The source of Carnauba wax is also palm trees specifically the Carnauba palm that grows in Brazil and the wax is collected from the leaves of the palm tree after drying. The wax layer is then beaten off, refined and bleached to different grades.
Chemically the wax consists of aliphatic esters and di-esters predominantly derived from acids and alcohols in the C26-C30 range. This composition renders a hard, relatively high melting ( 82-86°C) wax which is easily emulsifiable and produces a good gloss, especially with buffing.
Carnauba wax is very popular for use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries because of GRAS status in the FDA regulations. More specific applications are tablet coatings, fruit coatings, furniture and shoe polishes to name a few.
Carnauba Wax
