In ancient Egypt, honey was originally used for healing wounds. Still a clinical treatment today, age-old honey bandages inspired Guerlain's new Abeille Royale creams.
Guerlain was also fascinated by 25 years of research conducted by Prof Bernard Descottes of the Limoges University Hospital in France.
He tested different varieties on almost 3,000 patients and demonstrated how honey helps wounds heal more quickly. The bee product naturally remobilises structural protein, allowing the skin's matrix to rebuild itself around the wound.
Epidermal healing via honey bandages actually involves four stages, medically defined by the acronym T.I.M.E..
The healing process firstly requires getting rid of dead cells through honey's osmotic power in the T, or tissue necrosis removal stage. I refers to inflammation soothing rendered by polyphenols, which help restore a stable microenvironment.
The skin then recovers optimal hydration through the viscosity of the honey in the M, or moisture lock-in stage. Honey's nutrients then support E or epidermisation, which rounds off the repair process, filling in skin from the wound's edges.
Guerlain believes that the T.I.M.E. protocol and tissue reconstruction mechanisms also help tackle signs of ageing, leading to the development of the latest Abeille Royale Honey Treatment Day and Night Creams.
Its researchers at the cutting-edge Beelab established three criteria -- the purity of the environment; the richness of biodiversity; and the bee's genetic profile. On this basis, potent honeys were selected for the Dynamic BlackBee Repair technology, which powers the new age-defying creams.
Comforting mesh texture of Abeille Royale Honey Treatment Day Cream.
The technology is a blend of an exclusive royal jelly, black bee honey and three other varieties sourced from islands with unspoilt environments.
The black bee honey comes from Ouessant Island, off the coast of Brittany. The Unesco reserve boasts an ecosystem sheltered from pollution and endemic black bees that make the honey rich in amino acids, trace elements and fructose.
Corsican honey draws its singularity from a landscape with a wealth of heather as well as chestnut and olive trees. Distinguished by PDO (protected designation of origin) certification, the honey is loaded with minerals and trace elements.
Nestled in the Aegean Sea, Greece's Ikaria Island is one of the five "blue zones" with a protected mountainous environment for bees. Their mineral-rich nectar has been harvested for over 100 years using a traditional technique.
In Finland's Åland Archipelago in the Baltic Sea, Guerlain identified an atypical honey. In this natural area designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, the Taiga forests are home to bees who produce the sumptuous honey rich in amino acids.
Abeille Royale Honey Treatment Night Cream offers a bandage-like effect.
The Dynamic BlackBee Repair technology is complemented by polyfragmented hyaluronic acid and pro-elasticity hexapeptide that provide moisturising and plumping effects.
Mimicking honey bandages, mesh textures comfort and envelope the skin. The sensorial pleasure is enhanced by honeyed notes of a scent composed by Guerlain's master perfumer Thierry Wasser.
Formulated with over 94% naturally-derived ingredients, the honey-treatment creams sustainably come in refillable jars made of at least 20% and up to 40% recycled glass.
The French fragrance and beauty house is committed to protecting the invaluable pollinator through the Guerlain for Bees Conservation Programme.
Since 2011, it has supported the Ouessant Island Brittany Black Bee Conservation Association. Today, other partnerships include those with Shan Shui Conservation Center, a Chinese NGO working to preserve species and ecosystems; and CONAPI, a major Italian beekeeping co-operative and organic honey producer.
