Today, the same ethos remains behind our natural face oils. We pair the ancient renowned benefits of raw honey with pure, premium skin benefitting, nutrient rich, multi molecular weight plant oils to nourish, moisturise, soften, protect and deliver nutrients deep into the skin to help protect from cell damage and support the natural signs of ageing.
Read on to discover 11 things you might not know about our face oils and how they can really improve your skin, whatever your skin type.
1. Our Face Oils contain a Natural Alternative to Retinol
Retinol is considered the gold standard ‘anti ageing’ ingredient but it is not suitable for everyone – caution should be exercised be if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have sensitive skin, or skin with a compromised barrier such as acne prone, rosacea or very dry.
In fact, so many of us are turning to retinol and unknowingly misusing it that new laws are coming into play in 2026 to regulate retinol concentrations as scientists have discovered ingesting and topically applying high doses of retinol to the skin can result in liver damage, headaches, nausea, bone thinning and birth defects.
Instead of retinol, we use nature’s own vitamin A rich, retinoic acid containing rosehip oil in all our face oils - it's widely considered a great retinol alternative, delivering skin regenerating, wrinkle smoothing and plumping benefits. What’s more you can use it safely and effectively whatever your situation and your skin type.
Did you know rosehip oil is exceptional in regenerating and healing the skin, while increasing collagen production and skin elasticity? Similarly, the other ingredients in our face oils such as carrot seed oil (used in our face oil for dry skin) are chosen for their properties in promoting cellular turnover. An added benefit of the oils we use is that they are high in antioxidants and fatty acids to fight free radicals, repair, support and nourish the skin as we naturally age.
2. They're the Quickest Way to Plumper Skin
Our skin’s natural oil production decreases as we grow older and due to hormonal changes such as the menopause, causing the skin barrier to break down, leading to drier skin and more noticeable wrinkles, rather than smoother, plumped skin.
A face oil will help restore, maintain and strengthen the skin barrier leaving it more resilient to drying out and premature wrinkles. Oils are lipophilic (fat loving) so they pass through the lipid layer of the skin to plump it up with moisture very effectively, smoothing lines– the effect is immediate and continues to improve with consistent use as your face oil constantly delivers plumping, smoothing benefits to our naturally ageing skin.
Put simply: skin that is lacking in natural oil will show more exacerbated signs of ageing, whereas regularly oiled skin looks, plumper, smoother and naturally more radiant.
All of our face oils work two-fold to foster plump skin: they contain a component of smaller molecular oils to penetrate and plump the skin combined with larger weight oils to smooth and soften complexions.
3. Our Face Oils are an Oil-Serum Hybrid
Face serums are usually thin and watery in consistency and are designed to quickly penetrate highly concentrated actives such as antioxidants, vitamins and essential fatty acids into the deeper layers of the skin to encourage regeneration and repair. They can often be too harsh and drying for sensitive, dry skin types.
Face oils work slightly differently. They are generally a little heavier and are designed to deliver moisturisation and protection or a mix of moisturisation, actives and protection to the skin depending on which oils they contain.
At Honey Bee Beautiful, our face oils contain a mix of the two - moisturisers and actives. Our face oils are formulated using multi molecular weight oils: the smaller molecule oils, such as jojoba and rosehip, deliver actives to the deeper layers of the skin and the larger molecule oils, such as avocado and sweet almond, deliver moisturisation and skin plumping and softening properties to the top layers of skin so you get the best of both world’s with one product.
This definitely does not mean that if you wish to address specific skin concerns by using a serum to further treat your skin (such as those with vitamin C, retinol, peptides etc..), you can't still use one of our face oils. You absolutely can, just use your serum before your face oil.
4. Raw Honey is their Super Power
All our face oils contain local Welsh raw honey (of course!) which not only draws and retains moisture in the skin, offers antibacterial and antifungal healing properties, but also naturally contains PHAs which are gentle acids (compared to their harsher cousins AHAs and BHAs) which work to exfoliate, encouraging the skin to shed dead skin cells and regenerate – thank you bees!
5. They are much more effective than Synthetic Face Oils
Natural Face oils really represent an ancient alchemy of nature's botanicals boasting an abundant array of antioxidants, polyphenols, catechism, flavonoids and fat soluble vitamins most bio-similar to our own skin oils and so readily absorbed, easily transporting their benefits into our skin.
Whereas synthetic oils are often comprised of mineral/petroleum oils and, although they may often feel nice on application and are generally far more inexpensive than their natural plant oil counterparts, they impart absolutely no restorative effect or nutrients to the deeper dermal layers of the skin.
It is a bit like the nutritional difference between a pure green smoothie compared to an artificially sweetened fizzy drink full of E numbers!
6. They are great for Oily Skin
Forget fears of greasiness, our natural face oil will balance your natural sebum production regulation leading to a reduction of, and helping eliminate, breakouts.
Face oils balance the overproduction of the skin’s own oils, attract oil, break it down and are non comedogenic, meaning they will not block your pores – an issue often associated with oily, open pore skin types.
Skins that are acne prone present with a lower level of linoleic acid (omega 6) in their skin’s surface lipids than ‘balanced’ skin. This deficiency of linoleic acid makes the sebum go thick, clogging pores and then in turn trapping bacteria. A face oil high in linoleum acid such as that found in rosehip and evening primrose have been proven to be heroic at unclogging pores and reducing inflammation by liquefying the natural sebum and unclogging those pores. Find these plant oils, teamed with the extra antibacterial, antimicrobial hit of raw Welsh honey and lavender essential oil in our Busy Bee face oil for oilier skin and say hello to a bright, balanced radiance without greasiness.
7. They help Sensitive, Eczema and Rosacea Prone Skin
Our Sensitive Bee face oil is particularly suited to sensitive, easily irritated skins as it is gentle, works to soothe redness and inflammation and does not contain artificial ingredients, fragrances or preservatives which often cause reactions and sensitivity.
We use many cold pressed oils so the vitamin and nourishing properties of the plant oils are retained along with their conditioning properties to really nourish and repair the skin barrier.
Combining jojoba and rosehip oils to deeply penetrate your skin layers, Sensitive Bee face oil encourages a skin brightening renewal and elasticity whilst shielding against environmental aggressors.
The linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid as well as vitamins A and E and omega 3-6-9 fatty acids will repair and protect skin cells making it a great addition for all eczema prone, red and irritated skins to soothe inflammation, improve the skin's texture, and aid skin regeneration.
8. They are very effective used in conjunction with a Face Cream
Your skin naturally produces oil to moisturise and protect itself; water-based moisturisers, whilst protective and hydrating, will never moisturise your skin in the way a face oil does, giving your natural oil production a helping hand.
For most skins, the best approach is to use a water-based face cream in conjunction with your face oil as by combining a hydrating water-based moisturiser with a moisture rich face oil, your skin is benefiting from a balance of both the vital oil and water that it needs to maintain cellular activity and keep its natural barrier strong and healthy.
If you have dry, dull, or lack lustre skin then adding a face oil to your routine can provide your skin with additional regeneration, nourishment and vitality by sinking deeper into the skin layers to deliver vital antioxidants and vitamins in addition to moisturisation.
In certain circumstances, for example if you have a very oily or open pore skin prone to congestion, you may wish to consider just using a non- comedogenic face oil for moisture and your face spritz for water-based hydration and skip the face cream.
9. They excel at nourishing Dry Skin
Facial oils are better at nourishing the skin than your face cream. Of course, creams, being water-based moisturisers are very important to hydrate the skin with desperately needed water, but for optimal effectiveness your dry skin needs an oil based moisturiser too.
Feed, protect and support dry, parched skin the easy way with our Bumble Bee face oil for dry skin. Formulated with deep penetrating active and moisturising plant oils this luxurious skin enhancing oil is the natural, gentle way to nourish and plump your skin for a bright, radiant glow.
Our face oil for dry skin teams rosehip and carrot seed oil to deliver powerful antioxidants and vitamins deep into your skin layers to revive, deeply moisturise and protect against daily environmental assaults, along with avocado oil and raw honey to moisturise and nourish for a radiant glow.
This generous dose of avocado oil, being rich in palmitoleic fatty acid which is naturally found in the skin’s fat tissue, means Bumble Bee oil offers quenching nourishment for mature and thinning, menopausal skin.
10. You can Supercharge their Results
There is really little point in spending your hard-earned cash on a premium face care product if you are not going to reap the maximum benefit. So, be sure to follow these steps to achieve maximum penetration and performance from your face oil:
- apply to warm slightly damp skin (spritz with your face mist before applying your oil)
- exfoliate lightly before applying serums or oils - removing old skin cells helps skincare penetrate effectively, our cleansing balms contain clays to gently exfoliate before you move on to your oils for daily use and then we recommend using a face exfoliator once a week to keep skin clear of dead skin cells .
- apply a hydrating spritz before your face oil to help nutrient-rich ingredients better penetrate the skin.
- gently tap and press serums and oils into your skin, rather than rub, as this will increase the coverage, speed and depth of penetration.
- use in conjunction with your jade roller or gua sha to promote their absorption
- mix with your favourite foundation or face cream for added moisture, protection and a dewy, crease free finish
- allow your face oil to sink in before continuing with your routine
Note of caution: it’s best not to mix oils with your face cream IF it contains SPF/or mix directly with your spf, as a face oil can dilute it, weakening its sun factor protection.
11. There are no Hard and Fast Rules
You can happily use your face oil as part of your morning and evening routine or either or. You may prefer just to use your oil as a deeply nourishing overnight treatment – it completely depends on what works best for your skin.
Whether your face oil or face cream comes first depends on the unique molecular weight and size of the oil and face cream you use with the lighter, smaller molecular formulas coming before the higher, larger ones in your routine.
With our products, it is recommended to apply your face oil first so the smaller molecular actives can penetrate deep into your skin and then follow with your face cream which, although water based, has a higher molecular weight due to the inclusion of beeswax.
However, some of our customers prefer to use it the other way around and others like to use a little before and after their cream to really nourish very dry skin – it really is down to what works best for you and is your personal preference.
The most important message is that the water-based moisturisers such as face creams and oil-based moisturisers such as face oils play two different roles in improving your skin and should both be used to support each other - like everything else the order in which you use them has much to do with your personal preference and what works best for you.
We're here to help!
As always, if you would like any advice or have any queries about using or choosing a face oil, then please feel free to drop us a line and we would be more than happy to help.
Much love,
Cath and Bec x 🐝
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