Manuka Honey Benefits for Skin: Why is Manuka Honey Good For Your Skin?

Are you looking for natural, holistic ways to enhance your skincare routine? Manuka Honey is the superstar botanical to know. While we often think of honey as a food rather than a skincare ingredient, it’s actually a powerhouse topical remedy. But how is Manuka Honey good for your skin? In this detailed guide, we'll explore the countless Manuka Honey skincare benefits. Plus, we'll share different ways you can incorporate this natural botanical into your routine, along with some practical application tips.

What is Manuka Honey and How is it Different From Regular Honey?

Far from your typical honey, Manuka Honey’s benefits for skin are quite remarkable—but what makes it stand out? Derived exclusively from New Zealand’s native Manuka Bush, this golden elixir is brimming with antioxidants, vitamins, and amino acids—much like regular honey—but thanks to special compounds like methylglyoxal (MGO), dihydroxyacetone (DHA), and hydrogen peroxide, it has particularly strong antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. While it’s been ingested for centuries for its immune-supporting, digestion-improving, and oxidative-stress-fighting benefits, it’s most notably prized as a topical remedy for its ability to promote healing, prevent infection, soothe inflammation, and retain moisture.

Is Manuka Honey Good For Your Skin? 5 Manuka Honey Benefits for Skin You’ve Been Missing Out On

So, you know what makes it special, but why is Manuka Honey good for your skin, specifically? Well, there’s a reason it has been used as a holistic remedy since ancient times—Manuka Honey’s benefits for skin are extensive. This is why you’ll see it used not only in its raw form but also infused into countless skincare formulas, ranging from cleansers and body washes to moisturizers, masks, and more.

Let’s break down the five biggest Manuka Honey skin benefits.

Powerful Antibacterial Properties

One of the top reasons Manuka Honey is good for your skin? Its unique MGO compound has potent antibacterial properties. These properties not only help prevent infections and help heal wounds, but they can even improve blemishes and breakouts by preventing the acne-causing bacteria Propionibacterium acne from breeding.

Deep Hydration and Moisture Retention

Manuka Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture in the skin. This can help keep skin hydrated and protected and repairs its natural moisture barrier, making it a particularly beneficial topical ingredient to help soothe dry skin and conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

Promotes Healing and Skin Repair

The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it well known as a healing ingredient. As an antibacterial, it helps promote a clean healing environment and helps prevent scarring, while its anti-inflammatory effects help soothe and reduce redness, swelling, and irritation. Various studies have also shown that Manuka Honey has the potential to stimulate tissue regeneration and repair damaged skin cells, which may also help speed up skin repair, prevent scars from forming, and help smooth and fade the appearance of existing scars.

Natural Exfoliation and Skin Brightening

Thanks to its natural enzymes, Manuka Honey has mild exfoliating properties, which dissolve surface-level dead skin cells and help brighten and smooth out the skin. Compared to other exfoliants out there—both chemical and physical—it’s quite gentle and non-irritating, making it a great option for those with dry or sensitive skin who may find other exfoliants too strong. Further, its antioxidant properties can also help brighten and improve uneven texture and tone.

Antioxidant Protection

Another reason Manuka Honey is good for your skin? It’s rich in antioxidants thanks to both its high flavonoid content and MGO, which, in addition to having strong antibacterial properties, has also been shown to have antioxidant activity. Antioxidants are a powerful topical when it comes to skin health, as they help shield the skin against environmental stressors, reduce oxidative stress, improve healing, and promote tissue regeneration. They also help prevent signs of premature aging like hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles while promoting a brighter, more even-toned, and radiant complexion.

See and Feel the Manuka Honey Skincare Benefits Firsthand at Naturopathica!

At Naturopathica, we offer a full collection of Manuka Honey formulas, carefully crafted to nourish, hydrate, and soothe the skin with a luxurious, non-sticky feel. We use only high-quality Manuka Honey with a Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) of 16+, indicating its strength and high concentration of good-for-your-skin compounds. Each formula delivers the benefits of this superstar skincare ingredient and other potent botanicals while omitting harmful or unnecessary fillers or additives.

Our Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm is a best-seller for a reason, nourishing and hydrating the skin as it melts away dirt, stubborn makeup, and even your SPF. It can be purchased as a set with our ultra-gentle cleansing brush for a stimulating clean. Our Manuka Honey Whipped Oil, another top-rated formula, combines Manuka Honey with rich Jojoba Oil to deeply nourish and hydrate the complexion. For the body, our award-winning Manuka Honey Shower Body Exfoliator gently sloughs away dead skin to reveal smooth, glowing skin. It’s best followed with our Manuka Honey Creamy Body Lotion, a moisturizing yet fast-absorbing formula that leaves skin soft to the touch.

Tips on Harnessing the Benefits of Manuka Honey on Skin

Daily Use in Cleansers and Moisturizers

Due to its ability to nourish, hydrate, and heal, many cleanser and moisturizer formulas harness Manuka Honey’s skin benefits. It’s typically added in safe concentrations for daily, continued use, but you should always thoroughly read the product’s application instructions to ensure you don’t overuse it and potentially irritate your skin. You’ll also only want to use trusted skincare brands that you know use high-quality honey, like Naturopathica!

Applying Manuka Honey as a Spot Treatment for Blemishes

Manuka Honey's benefits for skin include stopping acne-causing bacteria in its tracks, making it an effective spot treatment for blemishes. Simply cleanse the area and apply a thin layer to the spot using clean fingers or a spatula. Let it sit on the skin for 10-20 minutes—enough time for the honey to work its magic—and rinse off with lukewarm water. Pat dry and follow with your favorite non-comedogenic moisturizer.

Whenever applying raw Manuka Honey to your skin, only use high-quality honey with a UMF rating of at least 10+ to ensure it has strong enough antibacterial properties for therapeutic use. Also, look for certifications like the UMF Honey Association seal of the New Zealand FernMark to ensure your honey is authentic and meets strict quality standards.

Pairing with Complementary Ingredients

Because Manuka Honey has little potential for side effects (assuming you’re not allergic), it can pair well with many other common skincare ingredients. However, it’s important to know how and when to combine them. Due to its soothing properties, Manuka Honey is a great match for other hydrating and calming ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Aloe Vera, and Squalane.

Manuka Honey can also work well with stronger actives like Retinoids, Vitamin C, Benzoyl Peroxide, AHAs (like Glycolic and Lactic Acids), and BHAs (like Salicylic Acid), but you should always use caution, as there’s potential for dryness, irritation, and sensitivity. If you’re going to use these ingredients, make sure to only apply them after thoroughly washing off the Manuka Honey. Alternatively, you can alternate usage, applying Manuka Honey on days you’re not using these other actives.

It’s important to spot test to ensure your skin can handle these combinations, and always consult your dermatologist if you’re unsure whether or not your other products are a good match for Manuka Honey.

Consistency is Key With Manuka Honey

To reap the many Manuka Honey benefits for skin, consistent application is important—but how often you’ll need to apply it will depend on your specific skin goals, skin type, and product type. In general, two to three times per week is a great place to start, as it’s frequent enough for your skin to reap its benefits without overloading it, though some skincare formulations that contain Manuka Honey may be used daily. You’ll likely notice softer, calmer, and more hydrated skin after just one use, but longer-term benefits such as acne reduction, scar fading, eczema management, and texture and tone improvement are more gradual. You can expect it to take around two to four weeks of consistent use to start seeing noticeable changes.

Wrapping Up Our Guide to the Manuka Honey Benefits for Skin

Now that you have a better understanding of why Manuka Honey is good for your skin, it’s time to start incorporating it into your routine. To reap the many benefits of Manuka Honey on skin without the stickiness or mess, shop our top-rated, fan-favorite collection of nourishing, healing, and antioxidant-packed formulas today!