Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax (Sunflower Wax): Properties and Cosmetic Applications

What Is Sunflower Wax?

Sunflower Wax is a vegetable wax obtained from sunflower oil. It forms hard and highly homogeneous oil gels and is practically colourless, odourless and tasteless, making it particularly suitable for light-coloured cosmetic products.

Chemically, Sunflower Wax consists mainly of long-chain wax esters, approximately C60 in chain length, formed from monovalent alcohols and fatty acids.

Key Properties of Sunflower Wax

High Melting Point
Sunflower Wax has a melting point of approximately 80°C.

Excellent Heat Stability
It has a narrow melting range, with no molten content below approximately 55°C. As a result, oil gels formulated with Sunflower Wax have excellent heat resistance.

Hard and Homogeneous Structure
The wax produces hard, homogeneous oil gels, making it useful for solid and semi-solid oil-based formulations.

Cosmetic Applications

Sunflower Wax is particularly suitable for:

• Lip balms
• Lipsticks
• Oil gels
• Other solid oil-based cosmetic formulations

Its light colour and practically odourless and tasteless character make it especially useful where the wax should have minimal influence on the sensory and visual properties of the finished product.

Ingredient Information

INCI: Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
CAS: Not specified on the original A&T Formulation page
EINECS/EC: Not specified on the original A&T Formulation page

References

Cosmetic Formulation Principles and Practice – Heather A.E. Benson, Michael S. Roberts, Vânia Rodrigues Leite-Silva, Kenneth A. Walters