Beeswax

What is beeswax? 

Beeswax is a product of the honey bee, with which it builds its combs to store mainly honey or eggs. During the honey harvest, the honeycomb is left behind and can be processed into wax. It is therefore a natural substance of animal origin. 

Cosmetic
Our cosmetic beeswax is a mixture of pure wax, fatty acids and hydrocarbons and is particularly suitable for use in the cosmetics industry. This is the yellowish wax (Cera flava), which, compared to the bleached wax (Cera alba), has a warm shade and a pleasantly natural scent. 

Pharmaceutical
Our pharmaceutical beeswax is distinguished by its particular purity and is used in medicine, pharmacy and high-quality natural products. Yellow unbleached beeswax (Cera flava) has been proven to have a high protective effect and provides the skin with particularly long-lasting moisture.

Beeswax: formation, harvest and refinement 

Honey bees form their combs in the hive from individual wax scales, with which they build up the centre walls. The beeswax is produced in 8 special abdominal glands of the insects, which secrete the wax. The narrow plates that are initially secreted are pure white. However, the wax later acquires its typical yellow colour by being mixed with propolis, other glandular secretions and flower pollen, which contain the colouring substance carotene. 

 For the honey harvest, individual combs are removed, freed from the comb lid and finally emptied with the help of a centrifuge. Both the comb lid and the empty comb can then be cleaned and further processed. For this purpose, beekeepers place the soft lid in a screw press, for example, to separate the honey and wax. They then melt the wax with a solar wax or steam wax melter. 

Afterwards, it is cleaned in a water bath at a temperature of 75-80 °C. Due to the different densities of water and wax, the dirt particles sink to the bottom and the pure substance rises to the top – leaving behind the clean, light-coloured beeswax. Alternatively or additionally, beekeepers use classic filtering with the help of sieves.

What are the advantages of beeswax? 

1 | Environmentally friendly - Beeswax is a natural raw material that, even after refinement, remains free of artificial additives. This means that the wax can either be completely biodegraded or 100% recycled. Especially in comparison to petroleum- and lignite-based waxes, beeswax is therefore considered a very environmentally friendly substance that is important for numerous economic sectors. 

2 | Versatile in use - Due to a number of positive properties, beeswax can be used in many different ways. These include, among other things, easy refinement and processing, delicate consistency, even burning and a natural and pleasant scent. In addition, it can easily be combined with other substances in both the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors. 3 | High quality Honey bee wax can be cleaned with very little effort compared to other waxes and refined without artificial additives. Due to its low melting temperature, it is also much easier and more resource-efficient to process – into candles, centre walls or wax cloths. Another quality feature is the long and consistent burning of beeswax.

What are the properties of refined beeswax? 

Beeswax has a solid consistency in its normal state, but can be kneaded a little from around 20 °C. It consists partly of fatty acids, so it is not soluble in water. For this reason, it is often processed into impregnating agents, for example to protect shoes or wood from moisture. Basically, beeswax can be cast into any shape. In most cases, however, you will receive it as pastilles or flakes. Depending on whether it is bleached or natural beeswax, it has a whitish or yellow colour. The pleasant honey scent, in combination with its air-permeable composition, makes it an optimal ingredient for cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.

What is beeswax used for? 

The wax of the honey bee is used in numerous areas. This is mainly due to its extremely beneficial properties, high purity and therefore very good quality. Areas of application include, for example: 

• the protection and separation of food 
• the solidifying of cosmetic products 
• the sealing of cosmetic products 
• the impregnation of vulnerable surfaces 
• Skin care Production of new wax centre walls 
• the reduction of the resistance of skis or snowboards on snow 
• the production of candles 
• the production of wax cloths

Beeswax in the cosmetic sector 

Many cosmetic products contain beeswax. There are various reasons for this: Creams, soaps and co. acquire their desired consistency through the solid substance, are protected by the sealing and cared for thanks to beneficial ingredients. Last but not least, the beneficial fragrance is ideally suited for cosmetic applications – but also for candles, which are also made from the wax. Beeswax in the pharmaceutical sector In the pharmaceutical sector, too, beeswax plays a role above all in the production of ointments, pastes or lotions. The wax covers affected areas of skin with an air-permeable protective layer that keeps out bacteria or impurities. In addition, beeswax has several caring properties such as providing moisture.