There could be no finer moisturiser than honey and throughout history one can find numerous references to the skin benefits that honey can bring. The soothing, emollient and skin healing benefits of honey are being examined clinically in a number of leading hospitals throughout the world for wound healing and the treatment of burns.

Honey is good for skin care because it attracts and maintains moisture and acts like a moisturizer. Honey was used to treat boils, wounds, ulcers and burns. Locally it makes an ointment for sores, wounds and ulcers. It reduces irritation and is good to apply to chapped hands. It will afford relief for frostbite and will help to reduce swellings. Sword cuts were treated and dressed with honey and cobwebs. Its use dates back to ancient times, with Egyptian medical texts (circa 2600 and 2200 B.C.) mentioning honey in at least 900 remedies. Almost all early cultures universally hailed honey for its sweetening and nutritive qualities, as well as its topical healing properties for sores, wounds and skin ulcers. During wartime it was used on wounds as an antiseptic by the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese and even by the Germans as late as World War I.

Honey has long been consumed in foods and as an ingredient of food and beverages. The primary sugars of honey are also found as components of food and are considered to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition to water and naturally occurring sugars, Honey contains varying levels of Beeswax. The safety of Beeswax and other waxes has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data concluded that Beeswax, Candelilla Wax, Carnauba Wax, and Japan Wax were safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products. In 2003, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on Beeswax and plant waxes and reaffirmed the above conclusion. This is a foodstuff and unlikely to cause any reaction on the skin.

CAS: 8028-66-8

Function: Emollient/ humectant/ moisturising.

Source: Dweck, Anthony. Handbook of Natural Ingredients (Dweck Books 4) . Dweck Data. Kindle Edition.

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