Cera Microcristallina Wax ●
TL;DR. This ingredient primarily acts as an occlusive film-former, texture builder, and oil-phase thickener in balms, sticks, creams, and color cosmetics. It helps increase firmness, improve payoff, and reduce moisture loss from the skin surface.
What does Cera Microcristallina Wax do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient primarily acts as an occlusive film-former, texture builder, and oil-phase thickener in balms, sticks, creams, and color cosmetics. It helps increase firmness, improve payoff, and reduce moisture loss from the skin surface.
Is Cera Microcristallina Wax clean?
This ingredient is generally low-irritation when highly refined for cosmetic use, but clean-beauty frameworks often flag it because of fossil origin and potential PAH impurity concerns if refinement is poor. Its acceptability depends heavily on purification quality and documentation.
Is Cera Microcristallina Wax sustainable?
This material is fossil-derived and not considered readily biodegradable. Its environmental profile is weaker than renewable lipid-based alternatives because it relies on nonrenewable feedstocks and persists longer in the environment.
Is Cera Microcristallina Wax COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a fossil-derived material. From a Green Chemistry perspective, it scores poorly on renewable sourcing and biodegradability, although it is chemically stable and typically used without reactive processing in finished formulas.
How does Cera Microcristallina Wax work chemically?
This material is a semi-solid mixture of high-molecular-weight saturated hydrocarbons, with branched and cyclic structures that provide strong oil-binding, gloss control, and structural support. Typical use levels range from about 1 to 20 percent depending on format, and it is nonionic, water-insoluble, pH-independent, and comparatively resistant to oxidation.
Last updated 2026-05-14