Manuka honey: Kourtney Kardashian’s favourite wellness and skincare elixir
Manuka honey has gained popularity as a wellness and skincare product due to its unique antibacterial properties, specifically the presence of methylglyoxal (MGO). The article explains the various grading systems, such as UMF and MGO, used to certify the quality and potency of the honey.
Why it matters
As wellness trends grow, consumers need to understand the scientific distinctions between premium health products and standard alternatives to avoid overpaying for marketing claims.
It can be three times the price of regular honey, seemingly requires a science degree to buy in its optimum form, and has somehow ended up on both the breakfast table and the bathroom shelf. Over the better part of the last decade, manuka honey has developed a reputation that straddles wellness, skincare and medicine, with celebrity endorsements and medical-grade certifications. But what makes it different from other honeys?
Honey gets its antibacterial punch from hydrogen peroxide, a compound that breaks down quickly with heat, light or time – rather like a battery that drains on the shelf. Manuka, made by bees foraging on the manuka tree that is native to New Zealand and Australia, holds its charge differently. Even after the hydrogen peroxide fades, manuka retains its potency through a separate compound called methylglyoxal, or MGO, which forms naturally in the nectar during and after collection.
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