This three ingredient, 2000 year old moisturiser cream is still the greatest of all time

Did your grandmother do this?

I’m not the first witch in my family.

My grandmother was a wise woman who understood herbs and medicine and made things from scratch, renowned for her healing lotions and salves.

I still remember her luxurious face moisturiser based on rosewater, olive oil and beeswax, inspired by a traditional recipe known as ‘Galen’s Cold Cream’. Gran came across the recipe in a library book, promptly tore out the page and took it home. She whipped it up in the same stand mixer she also used for her life-changing sponge cake.

Gran was committed to doing things herself; the slow way, using locally sourced and lovingly foraged ingredients that she transformed into richly storied skincare for her family.

So as well as some pretty radical genes and a rebellious spirit, Gran gifted me a bone-deep appreciation of simple, natural alchemy.

Why mess with the best?

Modern skincare is awash with bold claims and bizarre formulations, each one promising never-before-seen results. But what if the best and most effective skin food was already right under our noses?

Galen’s cold cream is a masterclass in simplicity and efficacy – which is why folks like my Gran have riffed off the recipe for generations.

It dates back to the second century AD, developed by Galen of Pergamon, a prominent Greek physician and philosopher of the Roman Empire. Renowned for his extensive contributions to medicine, Galen formulated the cold cream as a multipurpose remedy designed to cleanse, moisturise, and protect the skin.

What is Galen’s Cold Cream?

This ancient skincare marvel was initially known as “cérat de Galien” or “Galen’s Wax” and was based on the holy ingredient trinity of beeswax, olive oil, and rosewater. This combo created an emulsion that could soothe, cleanse and hydrate the skin simultaneously, making it a versatile staple in ancient Roman beauty regimens.

(Could Galen’s cold cream be the mystery ointment found in an exquisite and intact container recently found in 2000-year-old Roman ruins?)

Let’s break down the key ingredients and their benefits:

🐝 Beeswax: As a brilliant emulsifier, beeswax helps blend the oil and water components of the cream. It is also a humectant, which means it attracts moisture to the skin to create a protective barrier, locking in moisture and deflecting against environmental irritants. Amazingly, beeswax still allows your skin to breathe.

🫒Olive Oil: Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, olive oil “feeds” and hydrates the skin to make it healthier, just like us. In fact, olive oil is remarkably similar in structure to the skin’s own sebum. Its emollient properties make it particularly effective in softening and smoothing dry or rough skin, and it’s naturally antibacterial too.

🌹Rosewater: Known for its soothing and sensuous effects, rosewater adds a delicate fragrance whilst toning and calming the skin with its gentle astringency. It’s a superb anti-inflammatory, making the cream suitable for even sensitive skin types.

As every good witch knows, winning formulas are more than the sum of their parts. The synergy of these ingredients is a huge part of the magic too, with the lipids, phytochemicals, waxes, essential oils, polyphenols and who-knows-what-other-microscopic-sorcery between beeswax, olives and roses harmonising in ways that current science can only glimpse out of the corner of its eye.

Five cheers for Galen’s cold cream!

Is the skincare formulation of some old Greek dude from 2000 years ago still relevant today? Why yes, and here are five reasons why:

1. Natural + gentle: Many people have cottoned onto the chemical burden of all those synthetic bodycare (and household) products. Even “natural” options contain unpronounceable and highly processed ingredients that our bodies don’t recognise nor respond to well. Galen’s cold cream, in its bold simplicity, is a refreshing alternative to the overwrought, ultra-modified inclusions of modern skincare. It’s a language your skin understands.
2. Kinder on nature: When you keep ingredients whole and simple, you vastly reduce a product’s embodied energy. That is, all the invisible energy (and associated emissions) that go into creating it. The more high-tech and processed the product, the greater the strain on earth’s systems. We adore all the new green science ingredients that have come along over the past few years, but treat them more like garnishes than staples; pops of modern magic that take our timeless recipes into the stratosphere.
3. Wildly versatile: Multiuse skincare is a thing. A cream like Galen’s is wonderfully versatile. You can use it as a cleanser, moisturiser, makeup remover or wound care ointment. For all those minimalists out there, it’s a one-pot-wonder!
4. Simply less irritating: When using skincare that boasts a litany of fancy ingredients – and you start reacting to it – it’s nearly impossible to tell what’s actually causing the problem. The shorter the ingredients list, the more control you have over possible sensitivities and the less likely you are to react in the first place.
5. Old school beauty: Humans are creatures of ritual and story; of traditional ways and and enduring interrelationship with nature. Simple, natural formulas that call us back to our ancestors and into a sustainable culture can really add to our sense of belonging. Whether you made your skincare yourself or know who did, it adds a beautiful dimension of meaning to modern life that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Timeless moisturisation

If you love the idea of simple, natural, traditional skincare – but aren’t about to tear a leaf out of a library book and make it yourself – you’ll be pleased to know that our trio of Moisture Creams hark back to Gran and Galen’s famous collab.

When formulating these cream, I really didn’t want to mess with what wasn’t broke – so I simply tweaked GranGalen’s recipe to add even more skin loving oils like wheatgerm and castor, increasing the nourishment and fabulousness while staying true to his their honoured concept of simplicity and efficacy.

Whether your skin is dry, oily, dull, inflamed, congested, mature or pretty well balanced, we love offering you alchemical formulations based on timeless wisdom and locally sourced Tasmanian ingredients.

✅  Locks in moisture

✅  Stimulates the production of collagen.

✅  Smooth fine lines.

✅  Cools inflammation.

✅  Balances oil production

✅  Regenerates skin cells

✅  Heals environmental damage

✅  Restores health and glow

✅  Supports Tasmanian artisans

✅  Reduces waste

✅  Relocalises skincare

There’s Light, Rich and Ultra Rich depending on where your skin is at, and the reviews should  tell you the rest.

With warmth + honey

Jill & team Bees