Why beeswax is so good for our skin

Honeybees on a beeswax honeycomb


Honeybees actually produce the natural wax themselves. Especially the young workers between the ages of 12 and 18 are busy producing the wax. Older bees can also wake up if necessary, but there is generally a separation of duties in the hive and the older generation can only reanimate their wax glands when absolutely necessary. And here we are with the "how?" Each bee has 8 tiny glands through which it can produce wax plates. These tiny plates (one weighs approx. 0,08 mg, so about 1 million wax plates are required for 12,5 kg of wax) are initially white and no larger than a match head. This white plate is now kneaded by the worker with her mouth tool. Propolis, pollen and glandular secretions are also kneaded in and it gets its typical yellow color. The perfect hexagonal shapes that we all know are now built from the finished wax. The cells then serve as a breeding ground for the baby bees and then as a storage chamber for the honey. The beeswax that we use in our cosmetics is obtained by melting and cleaning the emptied honeycomb with hot water.


Natural beeswax has a light to dark yellow color and smells slightly of honey. This wax is also called Cera Flava and has only been cleaned of impurities and bacteria. The melting point is between 61 and 66 degrees Celsius and it can also be kneaded easily and easily with your hands. We only use this yellow, natural beeswax in our cosmetics. There is also white beeswax, which is called Cera Alba. However, this is often of poor quality and bleached with chemicals. He also lacks the typical honey scent.


Without drifting too much into chemistry, we would like to point out some components of beeswax. It consists to a large extent (over 65%) of myricine, a mixture of substances consisting of esters, acids and long-chain alcohols. It also consists of several acids, saturated hydrocarbons and bee species-specific flavorings. The ingredients can be checked by a so-called chromatographic method. This analysis is carried out on each batch to check that the beeswax has not been stretched with paraffins, on the other hand to ensure that there are no medication residues in the wax.

These residues arise primarily when fighting the dangerous Varroa mite, which was brought in from Asia. The mite sucks on bee pupae that have not yet hatched, which means that the animals hatch much smaller and weaker and have a shorter life span. In addition, the mite also transmits diseases and viruses, causing bee death. The mites can be controlled naturally, for example with formic acid (as we do with our bees), but also with medication, the residues of which can often be found in wax and can also damage our skin if it is used in products will.

In addition to the ingredients mentioned, there are also propolis, pollen and honey residues in the wax. Propolis is responsible for the antibacterial effect of the wax, while the honey influences fragrance and color, as does the pollen.


It's all about the moisture!

Beeswax has several benefits when applied to the skin. It acts as a barrier that helps to protect the skin from harmful environmental influences, while at the same time retaining moisture and preventing dryness.

Unlike mineral oil ingredients (which we often find in lip care, for example), beeswax allows the skin to breathe and does not clog the pores. It forms a unique protective barrier and lies like a protective plaster on the skin and keeps foreign objects away.

Despite its actually water-repellent property, beeswax has the special feature that it attracts water molecules. This will help your skin retain moisture for a long time and gradually release it to your skin.

Beeswax also contains a lot of vitamin A. Vitamin A supports your skin in cell regeneration, i.e. staying firm and elastic and preventing wrinkles.

And last but not least we do not want to forget about the unique beautiful scent of beeswax!

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