The world’s most precious — and priciest — honey may not be such a sweet deal after all.
Manuka honey is a health and beauty elixir that Scarlett Johanssen, Kourtney Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow and hundreds of chic New Yorkers swear by.
But most of the supposed manuka on store shelves worldwide is a falsely labeled sham, according to research commissioned by the Sunday Times of London.
A mass-spectrometer analysis compared genuine manuka, direct from New Zealand hives, to manuka-labeled honey sold in British stores and online through Amazon.
The researchers found that the real deal contained four specific compounds that could not be detected in any of the retailers’ supposed manuka.
High-end London grocer Fortnum & Mason cleared all the “manuka honey” off its shelves last week when its product failed the British paper’s test.
The sticky stuff is made by bees in New Zealand, where they feed on manuka bushes that grow in the wild.
The rare plants are so inaccessible that honey farmers seek them out with helicopters and drop hives nearby.
About 10,000 tons of manuka-labeled honey is sold annually around the world — but only 1,700 tons of it are actually produced in New Zealand.
A 12-ounce jar of manuka honey goes for $24.95 at Perelandra Natural Food Center in Brooklyn Heights, and Ohm Spa on Fifth Avenue charges $179 for a one-hour manuka facial.
Aficionados slather the honey on their skin to treat everything from acne and eczema to cuts and burns, convinced that the honey has unique antibacterial properties.
Others consume the dark brown, thick honey to combat ulcers and digestive ailments.
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