INCI Name: Synthetic Wax
Appearance: White to off-white solid flakes or pastilles
Melting Point: 60°C – 90°C (140°F – 194°F), depending on grade
Solubility: Insoluble in water; soluble in oils and esters
Recommended Use Level: 1% – 20%
Function: Thickener, structuring agent, payoff enhancer, consistency modifier
Synthetic Wax is a lab-created alternative to natural waxes, designed to offer precise control over texture, melting point, and product consistency. It is often used as a vegan substitute for beeswax or ceresine in anhydrous systems that require smooth application and clean structure.
Synthetic Wax refers to a class of high-purity, petroleum-free or controlled hydrocarbon waxes engineered for consistency and performance in cosmetics. Unlike natural waxes, its properties can be tailored for hardness, melting point, and oil compatibility, making it ideal for formulators seeking stability and precision.
When replacing beeswax or natural waxes with Synthetic Wax, always test for melting point and compatibility to match or improve the texture and payoff of your base formula.
Melt completely into the oil phase. Adjust percentage for desired hardness or viscosity. Combine with softer waxes or emollients to customize feel.
Synthetic Wax offers tighter control over melting point, hardness, and consistency. Natural waxes vary with harvest and region, while synthetic versions deliver the same structure every time, batch after batch.
It builds firmness and viscosity without the drag or greasiness of natural waxes. The result is smoother sticks, creams with better spread, and balms that don’t feel heavy.
Yes. Synthetic Wax stabilizes emulsions and anhydrous systems by creating a strong crystalline network, preventing oil bleed, sweating, or separation in products like lipsticks and salves.
Yes. Unlike beeswax, it contains no animal-derived components. It’s also free from common allergens in natural waxes, making it ideal for vegan, hypoallergenic, or “clean” formulations.
Synthetic Wax has a more uniform molecular structure, giving predictable hardness and melting behavior. Paraffin and microcrystalline waxes can be softer and greasier, while synthetic wax maintains a drier, cleaner feel.
Yes. It locks pigments in place and improves dispersion in lipsticks and eyeshadows, leading to sharper payoff and reduced settling.
Absolutely. Many formulators use it with beeswax, carnauba, or candelilla to fine-tune hardness, melting point, or sensory feel. It reduces variability and increases texture control.
Yes. Synthetic Wax locks oils in place more effectively than natural waxes, reducing “sweating” or oily surface layers during storage.
It stabilizes esters, oils, and silicones that might otherwise migrate or separate. This is why it’s common in silicone-heavy primers or rich oil balms.
Its uniform molecular structure creates a smoother, “dry-touch” glide. It avoids the tacky drag sometimes associated with beeswax, paraffin, or microcrystalline wax.
Yes. By improving spreadability and reducing waxy residue, it supports lightweight sensory claims that consumers associate with premium formulations.
Yes. Synthetic Wax has low shrinkage, which improves mold release and reduces cracking. Poured products like lipsticks and solid balms hold shape more cleanly.
