Vegan Suitable Alternative to Beeswax - Formulating for the Vegan Colour Cosmetic Market

Many brands are looking to reformulate their lines to be vegan. This requires replacing animal derived products for non-animal derived alternatives. For example, Beeswax, which is produced in nature by bees is not a direct animal product but is still not classified as vegan. This versatile ingredient is used in many applications, including mascara and lipstick, predominantly for its structuring properties. When formulating cosmetic products, natural waxes have long been an option for cosmetic chemists. They are not always the preferred option, and formulators may wish to include a synthetic structural wax ester instead, as these can offer stable, uniform properties in sticks and emulsion systems, while avoiding the variability in quality, availability and cost sometimes seen in natural options. Also, some natural waxes are not compatible with volatile silicones or short chain esters, often incorporated into color cosmetic formulations. So, a range of synthetic structural wax esters can offer an advantage to formulators in the development of cosmetics.

Croda, in keeping up with trend, has introduced the latest addition in the Syncrowax™ range of wax esters - Syncrowax SB1. This new synthetic beeswax variant is comprised of 100% non-animal derived, non-GMO waxes and emulsifiers that are especially blended to provide a vegan suitable alternative to natural beeswax. Due to its structuring properties, it is an ideal choice for a variety of cosmetic applications including lipsticks, lip balms and mascaras.  It is approximately 79% natural as defined by the ISO 16128 standard.  It is listed on the IECIC register therefore meeting this regulation for China and is also REACH registered. Syncrowax SB1 utilises palm derivatives made in accordance with the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm requirements for mass balance.

Croda offers five synthetic wax esters as part of its range.  Each has its own attributes and offers varying degrees of structuring and bodying properties.  They can be used alone or in combination to allow the formulation of products with a wide range of physical characteristics.  All are available in pastille form for ease of handling in manufacture.

SP Syncrowax SB1 MBAL can be considered to be generally suitable for vegan; however, as there is no single agreed definition nor a standard, global certification, if you are interested in making a vegan claim, please request our Vegan Suitability statement for specifics on this product and compare to the certification(s) you are seeking to meet.

1 https://www.vegansociety.com/news/media/statistics

2 https://www.worldin2019.economist.com/theyearofthevegan