Is beeswax oke in cosmetics?

Beeswax is power food for your skin! But is it still safe to use in cosmetics? Due to climate change, among other things, there are fewer and fewer bees. Won't they become even fewer if we also remove their beeswax? This question has been haunting my mind for a while now.

Because fewer bees are disastrous for our nature and our food supply. After all, bees pollinate flowers and plants. Without bees, most fruits and vegetables would disappear. And also wild plants. We don't want that! So it's super important that winning beeswax doesn't mean even more damage to the survival of the bee colonies. It's high time to dive deeper into the matter.

What is Beeswax?

Beeswax is a greasy substance produced by the worker bees. They have special glands that convert honey into wax. This wax is used to make the walls of the combs in bee nests.

Beecombs, pollen and honey

A beecomb or honeycomb consists of the well-known hexagonal cells that serve as storage for pollen and honey and as a nursery for the bees.

Pollen serves as food for baby bees to grow. Bees use honey as food to hibernate. They store this in honeycombs. In the summer they get their food from nectar from flowers. And at the same time more or less accidentally also provide pollination. Normally, bees produce much more honey than they need for the entire winter.

Power food for your skin

In the ingredients list of your cosmetic product you can find beeswax as 'cera alba'. It is not surprising that it is a popular ingredient in cosmetic products. It has many benefits for your skin.

• Beeswax is rich in vitamin A. This vitamin has a skin-enhancing effect and supports cell structure. Helps with acne, fine lines and pigment spots.
• Anti-inflammatory. Great for pimples and blackheads. But also helpful with irritated or red skin.
• Is antibacterial and antiviral.
• Soothes and reduces eczema and psoriasis.
• Protects your skin against negative external influences, because it puts a protective layer on your skin. Without clogging your pores! Your skin continues to breathe, but annoying intruders or inclement weather are kept away.

Propolis and honey also have many beneficial properties for your skin. Propolis contains a whole range of vitamins and minerals that are important for your skin. Manuka honey is the most powerful honey in terms of medicinal effect.

Is beeswax safe in cosmetics?

That depends on how it is 'won'. Responsible natural cosmetics only use 'old' combs that are no longer used by bees.

For example, the natural cosmetics brand Dr Hauschka has a long tradition of protecting bee colonies. Bee colonies are housed in the Dr Hauschka garden with medicinal herbs.

The combs used for natural cosmetics come from sustainably kept bees. Very strict rules apply to this, which are monitored in the Netherlands by the SKAL biocontrol foundation. An independent supervisory body. For example, strict requirements are set for the material of the beehives, the nature where the bees get their nectar to produce honey, the way in which honey is extracted and any additional food for the bees in the winter months.

No chemicals may be used or bees killed when extracting the honey. Also, no honey may be extracted from beehives with brood.

Beeswax in a truly natural cosmetics product is therefore responsible. Because only comes from sustainably kept bees. If the wax comes from less/unsustainably kept bees, it may be less responsible in terms of protecting and preserving the bee colonies.