Bee-ing Beautiful

When summer arrives, so do insects and most of us tend to think of them as pests. But many insects provide invaluable services to mankind, for instance, the pollenization of plants by bees. But you may not have linked a healthy bee population with the availability and quality of cosmetics.



In the UK, the numbers of the honeybee have dropped 80% in some areas and according to this article in Marie Claire, the resultant drop in beeswax production will affect 643 brands of mascara, 589 lipsticks and 4532 moisturizers. The products affected are produced by manufacturers such as L'Oreal, Max Factor and Nivea.

So this summer, when that bee invades your picnic, instead of shooing him away, be grateful that he's doing his job. We're all depending on it.

To read about the decline of honeybees and Plan Bee, the Co-operative Group's campaign to save the bee, go here.