Cire microcristalline) ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a solid structuring and thickening agent for sticks, balms, salves, and anhydrous color cosmetics. It improves hardness, payoff control, adhesion, gloss, and water resistance while helping suspend pigments and oils.
What does Cire microcristalline) do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a solid structuring and thickening agent for sticks, balms, salves, and anhydrous color cosmetics. It improves hardness, payoff control, adhesion, gloss, and water resistance while helping suspend pigments and oils.
Is Cire microcristalline) clean?
From a clean beauty lens, it often faces restricted-list friction because it is a refined petroleum-derived material, not because it is a common sensitizer. Cosmetic grades are highly purified, but some standards scrutinize residual mineral-oil aromatic hydrocarbons and overall petrochemical reliance.
Is Cire microcristalline) sustainable?
It is sourced from fossil feedstocks and is not considered readily biodegradable. Its environmental profile is weaker than plant-derived structuring materials because it is persistent and nonrenewable.
Is Cire microcristalline) COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted in COSMOS-organic or COSMOS-natural formulas because it is petrochemical in origin. It has limited Green Chemistry alignment due to nonrenewable sourcing and poor biodegradability, despite being chemically stable and low-reactivity in finished products.
How does Cire microcristalline) work chemically?
This material is a complex mixture of high-molecular-weight branched and cyclic saturated hydrocarbons, giving it a fine crystal structure and a higher oil-binding capacity than many simpler solid hydrocarbons. It is typically used around 1 to 20% depending on product format, melts roughly in the 60 to 90°C range, and is stable across normal cosmetic pH because it is used mainly in anhydrous or oil-phase systems.
Last updated 2026-05-13