Those suffering with rosacea know how difficult it is to manage; however, there may be a new option for treatment—kanuka honey. In a British Medical Journal article published on June 24, 2015, researchers suggest that kanuka honey can reduce redness associated with rosacea due to its antibacterial and moisturizing properties.
Kanuka honey (Kunzea ericoides) is a relative of manuka honey (Leptospermum scoparium). Both are found in New Zealand, but manuka is found in warmer areas and in greater quantities than its scarce cousin kanuka.
The researchers were conducting a clinical trial with a product containing 90% medical-grade kanuka honey and 10% glycerin. The 138 adult participants all had rosacea with a baseline blinded Investigator Global Assessment of Rosacea Severity Score (IGA-RSS) of ≥2. 69. They applied the honey cream or a control cream (Cetomacrogol), twice daily for eight weeks.
A proportion of participants (34.3%) had a ≥2 improvement in the 7-point IGA-RSS at week eight compared to baseline, indicating that their rosacea had improved. These results led researchers to report that kanuka honey is effective in the treatment of rosacea.
Perhaps kanuka honey will find its way into the next generation of rosacea treatments in spas.