Carnauba Alternatives
Carnauba is a wax derived from the leaves of the Brazilian palm tree Copernicia cerifera. It is also known as Brazil wax for this reason. It comes in yellow flakes that have a sharp odor. It produces a hard wax with a glossy finish. It is a complex mixture of organic chemical compounds with many applications from car wax and shoe polish to candy coating and cosmetics. It produces the shiny surface on gummy bears, gummy worms, jelly beans and many other candies.
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Beeswax
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Beeswax doesn't have quite as many uses as carnauba wax, but it is widely used for candle making and cosmetics, and in candy, for floor and furniture polishes, children's crayons, among other things. Beeswax is used largely by the beekeeping industry as well in the construction of artificial hives. Candle making is the largest single industry using raw beeswax. The candles are prized because they burn longer than candles made from other materials.
Montan Wax
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Though it is considered a mineral wax, montan wax is actually wax left behind by fossilized plants. It is extracted from brown coal with solvents. Because of its history, it has much in common with the vegetable waxes. Montan wax is very hard, and is resistant to oxidization. Like carnauba waxes montan wax is used often in automotive wax production, but it is also used as a lubricant in the paper and plastics industries.
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Candelilla Wax
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Produced by small shrubs native to Mexico, candelilla wax is another organically occurring wax. It is extracted by boiling the plant which separates the wax from the rest of the plant material. The wax can then be skimmed from the top of the water for further processing. It is harder than other waxes and is sometimes used in wax mixes to increase stability. It is used mostly in food and cosmetics, among other applications.
Lanolin
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Also known as wool wax, lanolin is made from waxy secretions collected from unprocessed wool. Wool before cleaning contains as much as 24 percent greasy matter, and some of this is the compounds needed to create lanolin. Once processed, it is a complex substance of many different compounds. It is commonly used in industry, as in fabrics, inks, and lubricants. Like beeswax, lanolin has been used since ancient times.
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References
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