Wax and wax-like materials - the what, where, and how in heritage collections

Waxes, both natural and synthetic, are present throughout heritage collections - from archaeological and ethnographic, archival and historical, to traditional and contemporary art. Very often wax-containing objects show degradation issues: analytical chemistry, by allowing us to understand the original composition and the degradation mechanisms of these materials, provides the key to designing appropriate conservation strategies and materials for wax-containing objects in our heritage collections.