Waxes form an important group of ingredients forthe manufacture of personal care products anddecorative cosmetics. Chemically, waxes arecomplex mixtures of heavy hydrocarbons andfatty acids combined with esters. The modernscientific requirement of a wax is that it is not aglyceride. Glycerides are fats which are still closerelatives of waxes. Waxes are harder, less greasyand more brittle than fats, and are very resistantto moisture, oxidization and microbial attack.Waxes are classified as follows:

Waxes Used in Cosmetics

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BeeswaxBeeswax is the purified wax from the honeycombof the bee Apis Mellifera. For each eight pounds ofhoney made by the bee, one pound of wax isproduced. There are two grades available, yellow(natural) and bleached beeswax. The primarycomponent of beeswax are esters (more than70%) of which myricyl palmitate forms the mainpart. The remaining 30 % are free wax acids andhydrocarbons. Beeswax comes usually as whiteflakes with a faint honey odor. It is soluble in oilsand warm alcohol, but insoluble in water or coldalcohol. Beeswax is used primarily as thickener andemollient, but has also emulsifying properties. It isused in a large variety of cosmetic products suchas creams, lotions, pomades, balms, ointments,lipsticks, mascara, foundations, or eye shadows.

Lanolin & SpermacetiSpermaceti is no longer used in cosmetics after theban on sperm whales. Lanolin is discussed later.

Carnauba WaxCarnauba wax comes from the leaves of theBrazilian palm Copernicia Cerifera. It is the hardestnatural wax known, with a melting point above80oC (176oF). These properties make carnaubawax very unique and often carnauba wax is usedmainly for its hardness and high melting point.Carnauba wax contains more esters (about 85%)but less wax acids (2-3%) compared to beeswax.

References:D.F. Williams. Chemistry & Manufacture of Cosmetics.Volume I I I , Book 2, Pages 1089f

As other natural waxes, carnauba wax blends wellwith oils, fats and other waxes, thereby raisingtheir melting point and their hardness. Carnaubawax is therefore an important ingredient for solidsticks (e.g. lipsticks) to prevent them from meltingat higher temperatures (e.g. upon sun exposure).

Candelilla WaxCandelilla wax is produced from the stems of theMexican weed Euphorbia Cerifera. Candelilla waxconsists of only 35% esters, but of more than50% hydrocarbons. It is therefore less hard andsofter than carnauba wax, but can still raise themelting point of stick cosmetics. Candelilla wax alsogives a nice gloss to lipsticks.

Jojoba WaxOften jojoba wax is called jojoba oil because it isliquid. It is extracted from the desert shrub BuxusChinensis found in the southwestern USA. Jojobaoil can be hydrogenated to make a hard, whitewax with a melting point above 70oC. However,the liquid wax form is used much more often incosmetics. Jojoba wax is an excellent moisturizer(prevents transdermal water loss) and emollient.Since it does not form a film on the skin butpenetrates into the skin, it is also used as anti-wrinkle agent. Jojoba wax also protects partlyfrom UV rays (SPF about 4). Liquid jojoba wax isused in a large variety of personal care products.

Mineral WaxesMineral waxes used in cosmetics are ozokerite,paraffin, microcrystalline wax, ceresin, andpetrolatum. All waxes are derived from variousprocesses of crude oil refining and are purifiedextensively to allow safe use. Mineral waxes havebeen widely critized and avoided in the last fewyears, mainly because they didn’t fit into the newtrend of natural cosmetics. However, mineralwaxes are a natural product and one of the bestcharacterized and clinically tested compounds!

OzokeriteOzokerite is a naturally occurring mineral waxoriginally mined in Eastern Europe. Today it is

• Animal Waxes:Beeswax, lanolin, spermaceti• Plant Waxes:Carnauba, candelilla, jojoba• Mineral Waxes:Ozokerite, paraffin, microcrystalline, ceresin,petrolatum (vaseline)• Synthetic Waxes:Polyethylene, carbowax, acrawax, stearone

Classification of Waxes

produced as a mixture of microcrystalline wax,paraffin wax and other natural waxes that matchthe properties of the original Ozokerite. It isinsoluble in alcohol and has a relatively high meltingpoint depending on the composition of the wax.Similar to carnauba wax, ozokerite is often used instick products to prevent softening and melting.Ozokerite is also very usefuel in creams due to itsthickening and emulsifying properties.

Paraffin WaxParaffin is a refined mixture of solid crystallinehydrocarbons. Paraffins used in cosmetics usuallymelt between 50-60oC. Although paraffin addsgloss to lipsticks it is not so often used as it ispoorly compatible with castor oil. In addition,paraffin wax can crystallize and is much morebrittle in texture as compared to ozokerite.

Microcrystalline WaxMicrocrystalline wax consists of mixed refinedhydrocarbons. It is less brittle and more mallealbethan paraffin. Microcrystalline wax has also agreater affinity to oils than paraffin and oftencontains 1-4% mineral oil. Because of its ability tohold high amounts of oil (more than other waxes),microcrystalline wax finds use in practically alltypes of cosmetics. Microcrystalline wax isparticularly useful in lip balms and lipsticks toprevent “sweating”.

Ceresin WaxCeresin wax was originally a refined and bleachednatural ozokerite wax. Today, it is often a paraffinwax type or made from a blend of petroleumwaxes. Like ozokerite, ceresin is insoluble in alcoholand its melting point varies dependent on thecomposition of the wax. Ceresin wax is often usedas substitute of ozokerite wax due to its similarproperties.

Petrolatum (Vaseline)Petrolatum is a semi-solid wax consisting of purifiedhydrocarbons obtained from petroleum. Betterknown as Vaseline, petrolatum has been on themarket for several decades already. The meltingpoint of Vaseline is only about 35-50oC and thuslower than other waxes. It comes as translucentpaste and is odorless, well dispersible in oils, andsoluble in hot alcohol. Vaseline is an excellentemollient and lubricant but is also used as bodifyingagent to add viscosity to cosmetic products.T. Bombeli, MD BBA

BeeswaxCarnauba WaxCandelilla WaxOzokeriteCeresin

Solubility & Melting Points of Waxes

Mlt. Point63oC87oC67oC60-100oC50-90oC

Alc. SolubilityHot alcoholHot alcoholHot alcoholInsoluble in alc.Insoluble in alc.