Manuka honey activates the aryl h…r skin inflammation.

When manuka honey was applied to skin cells in the lab, it activated a receptor called AHR that helps regulate skin inflammation and barrier function. The honey reduced inflammatory signals (specifically IL-4-induced CCL26) and boosted expression of filaggrin, a protein essential for skin barrier health—effects that disappeared when researchers blocked the AHR pathway, proving that's how manuka honey works.