occlusive
Carnauba Wax
Hardest natural wax used in vegan mascara and lip products alongside candelilla wax. Contributes high-gloss surface finish.
Benefits
- Hardest natural wax — structure and shape retention in pencil/mascara
- High-gloss surface finish
- Vegan-certified
- High melting point (82–86°C) — superior heat stability
- Film-forming in lip and eye products
Example uses
- Mascara formulas
- Lipstick cores
- Eyebrow pencils
- Body scrubs
- Solid serums
Mechanism of action
Film formation via high hydrocarbon and ester wax deposition. The extremely high melting point arises from long-chain wax esters (ceryl cerotate, myricyl cerotate) and long-chain hydrocarbons that interlock in a rigid crystalline matrix.
Clinical evidence · High
Well-characterised wax. Mechanism physical. No modern RCTs.
Effective concentration range
0.5–5% in formulations
Formulation notes
Requires highest processing temperatures of the natural waxes (~90°C). Typically used in blends with softer waxes.
Watchouts
Brittleness at high use levels requires careful formulation balance. Typically 1–3% maximum in lip formulations.
Stacks with
Market positioning
Sold as premium plant wax. Accurate. Primarily used for technical performance and clean/vegan positioning.
Comedogenicity
1 / 5
Sensitisation risk
Low
INCI & aliases
Carnauba
copernicia cerifera cera · palm wax · brazil wax
Clean beauty perception
Very positively received in clean beauty — vegan, minimally processed, traditional use. Food-grade approval increases consumer confidence.
More occlusive
Graph relationships
Timeline