Cera Alba (Beeswax)
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.
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.
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.
The quantity of beeswax and the type of oil you choose to pair beeswax with can determine how hard or soft the resulting stick is. For example, beeswax at 5% with castor oil can make a very hard gel, but isopropyl palmitate, a lightweight ester, requires 15% beeswax, and it’s still not as hard. Play around with different percentages of beeswax with different oils and esters to understand how beeswax impacts the your final stick structure. Sometimes you just need to change the oil or combination!
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.
Cera Alba (Beeswax)
| Beeswax | 100% | (CAS 8012-89-3 ) |
Completely Biodegradable
GRAS (can be used on lips)
Halal Compliant
Kosher
Sustainably Sourced from Trained Beekeepers
Manufacturer commitment to social programs for beekeepers
Western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Togo)
Manufactured and Refined in the United States
Animal By-product (Bees)
100%
Thickener, Structurant, Texture Enhancer, Increases melting point
Sticks, balms, heavy creams, ointments
| Sticks, Balms | 5 - 15% |
| Light Emulsions | 1 - 3% |
| Medium Emulsions | 4 - 6% |
| Rich Emulsions | 7 - 10% |
Yes. Beeswax has GRAS status with the FDA and is suitable for use in lip products.
Yes.
Not pH dependent.
The quantity of beeswax and the type of oil you choose to pair beeswax with can determine how hard or soft the resulting stick is. Play around with different oils and esters, as well as combinations, to understand how beeswax impacts the your final stick structure.
Beeswax goes into the oil phase and requires high heat (approximately 140-150ºF (60-65ºC) for melting.
None.
Light Yellow / Sweet / Waxy Pastille
Oils, Butters, Waxes
140-150ºF (60-65ºC)
100%
0%
Store in closed container in a dark, cool place.
Shelf life is only relevant to the date it was manufactured and how it was stored! Please use the retest date on the Certificate of Analysis below to see when this ingredient should be retested for continued use. Please note, high quality beeswax is practically good forever.
For external use only. Keep out of reach of children.
None.
Safety Data Sheet
Certificate of Analysis Lot 20B254 (now shipping)
Sold in ounces and pounds by weight. See our Terms for full warranties on safety & regulatory.
| 4 oz 8 oz 16 oz 5 LB |
Stand Up Pouch Stand Up Pouch Paper Tube Poly Bag |
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.
Trained beekeepers collect the honeycomb from hives, without disturbing the bees.
The honeycomb and honey are separated. The honey is used for food.
The beeswax is refined in a double-filtration process to remove impurities from the hive.
The hot, liquid beeswax is cooled into pastilles for easy use.
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.
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.