It would be difficult to find an ingredient in the skincare industry more widespread and well known than Retinol. It has been the proverbial "fountain of youth" since its debut in the 1980s as an anti-aging cream. Company after company has competed to market the fact that their face cream contains Retinol  – much like Hyaluronic Acid today!

Retinol is a synthetic form of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a crucial role in various bodily functions, including vision, immune system function, and cell growth. Vitamin A has been shown to increase collagen production in the skin as well as speed up healing and decrease acne breakouts.

As promising as Retinol has been, nature’s synthetic copy-cat has not come without side effects. Irritation, redness, dryness, peeling, and even eczema flare ups are all common side effects of Retinol use. Call me crazy, but something that is supposed to nourish, hydrate, and improve the health of our skin should not irritate or damage our skin barrier!

Well, the time has come for a new more effective ingredient to take the throne of "skincare queen", and did I mention it's 100% natural? Allow me to introduce you to Royal Jelly.

The Search for a Better Alternative

Millennials continue to seek treatments to combat aging skin, acne, and other skin afflictions, but now they're turning to nature for solutions.

More specifically, they're exploring the potential of beehives for their next breakthrough ingredient... and they may have found it.

Bees produce a plethora of remarkable products, from Manuka Honey to Bee Propolis, but arguably their most potent creation is Royal Jelly.

Royal Jelly is a substance produced by worker bees to nourish the Queen Bee. It's a key factor in why the Queen Bee grows to twice the size of a worker bee and lives twenty times longer! This is largely attributed to Royal Jelly's rich composition of antioxidants, micronutrients, peptides, and numerous antibacterial and healing properties.

Much of its efficacy stems from the presence of 10-hydroxy-decenoic acid, also known as 10-HDA or "Queen Bee Acid." This fatty acid, primarily found in Royal Jelly, boasts unmatched abilities to enhance skin health.

Research has shown that 10-HDA can:

1. Boost collagen production within just two days.
2. Combat bacteria growth on the skin, including acne-causing bacteria such as C. acnes, as well as other strains like MRSA, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and Corynebacterium spp.
3. Accelerate the healing of significant open wounds in patients over a matter of weeks.
4. Reduce oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species.
5. Shield skin cells from light-induced damage.
6. Prevent cellular senescence, among other benefits.

In a world where our skin faces continual damage and oxidative stress from modern conveniences and environmental pollutants, incorporating 10-HDA into your skincare regimen is crucial for minimizing skin cell DNA damage and preserving your complexion for the long term.

My Experience Using Royal Jelly

I'm the co-founder of 7, so obviously I'm biased, but for what it's worth the texture of our Miracle Moisturizer with royal jelly is flawless. It's rich but at the same time goes on so light and absorbs in almost instantly. My skin has been so much brighter since incorporating royal jelly into my routine, and my complexion has also become more balanced.

My husband also struggles with eczema, specifically in his eyebrows, and after two days of applying the moisturizer his eczema was pretty much gone. 

I haven’t struggled with persistent acne for a long time, but I did apply our royal jelly-based Miracle Repair Serum to a single pimple on my chin and by morning it was about 90% gone. By two days, the pimple was no longer… which was honestly kind of unbelievable for me even though we had been formulating the repair serum for months, lol! You wouldn't think something that feels more like a creamy gel would actually clear up a pimple, but yet here we are.

While it's not surprising that royal jelly would be a promising skincare ingredient, the extent of its potency is truly remarkable. The healing properties of 10-HDA found in royal jelly position it as the next darling of skincare, and the added bonus is that it's a completely natural ingredient!

Where can I get Royal Jelly Skin Care products?

If you didn't catch the hint already, we're 7 and we sell a variety of 100% natural skincare products, but our most popular is our Miracle line which uses Royal Jelly, Dead Sea Minerals, and a host of other high quality 100% natural ingredients to fight aging-skin, acne, eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis.

If you’re like us and want a more natural approach to skincare that’s more effective thank synthetic products, you can check out our Miracle Routine here and automatically get an extra 10% OFF your first order. (use code “ ROYAL “ if it gives you any troubles)

* SERUM Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on SERUM Mag  is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. This story is brought to you in partnership with 7  skin. From time to time, SERUM editors choose to partner with brands we believe in to bring our readers special offers.

1.  Zheng, J., Lai, W., Zhu, G., Wan, M., Chen, J., Tai, Y. and Lu, C. (2013), 10-Hydroxy-2-decenoic acid prevents ultraviolet A-induced damage and matrix metalloproteinases expression in human dermal fibroblasts. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 27: 1269-1277. 2.(Uthaibutra V, Kaewkod T, Prapawilai P, Pandith H, Tragoolpua Y. Inhibition of Skin Pathogenic Bacteria, Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Royal Jelly from Northern Thailand. Molecules. 2023 Jan 19;28(3):996.) 3. Siavash M, Shokri S, Haghighi S, Mohammadi M, Shahtalebi MA, Farajzadehgan Z. The efficacy of topical Royal Jelly on diabetic foot ulcers healing: A case series. J Res Med Sci. 2011 Jul;16(7):904-9. PMID: 22279458; PMCID: PMC3263103.