TheraHoney and MediHoney are not the same product. They are competing brands made by different companies, though both use medical-grade manuka honey as their active ingredient. The overlap in purpose and ingredients is why they’re often confused, but there are real differences in formulation, ownership, and product lines worth understanding if you’re choosing between them.
What They Have in Common
Both TheraHoney and MediHoney are FDA-cleared wound care products built around manuka honey, which comes from the nectar of the Leptospermum scoparium plant native to New Zealand. Manuka honey has natural antibacterial properties that set it apart from regular honey, and both brands use sterilized, medical-grade versions of it. Both are used to manage wounds that are slow to heal, showing signs of local infection, or covered in dead tissue that needs to break down naturally (a process called autolytic debridement). Neither product is regular honey you’d find at a grocery store. Medical-grade honey is gamma-irradiated to kill bacterial spores while preserving its healing compounds.
Different Companies, Different Formulations
TheraHoney is made by Medline Industries, one of the largest medical supply manufacturers in the United States. MediHoney has a more complex ownership history. It was originally developed in partnership with Comvita Limited, a New Zealand honey company, and later acquired by Derma Sciences (now part of Integra LifeSciences). MediHoney is considered the leading brand of honey-based wound dressings globally and has been on the market longer.
The formulations differ in important ways. TheraHoney products contain 100% sterile manuka honey with no fillers or additives. MediHoney takes a different approach depending on the product format. MediHoney Wound Gel contains natural waxes and oils alongside the honey. MediHoney Gel Sheets combine manuka honey with sodium alginate, a seaweed-derived material that absorbs wound fluid. MediHoney’s Apinate Dressing uses a calcium alginate base. Their barrier cream adds aloe vera and vitamin E. So while TheraHoney markets itself on purity, MediHoney blends honey with other wound care materials to create more specialized products.
Product Lines Compared
MediHoney offers a broader product range. Its lineup includes wound gels, gel sheets, alginate dressings, and barrier creams, each designed for different wound types and fluid levels. This gives clinicians more options to match the dressing to the wound.
TheraHoney’s best-known product is its wound gel, and it also comes in sheet form. The line is more streamlined. For someone managing a wound at home with a healthcare provider’s guidance, the practical difference often comes down to which product your provider recommends or which your insurance covers, since both deliver manuka honey to the wound bed in slightly different ways.
When One Might Be Chosen Over the Other
Both products target the same general wound types: pressure injuries, leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, minor burns, and surgical wounds with low to moderate drainage. The choice between them typically depends on a few practical factors.
- Wound drainage: Wounds producing more fluid may benefit from MediHoney’s alginate-based dressings, which are designed to absorb excess moisture while delivering honey. TheraHoney’s pure gel works well for drier wounds or those needing moisture.
- Ingredient sensitivity: If you prefer a product with no additives at all, TheraHoney’s 100% honey formulation is the simpler option. MediHoney’s added waxes, oils, and other ingredients serve a purpose but introduce more components.
- Availability and cost: Medline’s massive distribution network means TheraHoney is widely stocked in hospitals and home health supply chains. MediHoney, as the more established brand in honey wound care, also has strong availability but pricing can vary.
Do They Work Equally Well?
Both products rely on the same core mechanism. Manuka honey creates a moist, low-pH environment at the wound surface that discourages bacterial growth and supports the body’s natural tissue repair. The honey also draws fluid through osmosis, helping to gently lift dead tissue from the wound bed. Clinical evidence supports medical-grade manuka honey broadly for wound management, and both brands use honey with standardized antibacterial activity, meaning each batch is tested to confirm it meets a minimum potency threshold.
There isn’t strong head-to-head clinical research comparing TheraHoney directly against MediHoney. In practice, wound care specialists choose based on the wound’s characteristics, the patient’s skin sensitivity, and what’s available through their facility’s supply chain. If your provider has recommended one and you’re wondering whether to switch to the other, the active ingredient is essentially the same. The difference is in the delivery system and supporting ingredients around it.