May 20th is officially World Bee Day.
The proposal for this day was first introduced by Slovenia (a nation of beekeepers), and it took three years for international approval from the United Nations. According to WordBDay.Org, the day was picked to honor the birthdate of Anton Janša (1734–1773), a Slovenian beekeeper, the pioneer of modern beekeeping, and one of the greatest authorities on the subject of bees. There are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide, and some plants can only be pollinated by specific bees. Bees are a very important part of agriculture, and their pollination is currently under threat.
Bees also produce the only naturally occurring wax, known as beeswax. If you look at your natural personal care products, chances are a lot of them were created using beeswax. Burts Bees created one of the original clean beauty brands, based on their love and knowledge of beekeeping and beeswax. Another clean beauty leader, Vapour Beauty, uses ethically sourced beeswax. I had the chance to speak with their national Nicole Cudzilo about some of their practices.
Karim Orange: Can you elaborate on the 'Beegan’ concept and how it fits in with Vapour Beauty?
Nicole Cudzilo: The term Beegan (Beeg•an /’bēgən/) is defined as products that are vegan friendly, plus the addition of ethically sourced beeswax (no bees are harmed!) Being intentionally plant-derived is at the core of our values at Vapour, so we honor these hard-working pollinators as the heroes of the food chain! Over 80 percent of flowering plants need a pollinator to bear fruit – that includes most of the plants we eat and use in our cosmetics.
K.O: What are some of the benefits of beeswax products, and organic vegan farming to the environment?
N.C: Beeswax honors our skin. Ethically sourced Beeswax is superbly compatible with our skin. It nourishes with antioxidants and softens by helping skin retain its own natural moisture. Beeswax provides a breathable, protective barrier against environmental assault and adds to the smooth, creamy textures in products.
And beeswax honors our planet. Healthy pollinating bees are vital to the survival of all Earth’s species, so we choose to formulate with ethically sourced beeswax. This supports bee habitat and health, which are threatened by pollution and pesticides. Certified organic standards for beeswax require that hives are surrounded by a certain radius of land under certified organic cultivation. The bees in turn pollinate any organic fields within their flight radius. We are proud to say that 95 percent of the beeswax in Vapour is organic, and 100 percent is ethically sourced.
Interested in making your own products from organic beeswax? Check out the book: TheBeeswax Workshop: How to make your own natural candles, cosmetics, cleaners, soaps, healing balms, and more. This sounds like a fun way to buzz around. Happy World Bee Day!