Knowing the Difference Between Authentic Manuka Honey Products and the Imitation Ones
Manuka honey is a market goldmine when it comes to health, wellness, and beauty. It can come with a heavy price tag depending on the quantity and quality, plus where you purchase it. There has been a trend in imitation manuka honey that has far fewer benefits contained in it. The production of manuka honey from New Zealand and Australia have created a hunger wave for this product made from the manuka bush in just the last few years alone.
Manuka Honey Uses & Applications
Manuka honey uses are vast when ingested, applied or a mixture of both. These are just a few of the many benefits of manuka honey in your skincare, beauty and physical wellness:
- Helps immune system function and fights sore throats
- Treats acid reflux, SIBO, and other stomach issues
- Aids in IBS and IBD treatment
- Can help relieve allergies
- Treats burns, wounds, and ulcers for better skin and cellular function
- Great for preventing tooth decay and gingivitis
- Known to help reduce acne and eczema
The versatility of manuka honey has brought on a new and trending creation for products promoting manuka honey as its star ingredient. Vitamins, lotions, soaps, face creams, you name it, now features manuka honey to boost the benefits of this commodity in natural healthcare and beauty products. Not only is this a great turn in removing harsh chemicals or oils in different commercial brands, but the promotion of real ingredients in goods could jumpstart the sales of healthier products and put more of them on store shelves.
Authentic vs. Imitation
With the list of benefits far outweighing the cost of the heavily marketed natural product, manuka honey sales and production have reached sky high in recent times. The demand for manuka honey has certainly caused a necessity for production in the manuka bush. Exporting this product to different countries can be a liability with the cost of shipping out and paying the foreign taxes, manufacturing and export fees. This has stirred some controversy with a few companies in the US trying to replicate manuka honey locally, which would be an imitation of the manuka bush.
Australia and New Zealand are the authentic countries for the production and distribution of manuka honey. Imitation manuka honey will only contain a certain percentage of the pollen while the rest of the ingredients are made of bee pollen collected locally in the US. NPA (non-peroxide activity) is another main source of discovering if it’s imitation manuka or authentic. The antibacterial and healing properties of manuka honey stem from its high NPA levels.
When looking for high-grade manuka honey, it’s NPA levels should be much higher when comparing it with other brands or types of honey. Another way to understand authentic manuka honey is the KFactor grading system. Unfortunately, Wedderspoon Manuka Honey invented this form of grading based on the purity of the honey. It uses the percentage of pollen to set its KFactor – meaning that the KFactor 12 manuka honey is only 65% manuka pollen.
Wild Naturals Authentic Manuka Honey Standards
Therefore, look carefully at the labels of manuka honey, whether it is from a grocery store or beauty line promoting the honey in its ingredients. Do your research before purchasing any manuka honey and check the NPA levels and pollen percentage. Wild Naturals meets the standards of the UMF Honey Association, a New Zealand developed grading system that grants licenses to manuka honey manufacturers. This is the main grading system used and applied by New Zealand’s manuka honey production and distribution. Wild Naturals has a UMF 12+ rating for the manuka honey in our products. Visit the shop to browse and purchase our 99% natural and manuka honey rich skincare products for amazing results!
