Mānuka honey has a growing reputation in the skincare industry, and is often referred to as "liquid gold" for the skin. However, with this new popularity come warnings about counterfeit Mānuka honey.

Mānuka honey is a potent antimicrobial with the ability to stop the spread of bacteria, fungi, parasites and even viruses, as well as a strong antioxidant. Basically, it's a skin-healing superhero, ideal for remedying everything from acne to eczema to signs of aging.

The sticky substance has plenty of other beauty benefits, too: It's a humectant, meaning it draws moisture into the skin. It balances the skin's pH levels, contains collagen-building amino acids and even inhibits MMP — a group of enzymes that destroy collagen. It's the signature compounds MGO and DHA that give genuine Mānuka honey the ability to provide all the benefits.

It's these signature compounds that sit at the center of the mānuka industry's counterfeiting controversy. Not all mānuka is created equal — naturally, there's some variance between batches in terms of DHA and MGO content. The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has rating systems in place to measure the active compounds in any particular batch; the most well-regarded is the Unique Mānuka Factor, or UMF, system.

Jade Valley Mānuka honey is UMF certified and you can be sure when buying our honey that you are getting genuine, 100% New Zealand made Mānuka honey in every jar.