"Bees-nees" Vegan Beeswax Alternatives

"Bees-nees" Vegan Beeswax Alternatives in Personal Care Beeswax has long been a favored ingredient for formulators in cosmetics and personal care. However, with recent availability issues and many consumers now viewing beeswax extraction as exploitative and cruel to bees, formulators have found it necessary to explore alternative products to beeswax. But is it possible to create an environmentally friendly alternative to beeswax that remains effective and marketable?

Creating "Change"

While many of us associate the term 'vegan' with food, consumer trends show preference for a wide range of vegan products both in and out of the kitchen. In fact, did you know that one in three consumers is more likely to try vegan skincare compared to vegan milk alternatives? The global market for vegan cosmetics was valued at USD 15.1 billion in 2020, following an 83% increase in sales compared to the previous year. This figure is expected to reach USD 21.4 billion by 2027. Switching to vegan alternatives in beeswax appears to be a perfect opportunity to capture the growing market.

How Do We Select the Best Beeswax Alternative?

There are three types of beeswax alternatives: fully synthetic, partially synthetic, or fully natural. Fully synthetic alternatives typically raise sustainability concerns as they are formulated from petroleum. Partially synthetic alternatives, while showing promise from a sustainability perspective, do not allow formulators to produce entirely natural products. Fully natural alternatives use plant waxes. This is a perfect alternative for formulators wanting to create environmentally conscious products. The question then becomes: which plant wax should be used for which application, since each plant wax has different properties that work better for different end products. The best solution is often to use a blend of multiple plant waxes. However, mixing different wax types together can be difficult due to the amount of trial and error required to find the correct ratios, as well as different chemical properties such as melting point and acid value. Univar Solutions' comprehensive product portfolio addresses these concerns with an innovative plant wax blend that is both effective and environmentally friendly, allowing you to optimize the time and testing needed to formulate your product without compromising on quality.

Our Solution

PHC 9677 from Poth Hille is a carefully selected blend of three plant waxes that is vegan, not tested on animals, palm-free, and biodegradable. The blend contains many beneficial components: • Rice bran wax leaves a silky feel on the skin without leaving any oily film or residue. • Sunflower seed wax provides structure and hardness – perfect for stick formulations such as lip balms. • Sumac wax assists in homogeneous distribution of the product during application and, thanks to its flexibility properties, prevents your products from breaking under pressure. The formula can be used in all types of beauty and personal care products, including baby care, but works particularly well in oleogels and stick formulations. It can be used in any type of emulsion and water-free formulations.

Sustainability

According to the Natural Origin Index 1 (per ISO 16128), formulators can be confident that PHC 9677 is a truly sustainable choice for those wanting to benefit from the vegan beauty trend. All three waxes used in the raw materials are natural by-products produced in sustainable ways.

Would You Like to Learn More?

At our Solution Center in Essen, Germany, our team of scientists provided details on the use of PHC 9677 at our recent Innovation Day event. To watch and access details, you can contact your customer representative.   Sources • Kovack, K. (2022, January 19). Just The Numbers: Consumer Views on Vegan Alternatives. Beauty Matters. https://beautymatter.com/articles/just-the-numbers-consumer-views-on-vegan-alternatives • Larson, K. (2021, April 30). Vegan Beauty Is On The Rise. . . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinlarson/2021/04/30/vegan-beauty--brands-like-typology-the-ordinary-luneaster-lead-the-way/   Sevinç Yazılıtaş Beauty and Personal Care Technical Account Manager Univar Solutions