OZOKERITE ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a waxy structurant and viscosity builder, mainly used to harden sticks, stabilize balms, improve pay-off, and reduce oil bleed in color cosmetics and lip products.
What does OZOKERITE do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a waxy structurant and viscosity builder, mainly used to harden sticks, stabilize balms, improve pay-off, and reduce oil bleed in color cosmetics and lip products.
Is OZOKERITE clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because it is a fossil-derived hydrocarbon material rather than a renewable or skin-active ingredient. Cosmetic grades are refined for purity, but many clean frameworks prefer materials with clearer renewable sourcing and better end-of-life profiles.
Is OZOKERITE sustainable?
This material comes from nonrenewable fossil deposits and is not readily biodegradable. Its main sustainability drawback is persistence after use, rather than high irritation potential in the finished formula.
Is OZOKERITE COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic in typical cosmetic use because fossil-derived hydrocarbon waxes do not fit the standard’s allowed natural-origin material approach. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak due to nonrenewable sourcing and poor biodegradability, although it is chemically stable and usually requires no reactive processing in formulation.
How does OZOKERITE work chemically?
The molecule profile is not a single compound, but a complex wax mixture dominated by high-molecular-weight saturated hydrocarbons, including linear, branched, and cyclic alkane structures. It is typically used as a structuring aid in anhydrous systems, often around low single digits up to higher levels in sticks, with melting behavior commonly in the roughly 60 to 90°C range depending on grade.
Last updated 2026-05-13