| Essence |
Carnauba Wax or E903 is a natural wax obtained by processing the leaves of Copernicia prunifera, also known as the carnauba palm tree, and in food primarily used as a glazing agent. That said, it does get also used in cosmetics, automotive products, medicine, and more. |
| Names |
Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Brazil Wax, CAS 8015-86-9, Palm Wax, E903, Carnauba Wax, and others. |
| Sourcing |
Leaves of the Carnauba Palm Tree. |
| Manufacturing |
The sourcing ingredient is first harvested from the trees which mainly are grown in northeastern Brazil. Then, it’s dried in the sun for several days. After that, it’s all about the mechanical extraction which can be done in a variety of ways (for example, by pressing the leaves between rollers, using specialized machines that extract the wax, or just simply beating the leaves, essentially, to force out the wax. After that, it’s filtered (through fine filters or screens) to remove any unwanted debris or particles in general. The outcome of that is then refined to improve the quality and purity of the substance (which will typically involve cycles of melting, cooling, filtering again) |
| Application |
Glazing agent and coating. It’s water-insoluble. |
| Acceptable Daily Intake |
None determined. |
| Side Effects |
In itself, Carnauba Wax is neither digested nor absorbed by the body. In other words, for almost all people, it will pass through the digestive system unchanged and without leaving any negative effects. In case of allergies, rash, swelling, hives, difficulty breathing, and itching are possible. |
| Benefits |
None. |
| Studies |
235+ studies on Pubmed. Less than 20 studies on safety. |
| Allergens |
None. |
| Diet Restrictions |
None. |
| Health Knight Assessment |
Fully Harmless. | Hence, it’s a Category 1 Additive. |
| Products |
The E903 can be found in such processed foods as hard candies, chocolate candies, soft candies, sour candies, candy assortis, gummies, mints, fruit snacks, gum, tictacs, jellies, cereal bars, sprinkles, biscuits, chocolate covered nuts, ice creams, clementines, instant oatmeal, cupcakes, and more. |
