Stories From a Curator is a column by Charlotte Cho, the curator and co-founder of Soko Glam. As a licensed esthetician and the author of The Little Book of Skin Care, Cho gives a glimpse into her discovery process and what brands and products make the cut for the curated site.
In typical New York fashion, overnight the temperature dropped into the low 40s, so I was forced to retreat into my long goose down jacket and my fuzzy socks. It also was a wakeup call to get my favorite winter skincare products out for the dry, cold winter.
Scanning my vanity, I realized how many Skinfood Royal Honey products have become my go-to’s since the winter season started. Unfortunately, honey is sort of an underrated skincare ingredient–even I am guilty of not singing it enough praises despite the fact that it gives me double the hydration on my skin compared to other ingredients.
So here’s my ode to the Skinfood Royal Honey moisturizing line that is long, long overdue. If you’re on the lookout for a natural source of hydration or have really dry skin, read on. Here’s everything you need to know about honey and a list of some of my favorite products you don’t want to miss.
Honey: Nature’s Natural Humectant
Surprise! Did you know that honey is a natural humectant? This means it helps bind moisture to the skin and most importantly, helps it stick around for a while. This is an important factor for any skincare ingredient because, no matter what you slap on your face, it needs to stay for it to be effective. Sadly, many ingredients evaporate and are never to be seen by your skin again, but you don’t have to worry about that with honey.
Royal Honey vs. Regular Honey
When I first started testing Skinfood’s Royal Honey line, I found out that “Royal Honey” is more than just a fancy marketing term. Their Royal Honey is aged honey, different from regular honey because it goes through a 60-day fermentation process in the beehive after being secreted by worker bees. As a result, Royal Honey has less water filler and more skin benefiting ingredients, from vitamins to minerals and amino acids.
I love fermented skincare products, so I was over the moon when Skinfood revamped their Royal Honey line to include fermented honey from specialized bee farms in Korea. The result of having rich, concentrated honey in your skincare products will make sure your skin is nourished, soft and hydrated. That’s why I prefer to use three of them for my final skincare steps: essence, eye cream, and a moisturizing cream.
Propolis To Treat And Deeply Hydrate
We’ve talked about the wonders of propolis before, but here’s a quick refresher. Consider it a type of “bee glue,” because it’s a resinous substance that is collected from botanical plants by honeybees. They use it as a sealant to protect the beehive and inhibit bacterial growth, so it has great moisture retention and it’s anti-inflammatory!
For those with dry, cracked or papery thin skin, listen up. There is nothing more natural and fortifying than propolis. You can get the properties of propolis through Skinfood’s Royal Honey Propolis Essence, which will not only nourish your skin, but it will make it supple and elastic. While I love Missha’s light First Treatment Essence, sometimes winter calls for something that will deeply hydrate and protect my skin.
Just a few drops of the propolis essence is all you need. The formula is not filled with fillers; it has 50% Black Bee Propolis extract, 20% Royal Jelly extract and 10% Royal Black Honey extract. That’s a lot of honey! After using the dropper to dispense a few directly onto my skin, I use all my finger pads to gently smooth and pat in the essence. My skin is soft, supple and ready for some eye cream.
TLC With Royal Honey
The eye area is always the first to be battered by cold winds and dry winter air, and it’s easy to see the result of that dehydration through fine to deep lines.
The Skinfood Royal Honey Essential Eye Cream will reduce those lines, thanks to its honey-infused eye complex. It has an unbelievably light and creamy texture, kind of like the whipped cream you put on your pumpkin pie.
I love the cool sensation on my skin as it absorbs and helps to de-puff my eye area. It’s easy and hygienic to dispense and apply onto your orbital bone with your fingertips. Now that my eye area is treated, I’m ready for the final step: the moisturizer.
A Cream Suited For A Queen
The Skinfood Royal Honey Essential Queen’s Cream is a honey-packed moisturizer that is also light and has a gel-like consistency, allowing it to absorb quickly. After testing this cream, I noticed how soft my skin and hydrated my skin was, even after a marathon 24-hour test period.
Believe it or not, it’s actually quite hard to find a cream that is hydrating while light in consistency. Thankfully Korean skin technology has given some brands the chance to do it right. I find that this gel-based consistency is necessary for the day time because it acts like a primer. With my skin fully hydrated and primed, my makeup can go on top easily and without clumping.