INCI

Cera Alba (Beeswax)

What It Does

Beeswax is one of history's most remarkable cosmetic ingredients, unlike any other wax in the world. It not only provides thickness and structure to sticks and balms, but it improves texture for smoothness. Beeswax can also thicken emulsions to make beautiful rich butters and creams. Think of it as nature's emulsifier. Our African beeswax is sourced from Western Africa and refined in the USA to ensure sustainable, high quality beeswax that can be traced back to which beekeeper produced it.

Why use refined beeswax?

The compounds in beeswax that give it its amazing properties can fluctuate depending on what time of year it is, where it is collected, and what the bees have eaten. These variations in chemical makeup can cause various inconsistencies in cosmetic products. The filtering process removes any color and impurities and allows consistency from batch to batch.

Why use African beeswax?

Western Africa is incredibly biodiverse, with grassland, forests, crops and flora providing food for year-round bee activity. Bees secrete beeswax to form honeycombs, where their food (honey) is stored. The honeycombs are collected when the hive begins to fill. Once the honeycomb is removed, the bees begin to build again. If the honeycombs were not collected, the bees would abandon their hive when it becomes full. This collection method allows continual regeneration and happy bees. We choose to source African beeswax because of the rich biodiversity and the lack of plant dormancy year-round. Bees store honey in honeycombs as food for winter, when plants are dormant. If we were to source beeswax from regions with extreme seasons or dormant periods, we would be taking food from the bees. Because there is abundant biodiversity independent of season in Western Africa, bees produce high quality wax year-round.

How It's Made

Honeycombs are collected from full hives by local, trained beekeepers in villages. The wax is separated from the honey and the sight collector documents every kilogram of wax purchased from the beekeeper. The sight collector delivers all the wax to the main collection facility in Togo. Once in the US, the crude beeswax is refined by melting and being passed through two filters to remove the color and any impurities from the hive. The liquid wax is then formed into easy-to-use pastilles.

Certifications
Nut Free
Nut Free
Gluten Free
Gluten Free
Non GMO
Non GMO
People and Planet
People and Planet
INCI
Cera Alba (Beeswax)

People and Planet

Completely Biodegradable
Sustainable
Supplier commitment to social programs for beekeepers


Geographical Origin

Western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Togo)


Ingredient Origin

Animal Byproduct (bees)


Function

Thickener, Structurant, Texture Enhancer


Types of Formulas

Sticks, balms, heavy creams, ointments


Use Level

1 - 100%


Color / Odor / Appearance

Light Yellow / Sweet / Waxy Pastille


Solubility

Oils, Butters, Waxes


Melting Point

140ºF - 150ºF


Percent Active

100%


Natural Index ISO 16128

1


Storage

Store in closed container in a dark, cool place.


Shelf Life

See retest date on Certificate of Analysis.


Warning

For external use only. Keep out of reach of children.


Regulatory Documents

Safety Data Sheet
Certificate of Analysis Lot 20B254

Sold in ounces by weight. See our Terms for full warranties on safety & regulatory.


Why It's Special

Our beeswax has a positive impact on the environment, traceability back to the hive, provides fair living wages to the collectors, and imparts positive social impacts on communities.

Quality. Transparency. Trust.
Collected
Collected

Trained beekeepers collect the honeycomb from hives, without disturbing the bees.

Separated
Separated

The honeycomb and honey are separated. The honey is used for food.

Refined
Refined

The beeswax is refined in a double-filtration process to remove impurities from the hive.

Pastillation
Pastillation

The hot, liquid beeswax is cooled into pastilles for easy use.

Make It Yours
Simple Lotion Bar

Keep it minimal with this Simple Lotion Bar. Fair Trade Cocoa Butter nourishes with a subtle cocoa-y scent, while Sustainable African Beeswax helps the bar to solidify. This recipe is fun to make with the kids - you can even just pop everything in the microwave and pour.

print recipe

Double boiler
Scale
Thermometer
Silicone mold with desired shapes

Skill Level: Easy

Makes 200 grams. Number of bars varies depending on the mold used.

INGREDIENT FORMULA  WEIGHT
1 Watermelon Seed Oil 35.0%  70.0 g
2 Sustainable African Beeswax 30.0%  60.0 g
3 Fair Trade Cocoa Butter 15.0%  30.0 g
4 Organic Shea Butter 17.0%  34.0 g
TOTAL 100%  200.0 g

Prepare a double boiler with water in the bottom pan and add ingredients 1-4 to the top pan. Begin heating the mixture to 175ºF with light stirring. Keep the temperature at 175ºF for 10 minutes while stirring diligently. Everything should be melted.

Turn off the heat and continue to stir for 5 minutes. Pour mixture directly into the silicone mold. Allow the shapes in the mold to solidify slightly before transferring to the refrigerator to completely cool.

Once cool, pop the shapes out and store at room temperature. To use, warm the lotion bar up in the hands or rub on the skin and massage.

INGREDIENTS: Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tapioca Starch

This recipe is only a representative formulation to serve as an example of how these ingredients can be used. It is not a commercial product. Please conduct own testing as this formulation has not been subjected to testing for either performance, efficacy or safety.

Before handling ingredients, read all product information and safety data sheets for the ingredients to understand any handling instructions, safety precautions, and disposal instructions.

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