Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a lipid structurant and thickener that gives balms, sticks, salves, and creams firmness, cushion, and water resistance. It also helps stabilize oil phases and leaves a light protective film on skin or hair.
What does Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a lipid structurant and thickener that gives balms, sticks, salves, and creams firmness, cushion, and water resistance. It also helps stabilize oil phases and leaves a light protective film on skin or hair.
Is Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well tolerated and is not a common restricted-list issue. The main caveats are rare sensitivity to trace hive resins and incompatibility with vegan standards.
Is Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille sustainable?
This material is a renewable animal-derived by-product of apiculture and is expected to biodegrade well compared with many synthetic film-formers. Sustainability depends on hive management, traceability, and whether refining uses simple filtration versus more intensive bleaching.
Is Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic frameworks when sourcing and processing criteria are met. It aligns well with Green Chemistry through renewable origin, low processing complexity, and good biodegradability, though it is not plant-based.
How does Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille work chemically?
The material is a complex mixture dominated by long-chain monoesters, free fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and hydrocarbons, with a typical melting range around 61 to 65°C. It is oil-dispersible, water-insoluble, broadly pH-stable in anhydrous or emulsified systems, and commonly used from about 1% in creams to 20% or more in sticks and balms.
Last updated 2026-05-13