How Manuka Honey Differs From Regular Honey (and Why You Should Care)

 

What Makes Manuka Honey So Special?

Have you ever wondered why Manuka honey is so special? It’s pretty different from the processed, pasteurized stuff you’d find at the grocery store, both in terms of how it was harvested and how you can use it for your health.

First, know that real Manuka honey is pretty rare. True Manuka is harvested from the flowering Leptospermum scoparium plant from New Zealand. This plant is also known as the tea tree, which — you guessed it -- is the same species that produces coveted tea tree oil! They also share a lot of the same healthy benefits. 

New Zealand is the only place in the world where the flowering Manuka plant blooms. What’s more, these flowers bloom only two to six weeks out of the entire year — meaning that there’s only a very small window for pollination. 

The Secret Life of Manuka Honeybees

Manuka honeybees live quite the life of luxury. Every year, when the Manuka flowers bloom, beekeepers strategically places their hives so to give their bees special access to the plant. Fortunately, other native plants tend to flourish either before or after the Manuka plant, so while there’s no guarantee that these free-range bees don’t forage on other wild flowers, it becomes less likely as the Manuka is flowering -- leading to a purer final product. 

 

You’ve probably heard that the honeybee is in danger these days. If you want to help save the bees, you can do your part by supporting Manuka honeybees! These sustainable hives are the only ones growing in numbers that are impactful. This means good things for pollinating and growing plants, helping our ecosystem to flourish and thrive. 

Why You Should Use Manuka Honey Topically

While you could certainly eat Manuka honey, it’s strong, cough syrup-like taste might be a bit off-putting for some. But this slight acidity is what makes it so great for topical use: it hits the right spot on the pH scale to balance out your skin. 

Amino acids play a big part here as well. While regular honey contains amino acids, Manuka honey offers up to four times the amount! This means great things for your outer layer, as amino acids can boost your skin’s resilience. 

So what does this mean for you and your skin? When you give your epidermis a little love with Manuka, it can mean a lot of things — but most importantly, it’s an amazing alternative to your favorite face lotion.

What Makes Manuka Honey Such a Powerful Moisturizer?

This special honey is a humectant, meaning that it holds onto water to hydrate your skin without any oily feel from an anti-aging serum. If your skin feels particularly dry, it might benefit from a little topical application of Manuka honey. 

Bringing Manuka to the Next Level with CBD 

Now that we know how amazing Manuka honey is for your skin, here’s a peek into how we make it even better with CBD and other natural ingredients. 

While moisturizing is the name of the game for Manuka, CBD takes the honey game up a notch with its nourishing properties. CBD — which, by the way, does not include the psychoactive component THC — works to gently cleanse and exfoliate the skin while pumping it up with essential benefits. 

It’s a one-two punch of skincare magic! Just see for yourself with our CBD Harmonizing Face Cream, or CBD Calming Eye Balm.