Candelilla Cera ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a structuring agent, thickener, and film-former that adds hardness, slip, and water resistance to sticks, balms, mascaras, and solid formats.
What does Candelilla Cera do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a structuring agent, thickener, and film-former that adds hardness, slip, and water resistance to sticks, balms, mascaras, and solid formats.
Is Candelilla Cera clean?
It has a strong clean-beauty standing because it is generally well tolerated, low in sensitization, and not a common restricted-list issue. The main formulation consideration is texture, since it can feel firm or occlusive at higher levels.
Is Candelilla Cera sustainable?
This material is plant-derived and renewable, with sourcing tied to harvesting from desert shrubs. Responsible harvesting matters because overcollection can pressure slow-growing ecosystems, while biodegradation is expected but slower than for simple water-soluble ingredients.
Is Candelilla Cera COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted in COSMOS natural and organic formulations when sourced and processed according to the standard. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well as a renewable, minimally processed structuring material, although its long-chain hydrophobic profile makes biodegradation relatively slow.
How does Candelilla Cera work chemically?
This material is a complex solid mixture of long-chain hydrocarbons, esters, free alcohols, and resin acids, giving it a high melting range of roughly 68 to 73°C and notable hardness. It is typically used around 1 to 10% in emulsions and anhydrous products, and higher in sticks, where it improves structure, payoff, and heat stability.
Last updated 2026-05-13