Ingredient
SYNTHETIC WAX
Name / description
Synthetic Wax (a Hydrocarbon Wax)
Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products
ABRASIVE
Removes dental plaque or dirt from the skin surface through a grinding / polishing effect
BINDING
Ensures the cohesion of powdered products
EMULSION STABILISING
Supports emulsion formation and improves product stability
FRAGRANCE
Enhances the smell of a product and / or perfumes the skin
FRAGRANCE FUNCTIONAL
Functional ingredient (excipient) of perfume oils and / or flavours
VISCOSITY CONTROLLING
Increases or decreases the viscosity of cosmetic products
Origin
synthetic mineral/synthetic
Background information on use in cosmetics
Synthetic wax is a purified, solid paraffin. Mineral waxes have film-forming as well as hydrophobic (water-repellent) properties in cosmetic products and promote gloss formation on the skin (eg in lipsticks). They also serve as consistency enhancer in creams and protect the skin against moisture loss. The paraffins used in cosmetics are highly purified, very well tolerated and do not cause any skin irritations. Fragrances or mixtures of fragrances are often referred to in the cosmetics area as "perfuming agents" or "perfume oils" or "parfum oils". On the cosmetic products they are declared with the INCI name "PARFUM". These are undiluted individual substances or their mixtures which originate from natural raw materials or can be produced (semi-) synthetically. They are starting materials for the production of perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne and other perfumed cosmetic products. The average content of fragrances amounts in perfume to 15-30 %, in eau de parfum to 10-14 %, in eau de toilette to 6-9 %, in eau de cologne to 3-5 % as well as in skin creams, shampoos, hair and deodorant sprays to approximately 0.2-1 % and approximately 1-3 in deodorant sticks. The perfume oils include essential oils, resinoids and absolutes. The sources are, amongst others, flowers, leaves and stems, fruits and fruit peels or roots of plants; woods, grasses or herbs, needles, resins and balsams. Moreover, only compounds isolated from natural products such as aldehydes, ketones, esters, alcohols etc. are used (geraniol, citronellal, citral, eugenol, menthol) as well as semi-synthetic (citronellol, geranyl acetate, jonone) and synthetic scents (eg phenylethyl alcohol and linalool) are used. Scents of animal origin such as musk and ambra are only rarely used.
Information on safe use
Why are we talking about it?
Mineral oils are accused of forming an impermeable film on the surface of the skin. Consumer associations have raised the question of the potential presence of undesirable compounds in mineral oils. The facts: Mineral oils are known in cosmetics as occlusive. This does not mean that they suffocate the skin (which does not breathe), but that the film they form on the skin's surface limits insensible water loss, which puts them in the category of moisturisers. They do not clog pores or cause imperfections. The term mineral oil covers a wide range of ingredients, whose characteristics (structure, viscosity etc.) vary, but which are all composed of hydrocarbons known as “saturated”. Mineral oils used in cosmetics are refined to a high, pharmaceutical grade of purity (1). Mineral oils used in lip products are safe enough to be ingested (2). Mineral oils do not penetrate the skin barrier; they are moreover inert and perfectly tolerated, which makes them a good ally to fragilized skin. Key points to take away: Mineral oils are very well known cosmetic ingredients and are very safe to use (1), both on the skin and on the lips. The purity criteria required in cosmetics limit the presence of undesirable compounds to a minimum, without any health risk (2). The fact that they do not penetrate the skin barrier as well as their occlusive nature are assets in the care of the most fragile skins. They are even used in medical environments in the management of damaged skin (burns, wounds). Sources: (1) Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BFR): Highly refined mineral oils in cosmetics: Health risks are not to be expected according to current knowledge, 2018: https://mobil.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/highly-refined-mineral-oils-in-cosmetics-health-risks-are-not-to-be-expected-according-to-current-knowledge.pdf (2) COSMETICS EUROPE: Mineral hydrocarbons in cosmetic lip care products, 2018: https://cosmeticseurope.eu/download/N08vNnB0TUhMbWpwQmlqVk9UZzdwZz09
Belongs to the following substance groups
Regulating cosmetics
Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.
Database
Cosmetics matter to people and play an important role in our everyday life. On average European consumers use over seven different cosmetics daily. You too? It’s only natural that you want to know more about the ingredients in those products.
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