How we scored it
Wax fraction of bleached shellac resin (lac insect secretion), separated by physical means; bleaching agents leave no mass in product; all carbon traces to insect resin.
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
Shellac wax is the waxy fraction separated from bleached shellac, a resin secreted by the lac insect (Kerria lacca) on host trees in South/Southeast Asia. Separation is by solvent or physical means only, so the wax retains the insect resin's natural carbon skeleton.
In plain English
A natural wax skimmed from shellac, a resin made by tiny lac insects on trees in Asia. It coats and conditions skin and hair, and helps bind ingredients together in products like mascara.
CosIng definition: Shellac Wax is a waxy fraction of bleached shellac obtained by physical means.
References
- 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.
- 2SHELLAC WAX. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3SHELLAC WAX. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SHELLAC%20WAX