Inspired by an entrepreneurial sense, 20-year-old Maxx Appelman set his sights on the natural products market and launched Honey Care Products in 2010. It wasn’t long until he developed a passion for honey that would make it the company’s staple ingredient for its product range.

“After starting I really did get passionate about honey when continuously reading about its health benefits, it really is a natural wonder and the fact that the bees are dying rapidly and humans would not be able to live without them,” Appelman said. “I feel it makes honey something we should utilize and be grateful for as it rare that nature produces something so beneficial yet tasty and sweet to our health and taste buds.”

Appelman can summon up obscure facts related to honey such as why it’s called a honeymoon — due to aphrodisiac honey mead that was drank in Arabian times after weddings — however it is the health benefits that makes it ideal as a lubricant.

Honey is known to hold in water molecules and retain moisture, thereby reducing chances of irritation or chafing. “You want the health benefits of honey, without the downside of stickiness and sugars that can cause vaginal irritation,” Appelman said.

Honey Care Products offers two varieties of lubes: Honey Lube — a water-based, colorless, scent-free honey-based lube, and Honey Oil — an oil-based lubricant that looks and smells like honey. Both products are made with all-natural honey extract produced locally in Florida, where Honey Care Products is based.

“In the three years we have been developing formulas, I can honestly say this is a game changer,” Appelman said. “Our two newest personal lubricants which are fifth generation and have come a long way since the 2008 original Honey Lube, encompass local honey, are all natural — and yet, still don’t get sticky.”

Despite the novelty of a honeybased lube and its self-proclaimed “world’s cutest” bear-shaped bottle packaging, which have gained the company major press from CNBC, Huffington Post and AOL.com, Appelman says he and the “Honey Team” are committed to making sure its products are taken seriously.

“We aren’t a novelty product,” Appelman said. “Our fear, being the original honey bear bottle lube, is that we will be grouped in the joke product industry.”

The company says its customers report that the package caught their eye, but the repeat business is because of the formula.

“I want to offer a high-quality, healthy formula that is cost effective and in the best packaging in the industry. It’s as simple as that,” Appelman said. “We have five more products coming out this month which include a honey-flavored lubricant and other sizes of our current formulas in medical glass eco-friendly bottles. All of which are featured to be allnatural, clinically recommended and demonstrated.”

Appelman said that the company is coming out with products that will have a clinical look with a detailed front label and no graphics to offset the honey bear packaging and showcase the quality of the product.

“We will be coming out with many more products throughout the year, a redesigned website and a partnership with one of the biggest brands in porn (just can’t say the name yet!),” Appelman said.

Honey Care Products is distributed by Eldorado, Williams Trading Co. and Holiday Products.