikov, and A. laborisa produce honey.8 Further, the honeybee is the only insect that produces food consumed by human beings.3
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Honey is a sweet food product produced by honeybees from flower nectar. It contains over 180 substances and is supersaturated in sugar, though it also contains phenolic acids, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, carotenoids, the enzymes glucose oxidase and catalase, organic and amino acids, and proteins.9 In Ayurvedic medicine, honey has been used to treat diabetes since ancient times.8 It has also been used for millennia to treat infected wounds.10 For dermatologic purposes, honey has and continues to be used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat acne, and is also used in cosmetic formulations such as facial washes, skin moisturizers, and hair conditioners.8
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Propolis is a yellowish-green to dark brown resinous material that originates in the buds and barks of various plant sources, mostly poplar trees,1,11,12 and is gathered by honeybees and used in the construction and maintenance of their hives.13,14 The sources of propolis can vary widely by region and even season, however. In all cases, propolis, used to seal holes and trap predators, stabilizes bee hives and honeycombs and protects bees against cold weather and potential intruders.11 Also known as bee glue, this extract from bee hives ...