Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a solid structuring agent that adds body, hardness, payoff control, and water-resistant film formation in sticks, balms, creams, and color cosmetics.
What does Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a solid structuring agent that adds body, hardness, payoff control, and water-resistant film formation in sticks, balms, creams, and color cosmetics.
Is Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally low-irritation and chemically inert on skin, but its fossil origin creates frequent standards friction. Highly refined cosmetic grades are expected to meet limits for trace aromatic residues.
Is Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax sustainable?
This material is derived from nonrenewable fossil feedstocks. It is not readily biodegradable and can persist in the environment, which gives it a weaker sustainability profile than plant-based structuring alternatives.
Is Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because of its petrochemical origin. Its Green Chemistry alignment is limited by nonrenewable sourcing and poor biodegradability, despite its high stability and low reactivity in formulas.
How does Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax work chemically?
The molecule set is a highly refined, saturated mixture of long-chain branched and cyclic hydrocarbons that forms a crystalline solid network in anhydrous and emulsion systems. It is heat-stable, oxidation-resistant, water-insoluble, and typically used as a structurant or binder at low single-digit levels in emulsions and higher levels in sticks and balms.
Last updated 2026-05-13