Happy World Bee Day: Treat Yourself To These Bee-Friendly Beauty Products
Today has been declared as World Bee Day- a global celebration of the sweet little black and yellow species that in all fairness you probably give little thought to until one accidentally lands on your al fresco glass of rosé. Honestly though, we should all be thinking a little more about the buzzing creatures, and here’s why: bees are in trouble. The widespread use of pesticides and the removal of meadows and forests have pushed our wild bee populations close to breaking point. Did you know that if all the bees die it's estimated that the human race will almost certainly die with them? Yep, bees pollinate a whopping 70% of the fruit and vegetables we eat. In short, we really need bees.
Happily there are some really great initiatives out there to support bees and help them to thrive, and we’re proud to say that many of these belong in the beauty industry. Bee Good is a perfect example of a British beauty brand committed to protecting bees. Their products include honey, propolis and beeswax from their own hives (as well as from a network of bee farmers that they support) and they use bee-friendly crops and wild flower extracts to encourage the production of much needed food sources for the bees. They also (we love this) send out wildflower seed balls with all their orders to help customers plant bee-friendlywildflowers. In addition to that their products are actually very good indeed. In fact beauty editors rave over their Necta Perfecta multi-tasker. This sellout mask, which is £25, has earned cult status among beauty gurus. It’s a genius multi-tasker that uses natural Alpha Hydroxy Acids from 5 fruit enzymes to mildly exfoliate, prompt cell regeneration and reduce skin imperfections. The addition of British Propolis and Bisabolol accelerate the skin’s natural healing process; and Vitamin E-rich Wheatgerm oil - a potent antioxidant - that neutralises free radicals and promotes skin elasticity and luminosity. Finally British honey and beeswax in it plump up skin and minimise fine lines and wrinkles. We only recently discovered this hero product but we’re now committed to using it twice a week as a facial mask to give a major complexion boost, prep skin and increase the effectiveness of our other skincare. It also makes for a great pre- fake tan prep.
Sweet Bee Organic Sunscreen £32.99 is another bee-friendly product that’s made its way into our bathroom cabinet and is staying. This organic sunscreen shuns chemicals and parabens and instead combines organic Shea Butter, cacao butter, sunflower oil, beeswax and coconut oil as its base. Each of those ingredients has a natural SPF of 10 (incredible) and then non-nano zinc oxide powder (which won't get into your pores or bloodstream) is added to up the natural SPF protection to 30. This cream won’t not turn you white or stain your clothes and it absorbs very nicely into your skin. Add it to your summer shopping list, now.
Finally, If you’re looking for a bee-friendly cleanser and your skin tends to get a little dry then opt for 'Bumble Bee' Cleansing Balm for Dry Skin £17. It’s a richly indulgent cleansing balm that removes make up while treating dry, dehydrated and mature complexions. To use ours we use a warm damp cloth to start loosening dirt and opening pores and then take a small amount of the balm and massage it onto skin for a minute or two to cleanse, before removing with a warm damp face cloth, rinsing and repeating. Word of warning though: we recommend using a darker cloth and keeping the cleanser away from your White Company dressing gown - the red clay it contains can stain.
There you have it, three really effective and delightful bee-friendly beauty products and three simple ways to support our bee communities and celebrate World Bee Day. So, what you waiting for? Treat yourself. The bees will thank you – and so will your skin.