Ingredient Spotlight: The Healing Power of Manuka Honey in Skincare

Not all honey is created equal – and when it comes to skincare, Manuka honey is in a category of its own.

What Makes Manuka Honey Special

Manuka honey comes from bees that pollinate the Manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium), native to New Zealand. While all raw honey has beneficial properties, Manuka honey contains a unique compound called methylglyoxal (MGO) that gives it extraordinary healing abilities.

This isn’t marketing hype – it’s measurable science. Manuka honey is graded by its MGO content, and medical-grade versions are literally used in hospitals for wound care.

Why We Include It in Our Balm

When formulating our balm, I wanted ingredients that didn’t just moisturize, but actively supported skin health. Here’s what Manuka honey brings to the formula:

Natural Humectant Honey draws moisture from the air and locks it into your skin. Combined with the occlusive properties of tallow (which seals in that moisture), you get deep, lasting hydration.

Antimicrobial Properties Manuka honey naturally fights bacteria, making it beneficial for skin prone to breakouts or irritation. It creates an environment where skin can heal without harsh chemicals.

Anti-Inflammatory If you struggle with redness, sensitivity, or conditions like eczema, Manuka honey’s anti-inflammatory properties can help calm reactive skin.

Antioxidant Rich Free radicals from sun exposure and pollution damage skin cells. The antioxidants in Manuka honey help neutralize this damage, supporting skin’s natural repair processes.

Gentle Exfoliation Honey contains natural enzymes that gently dissolve dead skin cells, revealing brighter, smoother skin without abrasive scrubs.

The Synergy with Tallow

Here’s where formulation gets interesting. Tallow and honey work beautifully together because:

Tallow delivers the honey’s beneficial compounds deep into skin layers
Honey’s humectant properties balance tallow’s richness
Both ingredients have been used traditionally for wound healing and skin repair
Together, they create a texture that’s luxurious but not heavy

Add jojoba oil (which closely mimics skin’s sebum), arrowroot powder (for smooth application), and essential oils (for therapeutic aromatherapy benefits), and you have a formula that works with your skin’s biology, not against it.

What to Expect

When you use a product with genuine Manuka honey, you might notice:

Skin feels softer immediately, but continues improving over days
Rough patches (elbows, knees, heels) smooth out faster
Minor irritations calm down more quickly
Your skin has a subtle glow – not from shimmer, but from genuine health

A Word on Quality

Just like with tallow, quality matters enormously. We source Manuka honey with verified MGO ratings, ensuring you’re getting the real thing. There’s a lot of “Manuka-style” honey on the market that doesn’t have the same properties – we don’t cut corners here.

Traditional Wisdom Meets Modern Understanding

Honey has been used in skincare for millennia. Cleopatra supposedly bathed in milk and honey. Ancient Egyptians used honey in wound dressings. Traditional medicine systems around the world recognized its healing properties.

What’s changed is our ability to understand why it works. We can now measure the compounds, study the mechanisms, and verify what our ancestors knew intuitively.

At Rooted in SoIL, we love this intersection – where traditional wisdom is validated by modern science, and both point to the same conclusion: nature provides powerful medicine for our skin.

When our balm launches in January, you’ll experience the difference that real, potent ingredients make. No fillers, no synthetic substitutes – just the genuine healing power of Manuka honey, working alongside tallow and other carefully chosen ingredients to give your skin what it actually needs.