Your face is the interface the rest of the world interacts with, so take good care of it. Get rid of acne and pimples with manuka honey.
Our faces are the first things people notice about us and they subconsciously draw conclusions about us based on what they see. That’s why we can’t stand having pimples and acne on our faces.
One of the best things you could do for your face is start wearing manuka honey face masks to rejuvenate the skin. Manuka honey is rich in antibacterial properties and antioxidants. It will make your face healthy and fresh-looking. We have prepared reviews of the five best manuka honeys for face care.
Comparison Table
Below is a comparison table that presents the five manuka honeys we will review:
Best Manuka Honey for Face Reviews
1. Comvita Manuka Honey – Non-GMO Honey
Comvita manuka honey has a certification of UMF 15+. UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is the scale manuka honey producers use to grade the potency of manuka honey.
The lowest grade manuka honey should have to be considered therapeutic is UMF 10.
Like most manuka honey products, Comvita manuka honey originates from the manuka flower’s nectar. This flower grows in the forests of New Zealand.
The best honey comes from New Zealand, and so there are many manuka honey brands that falsely market their honey as coming from New Zealand when it does not. Fortunately, Comvita honey is traceable from hive to shelf.
Furthermore, it is a reliable product, seeing as it has UMF certification. Every batch of Comvita honey has gone through independent testing by the UMF Honey Association, which is an organization that governs the standards of manuka honey to protect consumers from low-potency honeys masquerading as high-quality manuka honey.
In addition, the honey is Halal and Kosher-certified. It is also non-GMO.
However, though the jar says 8.8 oz, it seems to contain less than that: about 6 oz.
Pros
-UMF 15+
-Traceable
-Tested and certified by UMF Honey Association
-Non-GMO
-Halal and Kosher-certified
Cons
-Does not contain 8.8 oz as advertised
View price on Amazon
2. Kiva Manuka Honey – Traceable
Kiva manuka honey has a UMF 15+ certification. The Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) rating reflects the concentration of Methylglyoxal (MG or MGO). MG is the main antibacterial component in manuka honey, which makes the honey so good for your skin.
The main advantage of the UMF rating is that it protects manuka honey consumers from low grade honey. If manuka honey does not reach UMF 10, it is not deemed useful for therapeutic purposes – it lacks potency.
This honey’s rating of UMF 15 is equivalent to MGO 510+, which makes it adequate, though not phenomenal, as a therapeutic product to use for your skin.
To protect you even further and assure you of its reliability, this honey is traceable, enabling you to find out exactly where it was grown. You see, like most manuka honey, it comes from New Zealand – but don’t take their word for it: trace it!
In addition, each batch of the honey has been independently tested and verified.
Pros
-UMF 15+
-Traceable
-Reliable
-Independent testing and verification
Cons
-May arrive crystallized
View price on Amazon
3. Manuka Health Manuka Honey – Independent Quality Testing
This honey has a grading of MGO 400+, which is equivalent to UMF 12 or at least UMF 10+. That means it meets the threshold of a therapeutic manuka honey (UMF 10), and you can apply it on your skin to eradicate acne and other blemishes.
The honey comes from New Zealand, the home of manuka honey. It goes through independent quality testing in a laboratory accredited by ISO standards. The testing helps guarantee the purity, quality, and safety of the honey.
To further guarantee its reliability, the honey is fully traceable back to the beehive from whence it came. This ensures you don’t get duped by honey brands that falsely advertise themselves as providing New Zealand manuka honey when they are not.
Pros
-MGO 400+
-Traceable
-Independently tested
Cons
-Grainy taste
View price on Amazon
4. Wild Cape Manuka Honey – Ethical Harvesting
With a certification of UMF 15+, the Wild Cape manuka honey is well within the acceptable grading of potency required of therapeutic manuka honey. You can use it to protect your face from conditions such as acne.
Like all the best manuka honeys, it originates from New Zealand. However, unlike the acrid, bitter flavor of manuka honey from other regions of New Zealand, the honey from this region is renowned for the mildness of its flavors. In spite of the mild flavor, it still retains its therapeutic properties.
Wild Cape is a member of the UMF Honey Association (UMFHA). This is the quality assurance program that is in charge of ensuring that the manuka honey in the market is up to standard.
If you worry about capitalism and the mistreatment of bees, or if you have a somewhat vegan way of thinking (vegans don’t eat honey because they don’t believe in taking away food from bees), you will be glad to know that this is ethically harvested honey. Wild Cape leaves the wax comb intact, so bees can use it again and again.
The jars are plastic and certified BPA-free. They are acceptable to the strict FDA and New Zealand standards for food containers.
Pros
-UMF 15+
-Ethical harvesting practices
-Approved by UMFHA
-BPA-free jar
View price on Amazon
5. Bee’s Inn Manuka Honey – Traceable
At a UMF 15+ grading, the Bee’s Inn manuka honey is above the minimal UMF rating for therapeutic manuka honey. If you have been experiencing skin problems, you can confidently apply this honey for a smoother, glowing look.
It comes from New Zealand. Each batch is independently verified to ensure that it reaches the high standards set by the manuka honey community. Furthermore, if you need to verify that the honey does indeed come from New Zealand, note that it is traceable and licensed.
The Bee’s Inn beekeepers are located in New Zealand’s North Island, which is south of Hamilton. The brand is a licensed member of the UMF Honey Association and adheres to the strict standards of purity and quality set by this organization.
The nectar of the manuka flower which flourishes in New Zealand is the source of manuka honey. The flower grows wild and uncultivated throughout New Zealand, particularly in the forests. The honey has antibacterial properties which are excellent for your skin, making your face glow with health.
Pros
-UMF 15+
-Approved by UMFHA
-Independently verified
-Licensed and traceable
Cons
-Medicinal taste
View price on Amazon
Benefits of Manuka Honey Face Masks
If you suffer from acne or pimples, a manuka honey face mask might be the solution to your problems. The following are reasons why manuka honey is good for your face:
- Antibacterial Hydrogen Peroxide
All honeys have antibacterial properties. Honey has the ingredients necessary to make hydrogen peroxide, the compound that gives honey its antibacterial properties. Hydrogen peroxide is a useful substance in combating acne.
Your skin has sebaceous glands which produce an oily substance known as sebum. It is sebum that keeps your skin smooth and moisturized. The problem occurs when your skin produces excess sebum: it combines with dead skin cells, resulting in clogged skin pores. This provides an enabling environment for acne-causing bacteria to flourish.
Since hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing agent, it can kill living cells – including bacteria. This process is known as oxidative stress. In way, hydrogen peroxide gets rid of the acne-forming bacteria, restoring your skin to good health.
When used in high concentrations, hydrogen peroxide can damage skin. That’s why honey is popular as a face cream: because honey has the ability to produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide when it comes into contact with skin or an open wound.
When you apply honey to your face, the high sodium and pH levels of your skin and body fluids (sweat) activate an enzyme found in honey which is known as glucose oxidase. Honey also contains glucose. The enzyme glucose oxidase, on being activated, breaks down the glucose into hydrogen peroxide.
The hydrogen peroxide, produced in a small, safe amount, then goes on to treat your skin, killing bacteria, and making your skin healthier and smoother.
- Antibacterial Methylglyoxal
The major antibacterial component of manuka honey is a compound known as methylglyoxal (MG). Manuka honey is unique in that it contains a high concentration of methylglyoxal while other types of honey contain only small quantities of MG.
You see, manuka honey is made by bees who have fed on nectar from the manuka flowers which typically grow in New Zealand. Manuka nector contains a high concentration of a compound known as dihydroxyacetone. It is the conversion of this compound that produces the high concentration of MG found in manuka honey.
The Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) is a rating system which honey producers use to determine the level of concentration of MG in manuka honey. The minimal rating that is acceptable for a therapeutic honey is UMF 10.
Thanks to MG, manuka honey is able to actively fight and destroy bacteria that might have infected the skin pores and led to a flourishing of acne on your face.
Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory effects of manuka honey help reduce acne inflammation. As a result your zits will no longer look as red or as angry.
- Skin Exfoliation
Manuka honey also helps remove dead skin cells. Remember that it is the combining of dead skin cells with excess sebum that leads to the clogging of skin pores and eventually breeding of bacteria on your skin.
Skin exfoliation gets rid of the dead skin cells, preventing pore-clogging. This prevents an outbreak of blackheads and whiteheads on your face.
Furthermore, the honey has soothing and hydrating properties that can heal the pimples you do have and assist in speeding up your face’s recovery from old acne scars.
How to Make and Apply a Manuka Honey Face Mask
Ingredients
-1 teaspoonful of manuka honey
-1 teaspoonful of fat Greek yogurt
-1 to 2 drops of tea tree essential oil (no more than that)
-1/2 teaspoonful of turmeric powder (don’t add more as might cause temporary staining)
Procedure
Stir the ingredients briskly till they form a smooth and creamy stuff you can apply to your faces with the back of a spoon. Smooth out the face mask on your skin using the tips of your fingers. When you are done, wash your hands immediately after to prevent staining. Leave the mask on your face for the next 20 minutes.
You can massage an extra teaspoon of yoghurt to help soften the dried mask. Follow this with thorough rinsing using warm water. To shrink your skin pores, run an ice cube over your face afterward, and then apply moisturizer.
Precautions to Keep in Mind When Using Manuka Honey
- If You Have Allergies
Manuka honey can cause allergic reactions for people who are allergic to bees or pollen. If you have a bee allergy, don’t use manuka honey as a face mask.
- Check the Grading
Ensure the honey you are buying uses the UMF or MGO grading system as they are the only reliable ones when it comes to manuka honey. For effectiveness, he honey should have a ranking of at least UMF 10+.
- Buy Raw Honey
Raw honey is the best. Unlike processed honey, it has not undergone treatment to remove air bubbles and pollen or to extend its shelf life.
Raw honey is the best because its ingredients and properties have not been denatured, and you can therefore reap the maximum benefits.
Raw honey is rich in antioxidants, which are necessary for neutralizing free radicals and preventing formation of conditions that are conducive for acne-causing bacteria.
Wrapping It Up
The best honey is the Comvita manuka honey with a UMF 15+ rating. Almost as good, and with a similar UMF rating is the Wild Cape Manuka Honey.
Wild Cape manuka honey practices ethical beekeeping and leaves the wax comb intact to ensure bees can use it gain and gain. It packages its honey in BPA-free plastic jars.
Comvita manuka honey is traceable to its source. It is a non-GMO honey that is kosher and halal-certified.
Shopping for manuka honey, which of the five is your first choice?
