Sunflower Wax

About This Product

Sunflower wax is separated from sunflower oil during winterisation, the chilling and filtration step that stops bottled oil clouding in cold storage. It carries CAS number 91082-37-0 and is supplied as white to off-white pastilles or flakes. Like rice bran wax it is a by-product of edible oil refining rather than a separately farmed material. It is composed of very long-chain wax esters, chiefly C40 to C60, with an unusually narrow chain distribution for a natural wax. That uniformity is what makes it exceptional at structuring oils: the molecules crystallise into long, thin, highly regular needles that interlock into a dense network, so a firm oleogel forms at additions of roughly 2 to 3 percent, lower than almost any other natural wax requires. It melts at 74 to 77 degrees Celsius and produces gels that are firm yet spread cleanly rather than dragging. In candle blends it raises melting point and hardness and helps suppress frosting on the surface of vegetable waxes. It is used as an oleogelator and thickener in cosmetics, in lipsticks, balms and deodorant sticks, in candle blends as a hardener and anti-frosting additive, in food structuring and in coatings. Bio Green Wax supplies sunflower wax to specification on melting point, acid and saponification value, penetration, colour and oil content.