Developing a feel to match a cosmetic or personal care product’s unique attributes can be one of the biggest challenges to bringing a new product to market. Add to this the need to keep a formula shelf stable, and you begin to understand why our chemists are always developing new combinations of waxes to meet challenges as they are presented to us by clients and the general market.

The wide variety of formulas in personal care products increases the need for innovative plasticizers to maintain optimal consistency. In anhydrous systems, beeswax thickens and structures oils by forming stable gel networks where gel viscosity and hardness are proportional to the percentage of wax, but also depend on oil/wax compatibility. By manipulating a few variables, we can develop cosmetic products that run the gamut of textures, from waxy hard sticks to soft, sticky balms. Koster Keunen’s Kester Wax plasticizers, like Kester Wax K-82P and Kester Wax K-60P, are used in many cosmetic formulas to suppress crystallization and improve film formation, adhesion and formula stability. Take just three examples from our formulary to see the impact these Kester waxes can have.

Used in Flush Glossy Lip Tint Formula #1/20-421/484-4 In our Flush Lip Tint, the unique feature is the overall texture, with Kester Wax K-60P used in combination with Sustainable Beeswax to create the right structure and feel. Kester Wax K-60P provides a two-for-one impact on the formula, as it not only helps stabilize the formula, but also adds a creamy texture to the lip tint to create an enhanced user experience.

Used in The Bee’s Knees Sugar Balm #8/17-421/154-7B Two different formulas with unique challenges are met equally well with Kester Wax K-82P. In The Bee’s Knees Sugar Balm, the high percentage of oil and sugar requires a thickener to maintain structure and particle suspension (beeswax in this case). Kester wax K-82P provides two benefits in one as it suppresses oil migration while providing flowability, making it easy for the product to be applied easily and evenly.

Used in the Liquid Eye Shadow Formula 12/16-447/154/124-5 Developing our Liquid Eye Shadow formula presented a very different challenge, namely making the product thin and soft enough for spreadability, but thick and creamy enough for application in a single swipe. In this case we combined the texturizing agent, Enhans PC-38, with our Kester Wax K-82P, to achieve the right combination and deliver a unique product to a market looking for personal fashion statements that are easy to apply.

In all three of these formulas, our chemists used decades of experience with waxes to create the feel and structure needed for the type of product and market expectations. An understanding of the chemistry of beeswax and how it behaves when combined with oils and other waxes in a wide variety of formulations are key factors for success in personal care and cosmetic products.