Thanks to their abundance of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, manuka honey creams are great for treating eczema.
Your skin is itchy and red and you are in pain. When will this torment ever end? Eczema is a thorn in the flesh for some of us, and unfortunately it’s not curable. You can, however, make it tolerable, manageable, and manuka honey creams are one way to do this.
Manuka honey is rich in antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.This article is dedicated to reviewing five great manuka honey creams that will help you out with your eczema problem.
Comparison Table
This comparison table contains the manuka honey creams reviewed in the article:
Best Manuka Honey Cream for Eczema
1. Wild Naturals Manuka Honey Cream – Perfect pH Level for Skin
This cream is a moisturizer that contains a blend of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids sourced from nature. It is absolutely chemical-free – all the ingredients are natural. They consist mostly of food-grade nutrients. The cream does not contain any cheap fillers.
One of the ingredients is manuka honey, the most therapeutic of honeys. It comes from New Zealand where the wild manuka flower grows in the forests. The nectar of manuka contains a compound known as methylglyoxal. This compound is rich in medicinal value – it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that are invaluable for people with eczema.
Manuka honey is graded using the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF), which indicates the concentration of methylglyoxal in the honey. New Zealand’s UMF Honey Association (UMFHA) governs the rating and certification of manuka honeys. For a honey to be considered therapeutic, it needs to have a minimal rating of UMF 10+. Wild Naturals manuka honey cream uses UMF 12+ manuka honey.
Other ingredients include organic oils like hemp seed oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. These oils work will with the skin’s natural biology. The cream also contains organic aloe vera, shea butter, cocoa butter, and an Australian flower extract known as cehami that reduces your skin’s itchiness, pain, and redness.
Furthermore, it has a perfect pH level for your skin. The skin has a slightly acidic pH level that ranges between 4.5 and 5.5 – the acidity is a defense against allergens, winds, pollutants and other foreign elements. It also helps keep moisture in.
It’s why standard bars soaps leave your skin feeling dry – because their high pH value (9 to 11) is alkaline and strips natural oils from your skin. This honey cream has a perfect pH level for your body: 5.5.
Pros
-Chemical free
-UMF 12+ manuka honey
-Natural, food-grade ingredients
-Non-greasy
-Perfect pH level
Cons
-The smell is unappealing
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2. Manuka Secrets Day Crème Manuka Honey Cream – Packed With Natural Ingredients
Manuka honey originates from New Zealand and all the best and trusted manuka honey comes from there because the manuka flower is native to New Zealand, a wild flower with nectar rich in methylglyoxal.
The UMF rating system helps ensure customers are not duped by substandard honeys. This honey cream contains manuka honey with a grade of UMF 18+, which makes it more than adequate as a skin cream to treat your eczema, acne, pimples, and other skin conditions.
In addition to honey, the cream is packed with other natural ingredients which are good for your skin such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, flaxseed oil, rosehip seed oil, cacao butter, lavender oil, and patchouli oil. All these ingredients blend into a marvelous cream that enables deep moisturizing nourishment for your skin.
The cream also helps reduce the signs of aging on your skin: the lines and the wrinkles. It hydrates and nourishes your skin, keeping it looking younger and healthier.
Manuka honey has antibacterial properties, moisture retention, and provides antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Pros
-UMF 18+ honey
-Natural ingredients
-Moisturizes the skin
Cons
-Strong herbal/floral cent that not everyone might like
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3. EcoNature Manuka Honey Cream – Contains No Chemicals or Additives
EcoNature manuka honey cream contains UMF 12+ manuka honey from New Zealand. That is good enough grading for healing skin conditions such as eczema. Manuka honey contains the methylglyoxal compound in a high concentration. Methylglyoxal is very high in therapeutic/medicinal value value.
Manuka honey is one of nature’s most abundant sources of antimicrobial power. It helps protect your skin from damage caused by bacteria. The honey stimulates the production of cells which repair damaged tissue.
Furthermore, methylglyoxal in manuka honey has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce pain and inflammation once you apply the cream on your skin.
The cream features a blend of 23 botanical ingredients that contain nutrients which help in healing skin conditions. The ingredients include aloe leaf juice palm fruit oil, sunflower seed oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, coconut oil, rosemary oil, manuka honey, avocado oil, jojoba seed oil, pumpkin seed oil, peppermint leaf oil, ginger root oil, among others.
The nourishing ingredients make the cream ideal for after-sun care. For instance, one of the ingredients, aloe leaf juice is often used to treat sunburns.
Furthermore, this cream is also ideal if you have chemically sensitive skin that makes it difficult for you to rely on most skin products. The cream does not contain chemicals that are harsh on your skin.
It has no gluten, soy, corn, or any artificial fragrances and dyes. In addition, it does not contain SLS’s, silicones, phthalates, parabens petroleum, formaldehyde, or BPA. Everything is natural and wholesome.
Pros
-UMF 12+
-Natural, botanical ingredients
-Use for after-sun care
-Ideal for chemically sensitive skins
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4. Deluvia Manuka Honey Cream – Does Not Contain Parabens
Manuka contains an abundance of the compound methylglyoxal which has anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, manuka honey is effective at reducing redness and inflamed skin caused by conditions such as eczema, acne, burns, rashes, and minor wounds. It also has antibacterial properties.
The Deluvia honey cream contains natural ingredients such as organic coconut oil, Vitamin E, organic aloe vera, shea butter, and rosehip seed oil. The cream does not contain parabens (preservatives widely used in cosmetic products, but which are actually bad for you.
The cream features an antioxidant-rich formula that helps fight free radicals (which can cause acne). The cream is good for anyone with dry, cracked, irritated, or itchy skin.
The cream is highly concentrated to ensure proper hydration to moisturize your skin and leave it soft and healthy. You can apply the lotion to your face, neck, body, elbows, hands, knees, and feet.
Pros
-Anti-inflammatory
-Antibacterial
-Natural ingredients
-Does not contain parabens
-Moistures your skin
-Antioxidant rich
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5. Bee Real Manuka Honey Cream – Gluten-Free
This is one of the best options out there for your toddler’s skin. Moms too can use it to moisturize their skins.
It contains natural ingredients such as New Zealand manuka honey, organic aloe vera, shea butter, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, blue-green algae, olive oil, and others.
It is free of chemicals such as parabens, sulfates, pthalenes, and artificial perfumes or fragrances. Since it does not contain any harmful or irritating chemicals, you can trust it to nourish your skin back to health using wholesome, natural ingredients.
The ingredients help rejuvenate your skin where you have under-eye wrinkles, nourish and moisturize your skin, and calm skin that is red and itchy.
The honey cream is also gluten-free.
Pros
-Natural ingredients
-Free of chemicals
-Gluten-free
Cons
-Has a smell some might not like, though it’s not necessarily an unpleasant smell
View price on Amazon
Understanding Eczema
Eczema is a term used to denote a group of conditions which cause skin inflammation. When you have eczema, your skin becomes red, itchy, and dry – it may even be cracked and leathery.
Eczema may appear on any area of your body, but the most afflicted areas are: the face neck, elbows, wrists, groin, knees, and ankles.
While eczema is a chronic problem many people suffer from, it is more common in infants. Many of these infants outgrow their eczema problem by the age of ten. Others continue to exhibit symptoms of eczema on and off throughout their lives. The condition affects 10 to 20% of infants and approximately 3% of grownups and children in the US.
People suffering from eczema are at a higher risk of contracting allergic conditions such as hay fever and asthma.
The most common type of eczema is known as atopic dermatitis (AD).
It is not exactly clear what causes eczema, but the condition is known to run in some families. People who have such genes tend to have extra-sensitive skin.
While the exact cause of eczema is unclear, the condition is thought to be linked to an overactive immune system – when the immune system has an overactive response to an irritant.
Defects in the skin may also contribute to the condition – deflects which allow moisture to exit through the skin and allow germs to come into the skin.
People who have eczema may experience flare-ups of the itchy rash as a response to some conditions or substances. Such eczema triggers include stress, heat & sweat, cold, dry climates, dry skin, and coming into contact with substances which irritate the skin – substances like soap, wool, and synthetic fabrics.
Eczema is not contagious.
There is no cure for eczema, but you can manage it with medical treatment or avoiding irritants. Manuka honey creams are good for treating and managing eczema symptoms.
Preventive Methods of Managing Eczema:
- Frequently moisturizing your skin – manuka honey creams can help with that.
- Practice stress management.
- Don’t wear scratchy materials such as wool.
- Don’t use harsh soaps, detergents, and solvents.
- Do your homework on which foods might cause a flare-up and avoid them.
- Where possible, avoid conditions that can make you sweat.
- Where possible, avoid sudden changes in humidity or temperature.
Manuka Honey Good for Treating Eczema
Researchers have found that manuka honey is effective in treating atopic dermatitis (the most common type of eczema).
The researchers had noted that manuka honey has immunoregulatory and antistaphylococcal (antibacterial) properties. On the strength of this fact, they decided to investigate the effect of applying manuka honey on eczema-affected skin.
The study worked used adult volunteers who had AD lesions. The volunteers were instructed to apply manuka honey on one affected site overnight for seven consecutive days – they were to leave the other affected areas untreated.
The researchers obtained skin swabs from both sites – the treated and the untreated – before and after treatment. They used the swabs to investigate the production of staphylococci and enterotoxin.
The results of the study were that AD lesions showed significant improvement when treated with manuka honey. The treated sites also showed improvement that the untreated sites do not.
The study was not conclusive, but it demonstrated that manuka honey is potentially effective in treating AD lesions. The researchers noted that their findings would have to confirmed by randomized and controlled clinical trials.
Manuka Honey Skin Cream Buying Guide
The following are the factors to keep in mind when you are shopping for manuka honey to apply on your skin:
- UMF Certification
When buying manuka honey skin cream, check the UMF certification of the honey used to make the cream.
UMF certification is the seal of authenticity and quality when it comes to manuka honey. It confirms that the honey comes from New Zealand and satisfies the standards of purity and quality set by the UMF Honey Association.
It also indicates that the honey has enough medicinal value to function as a therapeutic product – particularly if it has a grading of UMF 10+ and above.
- Ingredients
Other than manuka honey, you want something that is rich in natural ingredients such as aloe vera, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and so forth.
Check to see if the product contains extra ingredients that are not natural. Some of the chemicals used in skin creams are ultimately harmful. Avoid creams that contain the following ingredients:
-Parabens
-Phthalates
-Sulfates
-Silicones
-Fragrances
-Mineral oil
These are ingredients which are known to cause skin irritation, among other complications.
Wrapping It Up
The best manuka honey cream for eczema in our list is the Manuka Secrets manuka honey cream, which has a high rating of UMF 18+. The EcoNature manuka honey cream is also great, though with a much lower rating of UMF 12+.
EcoNature features 23 botanical ingredients, no chemicals, and is ideal for after-sun care and for chemically sensitive skin.
Manuka Secrets cream features natural ingredients like coconut oil, jojoba oil, lavender oil, and patchouli oil. It is great for moisturizing and is rich in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that are good for your skin.
Read more about the best manuka honey lotions available for general use
