A research team in Colombia studied the use of biological palm oil waxes as an alternative to petroleum products in cosmetics, as reported by Cosmetics Design Europe.
Researchers at the Universidad Industrial de Santander found that seven biological waxes had high melting points and low penetration values, as well as showing no cytotoxic or irritating activity, according to the October 12 report.
The research paper “Biowaxes from Palm Oil as Promising Candidates for Cosmetic Matrices and Pharmaceuticals for Human Use” was first published June 15 in the journal Materials.
“Natural waxes derived from plants or animals, such as beeswax, carnauba and candelilla, are renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic, and have excellent physicochemical properties,” said one of the scientists on the research team.
However, the cost of other natural waxes, such as beeswax, is rising due to the collapse of the bee population and supply shortages, according to the report.
The seven biological waxes in the study included refined, hydro-bleached African palm oil and refined palm kernel oil.
Previous studies have shown that palm oil is a possible substrate. It can be used in the production of biological waxes. These waxes have similar properties to beeswax and carnauba, as reported by Cosmetics Design Europe.
Evaluation of biological wax in a comparative study of properties and applications
The authors chose seven biological waxes out of 45 in the study. They performed several experiments for the study, some of them using beeswax and carnauba wax as controls.
After hydrotreating the palm oil and palm kernel oil, the team conducted analyzes and experiments. They followed the report to determine pH, melting point, penetration value (or consistency), chemical composition, microbiological activity, toxicity, antioxidant activity, and irritation.
Six of the biological waxes were yellowish-white and solid, while one was liquid. The pH ranged from 4.4 to 5.4.
“The pH obtained in bio-wax supernatants is potentially related to no or low risk of toxicological effects. Taking into account that the pH of the skin's natural surface is acidic, on average 4.7.”, wrote the authors.
Because the melting point of the biological waxes was lower than that of the control wax, chemical modification or refinement would be required to achieve a higher melting point, if necessary, for the application. Penetration values were similar to beeswax.
Physicochemical properties and their potential in sensory products
For the experiments and chemical analyses, the waxes presented vibrations similar to those of the control, with a difference in the range of 200 to 800 nanometers. Biological waxes showed low intensity bands or no bands within this range, but controls showed absorption peaks.
We detected the absence of bacteria or fungi in the biological ones, and it was proven that they do not cause cytotoxicity in the cell lines studied. No one recorded antioxidant activity in the biological waxes or control waxes or detected irritation when testing on mouse skin.
“The BW1-BW7 biological waxes obtained by hydrotreating palm and palm kernel vegetable oils showed excellent physicochemical properties, including intermediate hardness. When using this type of biological wax, it may eventually result in products with sensory characteristics related to their extensibility,” the authors wrote.
Furthermore, biological waxes contained fatty alcohols, being different from carnauba and beeswax, which did not have this type of chemical family.
Source: Oils & Fats International
