Database/Binding/Montan Wax
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Montan Wax natural?

No. Carbon comes from lignite, a fossil fuel, so by this site's convention for fossil waxes (petrolatum, paraffin) it counts as non-natural even though its esters were originally plant waxes.

INCI nameMontan Wax
CAS8002-53-7
FunctionBinding · Viscosity Controlling
FeedstockDominant route is solvent extraction of certain lignite…

How we scored it

Mixture of C24-C34 wax esters, acids, alcohols and resins extracted from lignite (fossil brown coal); fossil carbon treated like petroleum waxes. Natural 0 / mixture = 0.00.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Dominant route is solvent extraction of certain lignite (brown coal) deposits, followed by refining or bleaching. No plant-based or other route supplies this material.

In plain English

A hard, brittle wax extracted from certain brown-coal (lignite) deposits; it is a fossil wax made from ancient plants. It is used to thicken and bind products. Its source is a fossil deposit, not a living plant.

CosIng definition: Montan Wax is a wax obtained by extraction of lignite

Natural alternatives with the same function

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2MONTAN WAX. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3MONTAN WAX. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=MONTAN%20WAX