Bee venom: the most buzzed about beauty product

We are always waiting for the next big thing to turn back the hands of time, and this product has arrived in the package of bee venom! Yes, that little yellow and black critter contains ingredients that may provide us with the fountain of youth.  Beauty brands are jumping on the bee venom bandwagon with expensive creams, masks, eye treatments and serums. Most recently, the Duchess of Cornwall claimed to keep her youthful look by slathering bee venom products on her face daily. Sales of Skin Chemists’ £135 Bee Venom Facial Serum hit 3,100 immediately after Camilla’s secret was revealed.

The key ingredient is said to improve skin by setting off a chain reaction within your skin. “Your brain thinks that you’ve been bitten and it sends back a signal that skin needs to heal itself,” said Maria Hatzistefanis, founder of Rodial.  “Once that brain signal has been sent, blood rushes to the area, triggering an increase in the production of wrinkle-smoothing collagen.” The result is instant skin tightening and firming.  

The process of collecting the bee venom is difficult.  When a bee stings, its stinger is released with the venom, and the bee usually dies. Bee keepers have to place a sheet of glass embedded with low-voltage electrical wires at the hive entrance. After the bees receive a small jolt, they release some venom but retain their stingers. The keepers then scrape the venom off the glass once it has dried.  This laborious process is why most bee venom products are so expensive.   This may be the next fad in skincare, but so far the reviews are pretty good. It may be worth the splurge.

Gillian Horsley 

If you are interested, check out Rodial Bee Venom Super Serum  £160, Heaven Skincare Bee Venom Mask £103 , or Lacreme Bee Venom Mask  £125.