‘I’m 63 And Had No Clue’: Woman Shares How To Check If Your Honey Is Real Or ‘Fake.’ Does It Work?

A new trend is making the rounds on TikTok, where users are testing their honey to see if it’s real or fake.

Shoppers want to know that what’s on their plate is what it claims to be, whether that’s extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, or honey.

Because foods are often processed, imported, or blended, people have grown skeptical about authenticity, and viral tests like this one promise to separate the genuine from the fake.

But experts say there’s only one real way to know.

What Is The Viral Honey Test?

In a trending video with more than 114,000 views, travel content creator Freda (@fredatravels) explained that she just saw a video of a man showing his daughter how to tell the difference between real and fake honey.

“This is why I love the internet,” Freda said, excited to do the test herself.

With her Wild Harvest Organic Raw Honey, she pours a dollop of honey into a glass container. adds water and gently swirls it around. According to the instructions, the liquid is supposed to form shapes resembling a honeycomb.

“It’s, like, the memory of the comb of the honeycomb,” she says.

“And it is,” Freda says, astounded, as the honey forms shapes in the water, though they’re not as prominent as what was in the man’s video.

“Isn’t that amazing?” she goes on to say.

Does This Test Actually Work?

No, the honey test isn’t a reliable way to tell if honey is real or fake.

Honey is a thick liquid. And when you dilute it with water and swirl it, the viscosity and surface tension can cause patterns to form, people online pointed out. Those lines can sometimes look hexagonal. But it’s more of a coincidence than proof of authenticity.

Raw Vs. Fake Honey

Not all the honey at the grocery store is the same.

Raw, pure, natural, and unfiltered honey are 100% bee-made honey. Those types come directly from hives with minimal processing. According to the U.S. National Honey Board, raw honey is honey “as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.”

“Fake honey,” by contrast, is often manufactured using syrups like corn, cane, or beet sugar, sometimes without containing any real bee honey at all, Simple Honey, a honey supplier, stated.

These products may be diluted with water, mixed with fillers, or flavored with dyes and additives. They also lack the natural flavor, aroma, and health benefits of genuine honey.

Commercial supermarket honey often falls somewhere in between. Many brands heat and filter honey to improve its shelf life and appearance. But that processing strips away natural elements such as pollen, wax, and propolis. Raw honey, meanwhile, may look cloudier and eventually crystallize, but it retains its nutrients and distinctive taste.

Some common at-home methods people use to check honey purity include dropping honey into water (real honey sinks, fake dissolves quickly), checking if honey crystallizes over time, or even dipping a matchstick into honey to see if it will light.

While these tests are popular, food scientists caution that lab analysis remains the only reliable way to confirm authenticity.

Commenters React

“​​I know it’s real when it’s $13 a jar sometimes I go to the farm and buy the whole dam comb it helps with allergies is why I get it,” a top comment read.

“Or literally just look at the ingredients. if there is more than one its pretty simple,” a person said.

“THERE’S FAKE HONEY!? I turn 36 in 4 days and this never even crossed my mind as a possibility thanks for teaching me something new!” another wrote.

BroBible reached out to Freda for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.