To understand how seriously Guerlain takes the sourcing of its skincare ingredients, you first need to hear a little story. Just off the coast of Brittany in France lies the idyllic island of Ouessant, a UNESCO biosphere reserve with a protected ecosystem free from pesticides and parasites. Here, on this sleepy little island, hives of black bees are busy producing honey of an outstanding quality, packed with amino acids and high in fructose content. It’s this superior honey that Guerlain uses to power its Abeille Royale collection.
Think of Abeille Royale as the queen bee of the skincare world. This super-luxe range is Guerlain’s best-selling collection for a reason, calling upon the power of bee products as some of the most effective revitalising substances nature has to offer. For more than a decade, Guerlain Research has worked with tissue repair specialists from the University of Limoges’ pharmacy faculty to explore the similarities between scar healing and repairing the signs of ageing, and the role that bee products can play in this.
Abeille Royale uses the unique power of bees to smooth fine lines and wrinkles, protect the skin’s surface and boost radiance, using the prized Ouessant honey alongside an exclusive royal jelly, carefully developed by Guerlain to ensure maximum quality. The very best ingredients, straight from the honeycomb itself.
GLAMOUR’s favourite products from the range? First, the Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil, £100 is a true beauty hero, thanks to its ground-breaking oil-in-water formula. It feels light and fresh on the skin, yet delivers a rich blend of Ouessant black bee honey, royal jelly and myrrh for the ultimate age-defying treatment. Clinical assessments of the product demonstrate instant improvements in skin texture and barrier protection, while users reported increased radiance, plumpness and elasticity after just one month.
To boost its efficacy further still, another formula worth making room in your beauty cabinet for is Abeille Royale Double R Renew & Repair Serum, £141, which combines two powerful skin-renewing and repairing technologies in one bottle. The repair function harnesses the power of science and the bees to improve firmness and elasticity, while a trio of AHAs work together to gently deliver a “new skin effect” – meaning texture is refined and radiance is restored.
Use both products together for the best results, and reveal lifted, radiant and youthful-looking skin.
Since the Abeille Royale range harnesses the power of nature – via its honey and royal jelly – to deliver such impressive skincare results, Guerlain is also committed to respecting and supporting the natural environment through responsible processes.
As well as 10 years of research and sponsorship with the Brittany Black Bee Conservation Society in Ouessant maintaining biodiversity and promoting pollination, Guerlain has pledged to ensure all products are eco-designed by 2020. All Abeille Royale products are now packaged using 90% recycled glass, and the house also aims to halve its carbon footprint by 2020.
To find out more about the Abeille Royale range, and to read Guerlain’s sustainability commitment, visit guerlain.com/uk
