I Used Aunu Manuka Honey Skincare for a Month. Here's What Happened.
- tabithacolie
- May 26
- 5 min read
Updated: May 26
What I reached for when my skin needed a reset.
*This product review post contains affiliate links which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using the links in this post. I am a licensed esthetician and skin-forward makeup artist. All opinions and recommendations are honestly my own. My skin type is Fitzpatrick II, mature, on the oily side, and sometimes dehydrated.
A few months ago, my skin was a mess. I say that as a licensed esthetician and makeup artist who has spent nearly a decade helping other people with their skin. I split my time between the Columbia River Gorge and rural northern Michigan, and coming back to Washington after a winter in Michigan did a number on me this year. The climate shift from cold, dry Midwest air back to the Pacific Northwest's damp and wind completely threw my barrier off. I had reacted to something in the transition, and my skin was red, tight, dry, had small closed comedones, and stung in reaction to nearly everything I tried to put on it. That's when I discovered Aunu.
I first heard about the brand while doing deep-dive research into how I could gently repair my skin barrier. I about their Essence, and decided to buy it for myself. I'm not exaggerating when I say that within 2 days of using it my skin began to calm and heal noticeably. The closed comedones and dry, flaky patches disappeared completely. When the brand reached out and offered to send me a few products to try, I couldn't say yes fast enough. I opted to try the Cream, Mask, and Salve.
About Aunu
Aunu is a skincare line built around a single hero ingredient: medical-grade Mānuka honey which is the kind used in hospitals for wound healing. Their honey is sourced from New Zealand in partnership with Comvita, and every formula contains between 8 and 20% of the active ingredient. For context, most skincare products use 1 to 3% of a key active. Aunu is not messing around.
Mānuka honey is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, deeply hydrating, and rich in antioxidants. On paper, it sounded like exactly what my skin needed. In practice, it delivered.
What I've been using
I've worked my way through four of the five products in the line: the Essence, the Cream, the Mask, and the Salve. My routine has been delightfully simple: Essence morning and night after using a gentle cleansing balm, Cream to follow, and Salve over all of it as a finishing touch to seal in the moisture. I'm using the Mask once a week which feels like plenty for where my skin is at the moment. When skin is reactive and barrier-compromised, I've learned that a simple routine from products within the same line is best.
Step 1: The Essence, is a thin, watery, amber-colored liquid that had just a little more slip than pure water. It has a light natural aroma from the honey but has no added fragrance. I shake a few drops into my palm, rub my hands together, and press into my skin. This absorbs almost instantly.
Step 2: The Cream, is a light, almost whipped texture. It has a silky feel to it without any kind of silicones. This is loaded with skin-healing niacinamide, ceramides, and squalane. I use about a pea-sized dollop for my whole face and it feels rich without being greasy.
Step 3: The Salve, is a thicker, richer balm-like product that's meant to be used anywhere that needs extra love. At first I used this very sparingly on my face because I was concerned about breakouts. After seeing that it didn't cause any breakouts and actually healed some little spots I had, I started using a thin layer of this all over my face as a final step to lock in the Essence and the Cream.
Step 4: The Mask, is literally pure manuka honey. It smells (and tastes) heavenly. It's a little weird the first time you slather a pile of honey onto your face, but trust me here that it's something you'll look forward to. I'm only doing this once per week right now. I leave it on for 20 minutes and my skin feels smooth and very gently exfoliated, and I find that the Essence and Cream absorb even quicker afterwards.
The first few days
I noticed a little redness when I first introduced the products. This is actually documented because Mānuka honey is naturally acidic, and as it begins to rebalance your skin's pH, some people experience mild tingling or temporary redness while their skin adjusts. Knowing that helped me trust the process rather than panic and stop. Within a few days it settled completely.
The Mask still produces a little redness while it's on, which again, is totally normal, and it fades quickly. What it leaves behind is genuinely remarkable: skin that feels polished smooth, almost like it's been professionally treated.
Where my skin is now
One month in, my skin is calm, clear, and the most hydrated it has felt in a long time. The reactive redness is gone. The tightness is gone. The texture has improved in a way I wasn't expecting. It's softer and more even overall, not just where I was having trouble. For skin that was so compromised, the turnaround has been genuinely impressive.
As a skin professional, I'm careful with words like transformative. I use it here deliberately. This is one of the gentlest skincare lines I have ever used, and also one of the most effective which is a rare combination.
A few more important things worth knowing
Aunu is EWG Verified and carries the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, which means it's been rigorously vetted for sensitive and reactive skin. These are exactly the kind of credentials I look for when recommending products to clients.
Also, and this is purely aesthetic but it matters to me, the cheery yellow packaging looks beautiful on my vanity.
I'm currently in conversation with the brand about a discount code for my readers — I'll update this post and share it in my newsletter the moment I have one. In the meantime, I wanted to share my honest experience without waiting, because if your skin is struggling right now, this might be worth knowing about sooner rather than later. Even though I was gifted several of these products I will absolutely be purchasing them for myself when I run out.
