BEESWAX || Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database | Environmental Working Group

BEESWAX

Score	Data: Limited
CAS	8012-89-3
moisturizer (743 products)
lip balm (713 products)
mascara (487 products)
lipstick (452 products)
lip gloss (375 products)
Show all 4,182 products that contain BEESWAX.
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BEESWAX

Health concerns of ingredient
About the ratings
Cancer	no information
Developmental & reproductive toxicity	no information
Allergies & immunotoxicity	no information
Use restrictions	no information
Contamination concerns: none
Other LOW concerns: Data gaps

About the ratings

EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any. Learn more | Legal Disclaimer

Function/use(s): Binder; Emulsion Stabilizer; Epilating Agent; Fragrance Ingredient; Skin-Conditioning Agent -Miscellaneous; Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent; Viscosity Increasing Agent - Nonaqueous; EMOLLIENT; FILM FORMING; PERFUMING

About BEESWAX: Beeswax is the purified wax from the honeycomb of the bee, Apis mellifera. This ingredient is listed in the PETA's Caring Consumer guide as a substance of animal origin.

Synonym(s): BEESWAX ABSOLUTE; BEESWAX CONCRETE; BEESWAX, WHITE (APIS MELLIFERA L.) ; BLEACHED BEESWAX; CERA ALBA; WHITE BEESWAX; WHITE WAX; YELLOW WAX; WHITE (APIS MELLIFERA L.) BEESWAX

This ingredient may be derived from animals. From PETA's Caring Consumer: Wax obtained from melting honeycomb with boiling water, straining it, and cooling it. From virgin bees. Very cheap and widely used. May be harmful to the skin. In lipsticks and many other cosmetics (e ... read more

Data gaps
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product		Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
459 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results ->		PubMed

Ecotoxicology
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin		Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Multiple, additive exposure sources
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food		FDA Food Additive Status
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food		FDA Everything Added to Food

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
type of concern	product conditions	reference
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful		Environment Canada Domestic Substance List

Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
government/industry list/academic study	appears on list as	classification(s)
FDA Food Additive Status	WHITE WAX	• MISC • GRAS
FDA Food Additive Status	YELLOW WAX	• MISC • GRAS - CFR184.1973
FDA Food Additive Status	WHITE BEESWAX	• FL/ADJ • REG • GMP • In conjunction with flavors - CFR172.510
Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments	BEESWAX	QQQ01,QQQ11; X
FDA Everything Added to Food	BEESWAX	• ASP
Environment Canada Domestic Substance List	BEESWAX	,,,U-Persistent,U-Bioaccumulative,,,,,
IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List	BEESWAX ABSOLUTE	reported as used in fragrance compounds in 2008
IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List	BEESWAX, WHITE (APIS MELLIFERA L.)	reported as used in fragrance compounds in 2008

references
government/industry list/academic study	reference
FDA Food Additive Status	FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments	CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
FDA Everything Added to Food	FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Environment Canada Domestic Substance List	EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List	IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25