There is something so harmonious about the sound of buzzing bees on a warm spring day. It plays into that innate sense that everything is ok with the world. Bees are, after all, the linchpin for the survival of just about every fruit, flower and seed on the planet.
In fact, they are so fundamental to the circle of life, they have been given their own day. And with World Bee Day being celebrate across the planet this past weekend, it seems the perfect moment to give reverence to the insect that gives us so much in terms of life, beauty and yes, our beauty products.
World Bee Day also serves another purpose though. And that is that the issues facing bees today are great. Modern practices such as intensive farming, land clearing, which destroy natural habitats, and changing world climates have put both wild and domestic bees at risk. The annual mortality rate of bees today is 30%. And the knock-on effects are real when you consider that three quarters of cultivated crops rely on bee pollination and 90% of wild flowers depend on the insects for their survival.
In fact, without bees to pollinate, most species of fruits, flowers and seed would vanish, and along with them crucial habitat, food and resources for countless other species. And if that wasn’t a bleak enough picture, if bees were to vanish, so too would most of the natural colour, flavour and scents of our world too.
If you think about it like this, then there really is a need for a rethink. Which is why Guerlain, a brand that has long revered bees, is going the extra mile to help raise awareness and re-populate bee numbers.
To do so, the French skincare brand has created the Guerlain For Bees Conservation Programme. Under the programme there are initiatives such as the brand’s launch of Women for Bees. Spearheaded by A-lister Angelina Jolie, this partnership with UNESCO began in 2021 and aims to train women beekeepers and create new beekeeping operations across the globe.
In an effort for children to learn about bees from an early age, Guerlain’s Bee School is an awareness-building programme, which schools young children about the role of bees in our ecosystem. Amongst other initiatives, Guerlain has also pledged a three-year sponsorship with the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the French National Museum of Natural History.
So entwined with the brand are bees that Guerlain also created its Bee Respect digital platform, a sustainability platform which provides a transparent insight into a product and its packaging lifecycle.
“We launched Bee Respect in 2019 to help consumers better understand and be informed about the whole lifecycle of Guerlain products,” says Cecile Lochard, Chief Sustainability Officer at Guerlain. “The platform looks at formula ingredients, packaging elements, suppliers, places of manufacture or their carbon footprint and way to recycle them.”
To celebrate this year’s World Bee Day on May 20th, the brand has partnered with renowned French artist Céline Cléron who has adorned Guerlain’s cult favourite, Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil bottle with a delicate floral motif. The limited edition
The circle of life is such an intricate thing and truly bees seem to at its beating heart. So whether you purchase or hashtag or just give a thought to those little bees, now seems the perfect moment to give thanks to the insect that literally gives us life.
Guerlaine Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil 50ml for $235, at David Jones
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