Why It's Not OK That Gwyneth Paltrow Uses Live Bees in Her Beauty Routine

Gwyneth Paltrow is known for her holistic approach to life, but especially when it comes to her beauty routine. She's launched two lines of products recently, including Goop Beauty skin care and a collection of cosmetics for Juice Beauty. Though we didn't think her regimen could possibly include anything more unusual than her legendary vagina steaming, a recent interview with The New York Times proves otherwise.

A self-proclaimed "guinea pig" for trying beauty services, Gwyneth revealed that she has submitted her complexion to angry bees in the name of better skin.

"I've been stung by bees. It's a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It's actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it's painful."

Bee-venom-laced skin care is not uncommon (we've heard that even Kate Middleton is a fan), but it seems very extreme to let a hive of bees attack you in hopes that you'll look better afterwards. We're especially hopeful that Gwyneth doesn't use honeybees for her beauty treatments.

Sadly, honeybees and their venom are frequently incorporated into apitherapy, and they are the only species of bee that die after stinging a person. This is problematic because the honeybee population is rapidly declining. Not only is this damaging to the planet, but it's especially harmful to our food supply and the environment. The bees' pollination is responsible for the existence of much of the world's fruits and vegetables.

As Gwyneth is passionate about organic food, we're optimistic that she'll find an alternative (yet equally buzzworthy) antiaging treatment. Trust us — there are other ways to keep your skin looking youthful than needlessly killing such an important insect!