Sunflower Wax Beads
CTFA Name: Sunflower Wax
INCI Name: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Globally sourced; refined in the USA
Packaging: Boxes, bio-degradable bags
Description: White waxy pastilles; they do have an odor when first opening the bag/container, but this dissipates with air and does not affect end product
Applications: Skincare, Soap Manufacturing
Benefits: viscosity builder, vegan alternative to beeswax, high levels of oleic acid, humectant, increased emollience, film former
Color: Color of the beads can range from stark white to a light yellow color. The color of the beads will not affect the end color of your product.
Suggest levels of usage:
- Soap Bars- 1-2% to increase firmness; 2-3% for very firm bars sold in hotter climates
- Lip Balms/Sticks/Tubes- 2-4% for softer, glossy balms; 5-8% for average firmness; 8-10% for products sold in warmer climates
- Salves/Body Balms- 3-6% for softer; 7-15% for firmer, more structured salves
- Hair Pomades/Styling Products- 2-4% light; 5-8% medium hold; 8-10% firm
- Lotion Bars- 5-10% softer; 10-15% medium; 15-20% firm bars
- Candles- 3-5% to help boost heat throw and increase burn time
- Emulsified products- 0.5-3%
Sunflower wax is an excellent vegan alternative to beeswax. You use can use sunflower wax in all your formulas where you normally would use beeswax, but since sunflower wax is harder than beeswax you actually use less in your formula. Sunflower wax is designed to be used to help improve structure, stability and performance at lower levels than other waxes.
Is sunflower oil harmful when used in topical applications?
Sunflower oil, along with many seed oils, have really come under controversy the last few years. There are many discussions on the benefit, or detriment, of consuming seed oils in your foods. That is a discussion you don’t need to have when you use seed oils in your skincare formulations. Many tests have been performed to verify that dermal application of seed oils like sunflower are not detrimental and have been considered very safe for cosmetic use.
Why are high oleic oils so good for your skin?
High oleic sunflower oil is an extremely popular oil for use in soap making and in skincare products. Oleic acid is a beneficial fatty acid that protects against damage from free radicals, increases smoothness and firmness in skin, and will not clog your pores. When you use sunflower wax as your binder in your soap bars, lotion bars, lotions, creams, mascara, cosmetics….you impart that formula with all these benefits.
High oleic oils also help to increase wound healing and helps to reduce effects of eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. Oleic acids also help to maintain the skin’s lipid barrier, creating softer, more hydrated skin. The use of sunflower wax in your emulsified products also helps to increase absorption of active ingredients.
How is sunflower wax made?
Sunflower wax is derived from the winterization of sunflower oil. This creates a waxy ester, which is then formed into pastilles. Sunflower wax is often used in lip balms, lip sticks, color cosmetics and vegan soap bars.
Sunflower Wax comes from Sunflower Oil. Sunflower Oil is obtained by crushing Sunflower Seeds in expellers. The oil is then cooled (winterized) so the wax precipitates out and is separated from the oil. Solvents are not used in the refinery.
Can I use sunflower wax in soap bars?
Beeswax is often used in soap bars, and it is an excellent addition to make a nice, hard bar. If you’re looking to create a vegan soap bar with the same hardness, sunflower wax is an excellent alternative.
What is the difference between sunflower wax and other waxes, like carnauba or candelilla?
There are many functional wax alternatives to beeswax and they each have their own benefits and drawbacks. Sunflower Wax is an up-and-coming popular wax in skincare formulas as it creates stable textures, is heat stable similar to beeswax, and creates smooth products without becoming brittle. Sunflower wax can be used on its own but is really ideal when used in conjunction with another functional wax, like Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 RSPO Ester Blend, Candelilla or Organic Carnauba.
Organic Carnauba wax is an excellent wax to use when you’re creating high gloss products; the drawback is that too much carnauba can create very hard products, reducing malleability and smoother textures. Sunflower wax can be used in smaller percentages to create the same stable viscosity and will not become as inflexible. Blending organic carnauba and sunflower wax together will create a higher gloss product, with the more fluid viscosity that sunflower wax can create.
Candelilla wax is an excellent wax for use in lip balms, lotion bars, lip sticks, deodorant sticks; products that need to have structure without being heavy and products that need to retain their shape in warmer climates. Too much candelilla wax, though, can create a brittle product. Blending candelilla wax and sunflower wax together can create a very temp stable product with good glide, and more malleability than a purely candelilla wax product. Candelilla wax is one of our top selling functional waxes and is a supreme ingredient.
Sunflower wax has a high melt point, which makes it ideal to use in products sold in hotter climates. Using sunflower wax instead of carnauba or candelilla wax will help maintain the structure of your product in high heat.
Why does sunflower wax have sediment when melting?
Sunflower wax is a 100% plant based material, which means that it can have inconsistences, color changes and aroma changes from batch to batch. Sunflower wax is filtered when it is produced, but much like oils, it can have residual cloudiness and naturally occurring sediment.
Sunflower wax is typical to have sediment when you start working with it. This “sediment” is natural phospholips and traceable solids from the winterization process. These are not bad, you just have to be aware so you can create the best products possible.
What are ways to reduce product changes from the sediment in sunflower wax?
When working with sunflower wax, melt the wax completely before use and filter out any undesired sediment. Sunflower wax has a high melt point (176-185°F) so you have to make sure to melt it fully. Once the sunflower wax reaches this temperature, allow it to sit at that temp for a few minutes, stirring frequently so help ensure the complete breakdown of the wax esters.
If you are creating a clear product, you should filter the melted sunflower wax through a fine mesh filter or through cheesecloth just to ensure any leftover wax esters are pulled out. This is how high-end brands use sunflower wax in clear products.
If your sunflower wax is not fully heated and not filtered when used, then allowed to cool in solid products, it can settle making this sediment more noticeable. Simply strain using cheesecloth and you won’t have any sediment issue.
You can also blend sunflower wax wither other vegan waxes, like candelilla wax, to keep the firmness and reduce the sediment.
How to use sunflower wax?
Sunflower wax should be melted first as it has a high melt point. Then once completely melted, blended and strained, add in the other waxes, esters, butters and oils.
Sunflower Wax is sold in 1-pound biodegradable bags, 5-pound bags, 25-pound boxes, and 55-pound sizes. Please email us directly for orders over 825 pounds.
Short Term Storage: Air tight container. Dark location. Cool room temperature.
Long Term Storage: Removing air from storage container will delay oxidation and rancidity (may need to place in a smaller container). Refrigeration can extend shelf life.
Shelf Life: See lot specific C of A for expiration date.
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