Yeah, we know, we know ... we covered honey-based beauty just Sunday—Veronica Webb’s experience with a $725 luxury bee-venom facial, to be exact. Understandably, some of you were a bit stung by the premise and the price tag, but we want to pull back the curtain on beauty treatments that aren’t widely known to the public. And besides, what’s the fun in having a supermodel on staff if we can’t live vicariously through her VIP adventures?
That said, while we always want to give you the scoop on cutting-edge beauty, we know most folks aren’t in the market for that $725-per-treatment life. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still be enjoying the many healing and anti-aging benefits of including honey in your beauty routine.
Honey and other bee byproducts, like royal jelly and propolis, all have benefits for the skin, including moisturizing, anti-aging and fighting both acne and eczema. They’re also the main ingredients in plenty of products that don’t require a spa appointment to acquire.
In fact, The Glow Up compiled a brief list of buzzworthy favorites at the world’s most ubiquitous retailer simply by searching honey products in Amazon.com’s Beauty and Personal Care section. Out of the hundreds of honey-based and infused skin-care products available on the site, here are the gems our staff, family and friends swear by; and they’re all economical enough for everyday use:
At $50 per 1.69-ounce jar, Vee Tox Bee Venom Mask isn’t bargain beauty, but this formula—which uses organic, purified bee venom and Active 15+ Manuka honey—is touted for giving almost instant results, so its value should be considered in cost-per-wear.
If you’re looking for a full honey-based regimen, Bee Friendly has the best reviews around. In addition to its best-selling Bee Friendly Honey Facial Mask ($34.99), the company also makes a stellar face and eye cream ($39.99), penetrating facial cleanser ($29.99) and exfoliating facial sugar scrub ($34.99). That’s a fully organic facial regimen for less than $150!
E-Ra Organics Manuka Honey Walnut Scrub and Mask ($23.99) provides awesome, all-natural, at-home microdermabrasion, at one-tenth the price of a typical spa treatment. How can you beat that?
Skinfood Black Sugar and Honey Mask ($15.99) combines exfoliation and moisturizing for a tight and polished finish. If you’re feeling really decadent, preface it with Skinfood’s Black Sugar Perfect Cleansing Oil for an additional $15.
Another strong pairing: HoneyLab Miracle Moisture Honey Facial Mask ($10.75) addresses wrinkles and fine lines and firms the look of sagging skin with Manuka honey, propolis and witch hazel. Once you’ve rinsed it off, apply HoneyLab’s Skin Rescue Face Serum with Manuka honey, hyaluronic acid and peptides. This powerful anti-aging serum contains marine extracts that help tighten and firm the skin even further.
Last, but not least, a potent and paraben-free offering from a classic brand: the Body Shop Ethiopian Honey Deep Nourishing Mask ($28) is a professional-level product for pennies on the dollar; and the Body Shop’s 40-year commitment to ethics and sustainability means you can feel good about where you’re putting your money and what you’re putting on your face.
So there you have it: All the budget-friendly buzz on some of the best bee-based products around. Just one of the many reasons why protecting our precious bee population should be a priority!