Formulation and evaluation of alternative to beeswax for vegan lipsticks

Honeybees' success is strictly linked to the chemical and application properties of their products: honey, beeswax (BW), venom, propolis, pollen and royal jelly. Among these products, BW, a natural compound secreted by bees, is particularly valued for its stability and is widely used in cosmetics for make-up and skincare production or in dermatology to produce creams. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the critical role these insects play in the ecosystem. Animal-derived ingredients are controversial and borderline with consumers' necessities. Therefore, whenever possible, similar ingredients from other sources are sought. The demand for vegan products is a global trend that influences all segments of consumer behaviour, including the choice of cosmetics. Given the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly products, BW, commonly used in lipstick formulations, needs to be replaced with a vegan alternative. In this paper, we report the development of a completely vegan lipstick. To predict the behaviour of structuring wax in a complex system, a compatibility study of the ABWAX® MIMIC BEESWAX MK, a vegan beeswax alternative (vBWA), with oils and colours was performed. The ABWAX® MIMIC BEESWAX MK and ABWAX® WHITE BEESWAX F.U. demonstrated similar thermal characteristics and penetration curves, showing overall comparable performances in finished products. We can conclude that ABWAX® MIMIC BEESWAX MK could be an innovative and highly effective alternative to animal-derived waxes in cosmetics.