This is a wonderful bee-based brand based close to Jo in Hastings, blurring the lines between beauty and wellbeing with a range of balms, oils and tinctures that are hand-made in East Sussex and based around bee products like propolis, beeswax, bee pollen and honey. Bee Potion was founded by teacher and beekeeper Katharine O’Brien, whose bees roam over the gorse-covered Hastings Firehills, an area of outstanding natural beauty, and whose bee products (importantly) aren’t heat-treated before she transforms them into quite lovely products.

There’s a balm-style, rich Bee Pure Moisturiser, Bee Young Cleanser/Toner/Mask, a healing ointment (Jo is never without this in her First Aid kit), Bee Warm Muscle Balm and Propolis Rum Tincture. Alongside the bee ingredients, Katharine uses essential oils and other plant elements, and everything is beautifully and simply packaged in apothecary-style jars.

We would also draw your attention to the lovely Bee Blog on the website, here, which has some really fascinating stuff about bees, their foraging habits, what a Queen bee actually IS, and more.

As a ‘starter’, the best way to try the range is probably via the Bee Kind Travel Trio/£39.99, which offers a selection of three Bee Potion 30ml pots, together with a Bee Lippy lip balm.  

We’re seeing bees buzzing in our gardens right now – which somehow feels like a sign of hope – and Jo’s rather loving the idea that some of them may even be taking her pollen back for future jars of Katharine’s Bee Potions.

From £17.99 – buy here

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