criteria at a really high level. It was easy for us. Tell us about the benefits of bee venom as a skincare ingredient. How did you discover it? I was treating Camilla at the time I developed it. I looked in her mirror and noticed a line down my forehead; I was just relaxed but the line was really strong. I thought, “I think I need some injectables,” but I didn’t want them. So, that night I went to bed thinking about bee venom and got hold of to some to try out. It worked! It was sticky at first as I’d mixed it with a bit too much honey but gradually over a two-year period, we’d perfected it, and the Queen loved it too. It was originally a mask you wash off due to the stickiness but eventually I reduced that and now it’s a moisturiser. It really is incredible; you can layer it with another moisturiser if you want to or use it on its own. Bee venom makes the skin think it’s been stung so it anesthetises the area, then stops the muscle from moving preventing the toxin from spreading around the body, even though the skin hasn’t really been damaged. The skin then creates collagen elastin to save its life. So, whenever you apply it, whether it be morning or evening or both, you’re tricking the skin into believing it’s been damaged making it constantly renew itself and causing the skin to look younger. It works on your eye lids, under your eye... It really is incredible – you can’t do that with injectables! Is collecting the bee venom cruel to bees? No, not at all. The process is called milking and prevents the bee from dying when it stings. You put a pane of glass in the hive so the stinger doesn’t come out of the bee when it stings, which is what would kill it. The hive is safe, and the bees can still go off and collect as much pollen as they want. We actually have two hives here. How does nettle venom differ and what are its benefits? I had a few people who were vegetarians say to me that they didn’t like using anything involving bees, not even honey. So, I worked hard to create something that works in a similar way to bee venom. Nettle venom has a very similar molecule structure to the bee version. The problem with it though is that it’s extremely difficult to capture nettle venom because you can’t get it wet – nettles don’t sting when it’s raining. I worked for four years to be able to do it. The Queen has also used the nettle and sometimes alternates between this and the bee venom. When you use something for a long time the skin will get used to the responsive action, so if you change it for something that does the same with a slightly different molecule system the skin has a more extreme reaction. This vegan alternative is a big seller and it’s less money as it doesn’t cost us as much to produce; but it takes me a long time to make it, so if we run out it’s a problem. We particularly have to manage production during the winter when there are fewer nettles about. 76
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