Liquid gold: Mibelle launches honey ferment ingredient to enhance skin microflora

Black BeeOme promotes fast regeneration of the skin flora as well as the restoration of the skin barrier. Additionally, the company observed that it was effective in reducing sebum production and improving the uniformity of oily and uneven skin.

The secret is in the honey

Black BeeOme is created from the fermentation of the rare wild dark bee Apis mellifera mellifera​ honey with the bacteria Zymomonas mobilis​. The fermentation removes sticky mono-saccharides but maintains the polymer sugars.

According to Mibelle founder and CEO Fred Zülli, this species have recently come under the microscope for being resistant against a common disease which affects the rest of the bee population.

Even though it is unclear what makes the bees so resilient, Mibelle believes the secret is within the black bee honey, as its composition depends on variation of plants available for the bees.

“We have analysed different types of honey and found that it is very difficult to identify special molecules responsible for the activity. However, we believe that the honey from the black bee is relevant to the activity,”​ explained Zülli.

Restoring a healthy microbiome

The product is available in both powder and liquid form to make it easier to formulate and can be applied to all types of skin care products.

Mibelle first tested Black BeeOme as a sheet mask on volunteers living in polluted urban areas. After a single 15-minute application, improvement was noted.

“We performed a number of studies to show that we can recover the total microbiome on the skin after harsh washing. We could show that this will improve the barrier function of the skin and reduces sebum production. Therefore the product is also suitable to treat impure skin,”​ said Zülli.

By restoring the skin’s microbiome to a healthy state, Black BeeOme can tackle skin issues such as oily skin, impurities and irritations. However, Zülli noted that it has not been tested on skin conditions such as eczema as it would be a non-cosmetic claim.

Potentially Black BeeOme could be utilised for hair care, he added. “So far we have not done any testing on hair applications. However, we believe that we will have a positive effect on the scalp by restoring also a healthy microbiome after shampoo treatments.”​

Consumer interest not there yet

So far, Zülli revealed that response on the new launch has been positive so far.

“We launched the product Black BeeOme™ just one week ago and the response is very positive since the product has three fields of interest: the skin microbiome, a natural ingredient from a rare black bee and fermentation, which is a trendy technology.”​

While the topic skin microbiome is of big interest for formulators, Zülli believes consumer level is not at the same level.

“I think the demand on the consumer side is still not yet very high as the topic is quite complicated. The holistic approach in new formulations and the natural beauty trend will however contribute to the growth of skin microbiome formulations,”​ said Zülli.

He added: “The interest in prebiotic cosmetics will grow in the coming years as the topic will continue to be of interest in other markets as food, food supplements and pharmaceuticals.”​

Find out more and register ​​HERE​​ to join us at the Cosmetics Design Summit 2019: Skin Microbiome Innovation​​​, which is sponsored by DSM​​ and Givaudan​​ (Diamond sponsors); Solabia​​, BASF​​ and Sabinsa​​ (Platinum sponsors); and Indena​​ and Atlantia​​ (Gold sponsors).​