Beeswax

At British Wax we are passionate about Beeswax – its an amazing sustainable natural wax which is used in many different applications. We have been refining beeswax in the only UK refinery for +100 years and specialise in refining pure beeswax for a variety of different technical standards.

bees flying back to the hive

Grades and Applications

We refine, produce and supply Beeswax for various industries:

  • Personal Care
  • Beauty
  • Candle Making

  • Skin Care
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Food & Food Wrap

We produce various grades of beeswax for all your technical needs:

  • Raw/Coarse Filtered
  • Technical/general use (industrial grade/candles)
  • BP (British Pharmacopoeia) Grade

  • Ph Eur. Grade
  • Food Grade
  • Synthetic (containing beeswax)
  • Organic

They differ for purity. In short, general use beeswax will contain some impurities such pollen, oils or proplis. Cosmetic grade has less impurities than general use grade. And so on.
Our waxes can be supplied in slabs, pellets, small blocks and granules.


Our beeswax is available in:

  • Yellow

  • White

Not all beeswax is the same, as beeswax can vary significantly depending on country, forage and bee species.

Yellow Beeswax, Slabs

What to know about beeswax

Melting Point: This should be 61-66C, however values within this range are not a guarantee of purity.

Acid Value: Acid value is the measure of hydrolytic rancidity. In general, it gives an indication about edibility. Typical Cosmetic Grade Acid values range from 16.8 to 24, we ensure even our general use beeswax Acid Values are 17-24 mg KOH/g.

Ester Value: Pharmacopoeia list ester values from 66 to 82, but most beeswaxes range between 72 and 80. Tulloch (1980) suggests, for cosmetic grade values of 70 to 80 are most typical. This value is calculated by subtracting the acid value of oil from the saponification value. Typical Cosmetic Grade values are from 66 to 82. All our beeswaxes range between 70 and 80 even for general grade.

Saponification: The cloud point measures the amount of hydrocarbons, which saponify (turn into soap). If the solution becomes clear at or below 65 degrees Celsius, the wax is probably unadulterated with paraffin saponification value of beeswax is 85-104. This is officially accepted, sensitive method for determining adulteration. High value of saponification value are considered to be better. Our beeswaxes range between 87-104 saponification value, even the general grade.

Colour: Beeswax is naturally produced as a yellow colour. When the bee comes back from foraging, it brings nectar and pollen into the hive producing wax which is a lovely golden hue. The beeswax can be filtered to almost white/cream and pure white beeswax has been bleached.

When you buy natural yellow beeswax it should have a characteristic yellow colour and sweet honey like aroma – the natural colour will vary based on the bees habitat.

Our beeswax is tested in our lab and by external laboratory to ensure it is within our tight specifications, this provides confidence that the beeswax is high quality without adulteration.

Our waxes can be used to provide texture, lasting hold, emollience, definition and waterproofing, as well as rheology modifying.

In the Personal Care industry, our beeswax products are used for moisturisers, cleansers, nail and lip care (including lip balms and lipsticks), hair care (including hair waxes), massage wax and body butters.

From sampling & testing products on the UK market, we can safely say that our general use beeswax is cleaner and purer than most of our competitors Cosmetic Grade beeswax.

As per the last 100 years we continue to be committed to delivering pure beeswax to the market.

We support Bees for Development and through our business venture the East Africa Wax Company based in Kenya, we are proud to provide full transparency ethically sourced pure wild beeswax which benefits people, plants and our planet.

www.beesfordevelopment.org
www.eastafricawax.co
www.wildsurvivors.org