What’s one ingredient that has the beauty world abuzz? Bee venom! Touted as being a natural alternative to botulinum toxin, it is said to enhance skin’s collagen and elastin production, resulting in firmer and plumper looking skin.

But is bee venom really all that and a pottle of honey? We wanted to know more! What’s the deal with bee venom beauty products? And why do we need them in our life? Lucky for us, Debbie Hodder, co-founder of beEternal kindly agreed to answer our questions, as well as talk to us about her bee-autiful (yes, we had to go there) beauty brand.

Debbie, thanks so much for chatting with us. Tell us a bit about yourself. W​hat’s your background? How did you get into the beauty industry? And how long have you been in it?

That is a big question because my background is varied. First of all, I am an American expat, married to a Kiwi and have two gorgeous sons. My CV is a mile long and some of the highlights are ice cream truck driver, security guard, retail sales, dairy farming, owner/operator of a coffee brand, owner/operator of a cafe, owner/operator of a vintage clothing and wearable art gallery, secondary school teacher of nutrition and hospitality and co-founder of beEternal Skin Care. The entrance into the beauty industry was through the backdoor, really. It came about because I was looking for a premium NZ product to market overseas and came across the wonders of bee venom. The combination of bee venom with Manuka honey is so quintessentially Kiwi that I had to give it a go. We have been working on the products for about three years, but have just launched the website and started supplying stockists in September 2016.

How did the idea to launch beEternal come about?

As I mentioned, I had been looking for a high-quality product to market overseas and came across the idea of bee venom. The idea was not brand new, but it was in its infancy in regards to cosmetics. I had/have a very good friend of many years who just happened to be a Homeopath with her own practice and line of skincare products in Matakana. Diane Breen is her name and she has an excellent reputation. I put the idea to Diane and she made the product happen. She will not scrimp on quality or integrity. Our products are all natural and made in small batches, with love. In addition, they have homeopathic ingredients to enhance their effectiveness. I only know of one other company using homeopathics and the result is fantastic. So Diane takes care of product and development and I work on sales and marketing. Together, we are partners-in-cream.

What is the philosophy behind beEternal? What does it stand for?

beEternal is all about looking and feeling great. I wish it was as simple as feeling great, but most people, especially women, tend to FEEL better when they LOOK better. It’s about being the happiest version of yourself and loving and accepting yourself at any age and any stage, always and eternally.

What makes products with bee venom stand out above the rest?

There is a ton of scientific evidence that I could quote, but here is the simple, non-techy version. When you apply beEternal, your skin “reads” that it has been stung by a bee (I promise, you won’t feel anything!). Your body immediately sends blood to the area to repair the “damage”. This creates cell regeneration. Elastin and collegen are also sent to the area to firm and tighten the skin to leave it was better than before. We are lucky to be able to apply venom topically since the discovery of how to collect bee venom (without killing the bees). In past eras, people would endure the pain of live bee stings to reap the benefits.

We’re big fans of manuka honey, and we see it’s another hero ingredient in your skincare range. Can you tell us why it’s such a wonderful beauty ingredient?

Again, there is a ton of science out there, but the key word to think of is “healing”. Manuka honey has many unique properties and surpasses other types of honey. It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. These properties are great for blemishes, acne and adverse reactions to not-so-gentle skin care products. Many of our customers come to us with these adverse reactions and once they see the rapid improvements from using beEternal, they never go back.

There’s one question we often see pop up when bee venom products are brought up, and it’s an important one. Can a person who is allergic to bee venom products use them?

Nothing is worth the risk of anaphylactic shock so the answer is NO.

So do tell, what is beEternal’s best selling product?

Our best seller is our original flagship product, beEternal Moisturising Cream.

What is it about this product that makes it so popular?

The original moisturising cream suits every skin type and is extremely versatile. It can be used as a night cream. It can be used as a leave-on mask. I use mine as a day cream before applying sunscreen and then make-up. It is gentle enough for delicate eye areas and hardy enough for areas such as sun-damaged decolletage.

What’s your favourite product from the beEternal range?

Well, it has always been the original moisturising cream, I used it once and fell deeply in love, but I am becoming increasingly fond of our new eye cream. I have been trialling it for a few weeks (it is about to launch on the website) and it is amazing. I am a mother, a teacher and a migraine sufferer. Those factors have left me with one of those frowny creases between my eyes. When I apply the eye cream to my eyes, I also rub it into the frowny crease and I swear it is already making a difference.

If you could give one piece of advice to people about how to maintain beautiful skin, what would it be?

Other than using beEternal, of course...be kind to yourself. Wear sunscreen, eat real food, laugh, sleep.

To many people, working with beauty products and owning a beauty business is their dream job, what is the best thing about working for such a gorgeous beauty brand?

The best part about working with beEternal is the knowledge that our brand, due to the high-quality ingredients, lack of any nasty ingredients and the fact that it has skin-balancing homeopathics, really improves the ​health of the skin. As a mother, I have tried to raise healthy children. As a teacher, I taught nutrition and healthy cooking. As a businesswoman, I have strived to maintain a healthy life balance and with beEternal, we can deliver a truly healthy skincare range.

What’s been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

The enthusiasm from new customers, especially the ones who have suffered from skin problems or reactions to other cosmetics and beEternal is the first thing that has actually cured the problem.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced?

Building the website! I did this by myself on the Shopify platform. Shopify is very user-friendly, which is good, because I am not much of a techy. I am rather proud of it though.

What does a normal day for you consist of?

Oh to have a normal! Every day is different. Somedays are beEternal days to the exclusion of all else with website work, discussions with Diane about product development and production, order fulfillment and customer relations. Somedays are self-education days to learn how to market and promote the brand. I am on a steep learning curve of facebook, instagram, blogging and all things social media related. Other days are set aside for family, friends and the never-ending housework. I do find I am most productive if I block out days for certain activities and get stuck-in rather than doing a bit of this and a bit of that.

How do you relax?

By myself - yoga and reading. With family - good food and movies. With girlfriends - sharing wine, chocolate and gossip. With all friends - I love a good dinner party, especially if margaritas are involved.

What advice would you give to someone reading this who would like to do what you’ve done?

Anyone can do anything. Just get started and make a huge effort to learn as you go. You don’t have to know how to do everything every step of the way. There is an excellent quote by E.L. Doctorow that sums this up. It refers to writing, but I think it can apply to any new endeavour. ​“[Writing is] like driving a car at night in the fog: you never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

Finally, can you give us a hint about what is next for beEternal?

We are in the process of securing a few, select retail outlets for beEternal products so the public can see, smell and test them before purchasing (though they can currently request free samples through the website).

Debbie, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us! Interested in finding out more about beEternal? Be sure to check out www.beeternal.co.nz