Candelilla wax

Candelilla wax (candelilla from Spanish small candle) is a natural vegetable wax that is hard at normal ambient temperature (melting point is 67 to 71 degrees Celsius), yellowish-brown in colour with a fine crystalline structure, which smells aromatically of benzoin resin when heated.

The wax is translucent at a low layer thickness. The wax is obtained from the leaves and stems of the candelilla bush (Euphorbia antisyphilitica), which is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern parts of the USA (Euphorbia antisyphilitica belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family). It is extracted by a cooking process.

Candelilla wax is used in food technology under the number E 902, as a coating agent (often as a substitute for beeswax or carnauba wax). The wax is used for different types of candelilla wax. The wax is used for various confectionery products, nuts, coffee beans, apples, pears and other fruits. Candelilla wax protects against moisture loss and thus guarantees longer shelf life. The fruits treated in this way are marked with the word "waxed". It is harmless to humans, as it is excreted again unchanged.

Candelilla wax is also used in pure form or in esterified form in cosmetic products. For instance in creams and emulsions. Furthermore in lipsticks and care sticks.

The Euphorbiaceae are named after the Mauritanian doctor Euphorbus. In the preantibiotic past, extracts of the candelilla plant Euphorbia antisyphillitica were used in Central America in folk medicine against syphilis.