When the word wax is mentioned, what first comes to mind is beeswax, one of the world’s most ancient cosmetic ingredients. Beeswax has being used in herbal ointments for thousands of years to create a protective film on the skin and to deliver phyto-actives and fragrant material. By Dr Barbara Olioso - The Green Chemist Consultancy, UK.
Even today, herbalists are still using it, along with modern cosmetic manufacturers, for thickening and stabilising emulsions and to provide a protective film to balms, lipsticks and emulsions, etc. They are also very useful to increase viscosity, forming a flexible protective film on the skin that imparts pleasant textures and sensorial effects.
Natural waxes are the result of a protective mechanisms developed by plants and animals; they have good resistance to water, air and micro-organisms, making them ideal for skin and hair applications. They are harder (typically they melt above 45°C) and less oily than other fats, and consist of a complex mixture of esters of fatty acids and long chain alcohols along with unesterified hydrocarbons if of vegetable origin. This means that natural waxes’ melting point range and their composition varies along with the polarity if the climatic conditions that they grow in
Natural waxes
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