Hive Products To Bring Out Your Inner Queen Bee

Honey's about flower power. It’s bursting with floral water that contains numerous mineral salts, amino acids and vitamins A, B and C. It's also fructose and glucose-rich (around 80%), both of which are sugars that harness water in the upper layers of our skin.

The result? Glowing, moisturised skin. Honey boasts a wealth of other properties: antioxidant, anti-septic, healing (works wonders on acne-prone skin), hydrating, nourishing, soothing - perfect for dry, sensitive skin - toning and revitalising. So no wonder honey's often blended into our favourite skin-pampering products - face masks, cleansers, lip balms, and more.

People often confuse honey with royal jelly, a different hive product that combats seasonal fatigue by supporting our immune systems and giving our bodies a much-needed boost. Packed with sugars, proteins, lipids and vitamins, royal jelly helps us get through exhausting winter months. And that's not all!

Royal jelly is also a powerful age-buster! The benefits of royal jelly are that it naturally revives skin cells: loaded with amino acids, trace elements and vitamins, it slows down skin ageing and helps to prevent liver spots. It reduces wrinkles (if they're not too pronounced) and protects our skin against dehydration.

Propolis is gathered by worker bees as they buzz around tree buds. This liquid gold contains over 300 skin-loving components - flavonoids, aromatic compounds (caffeic acid, vanillin), essential oils, vitamins and trace elements. Propolis is a superb multi-tasker that deeply cleans and purifies skin, whilst protecting it from the elements (winter, pollution, heat). But it's the healing and soothing properties of propolis that make it so worthy. For example, it quickly calms sunburn and helps our skin to recover. Plus the flavonoids in propolis also protect us from harmful UV

Pollen comes from the flowers that bees touch and doesn't deserve its hay fever-provoking reputation. It has incredibly nutritional compounds including vitamins and minerals that prevent lines and wrinkles. Pollen tones and firms skin, smoothens away wrinkles, slows down cell ageing and boosts cell growth. It also retains water in its cells, meaning it keeps our skin hydrated to the max.