CANDELILLA WAX

📋 Quick facts

Description: CANDELILLA WAX — Candelilla wax is a wax derived from the leaves of the small candelilla shrub native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, Euphorbia antisyphilitica, from the family Euphorbiaceae. It is yellowish-brown, hard, brittle, aromatic, and opaque to translucent..

Quick Facts:

• Category: other

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Candelilla wax is a plant-derived ingredient used in cosmetic sticks to hold oils in solid form
• On its own, candelilla wax is softer than traditional paraffin wax
• When combined with behenyl behenate (another plant wax), candelilla wax becomes significantly harder
• The crystal structure of candelilla wax changes when combined with behenyl behenate, making it more stable

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Candelilla wax (CW) is used in cosmetic formulations as an oil-gelling agent—essentially a natural thickener that turns liquid oils into solid or semi-solid products like stick formulas (J Oleo Sci, 2022). However, the ingredient has a limitation: #1: its hardness is inadequate compared to hydrocarbon waxes such as paraffin, which have been the industry standard for decades (J Oleo Sci, 2022). Researchers explored whether adding behenyl behenate (BB)—a plant-derived wax ester with a high melting point—could improve candelilla wax’s performance. The results were striking: #2: when behenyl behenate was mixed with candelilla wax at a 70:30 ratio (candelilla to behenyl behenate), the resulting gel hardness increased to approximately four times that of candelilla wax alone, and this mixture actually became harder than paraffin wax (J Oleo Sci, 2022).

Interestingly, this improvement wasn’t simply about adding any similar ingredient. #3: Additives with chemical structures similar to behenyl behenate—such as stearyl stearate or behenic acid—did not produce the same hardening effect, suggesting the specific molecular structure of behenyl behenate is what matters (J Oleo Sci, 2022). At the microscopic level, the mechanism behind this improvement reveals why: candelilla wax naturally forms many small spherical clusters of fine crystals, a heterogeneous (non-uniform) structure that limits its hardness. When behenyl behenate is added, this structure reorganizes into a homogeneous card-house arrangement of plate crystals—similar to how paraffin wax naturally forms—which provides much greater stability (J Oleo Sci, 2022).

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Shimizu T et al. (2022). Enhancement of the Gel Hardness of Candelilla Wax through the Addition of Long-chain Ester Wax Behenyl Behenate. J Oleo Sci.
• Barrientos N et al. (2013). Contact cheilitis caused by candelilla wax contained in lipstick. Contact Dermatitis.

🧴 Products Containing CANDELILLA WAX

• Garnier Garnier Fructis
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 4.15 Caracas
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 5.5 Lys Mahognibrun
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 6 MørkeBlond
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 8.3 Lys Gyldenblond
• L’Oréal, L’Oreal Consumer products, L’Oréal Paris, Elseve Elsene Color-Vive Miracle Instantané
• L’Oréal Paris Superior Preference 5CB Medium Chestnut Brown Warmer Haircolor
• loreal pairs bond repair Conditioner
• L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Repair Conditioner
• Pond’s Dry Skin Cream
• Sun Bum Coco Balm Piña Colada Lip Balm
• haar maske
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 9.13 Baikal
• L’Oréal, L’Oreal Consumer products, L’Oréal Paris, Elseve Elsene Total Repair 5 Miracle Instantané
• L’OREAL NORGE AS SuperLiner Le Kohl 120 Immaculate Snow
• L’OREAL NORGE AS SuperLiner Le Kohl 110 Midnight Black
• L’OREAL NORGE AS L’Oreal Superliner Le Kohl 116 Rainforest Green
• L’Oréal Фарба для волосся L’Oreal Paris Preference 5.0
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Maybelline Brow Tattoo Pomade Medium 3
• L’Oréal, L’Oreal Consumer products, Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Strike a Rose
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Maybelline Brow Tattoo Pomade Dark Brown 5
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Maybelline Brow Tattoo Pomade Taupe 1
• L’Oréal, L’Oreal Consumer products, Garnier, Ultra-Doux Ultra Doux Démêlant instantané Le Baume merveilleux Huiles d’argan et camélia
• Garnier Wahre Schätze Pflegende Spülung Argan Camelia-Öl
• L’Oréal, L’Oreal Consumer products, Garnier, Ultra Doux Ultra Doux Lèvres Baume à lèvres nourrissant Trésors de Miel
• Dessange Réveil’Color Rose Précieuse
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 10.1 Helsinki
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 3 Brasilia
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 5 Brugge
• Skin Food Black sugar mask wash off
• Little Urchin Natural Clear Zinc Sunscreen SPF 50
• uper Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Cream for Face and Neck
• Gemey Maybelline Master Kajal Khol liner – Pitch Black
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 1 Napoli
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 7 Blond
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 4 Brun
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 8 Lysblond
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Excellence 5 Lysebrun
• Kerastase Paris Specifique Masque Rehydratant