Carnauba Wax

Carnauba Wax

Carnauba Wax

What is it:

From the leaf of a palm tree, Carnauba wax is primarily used to make foods appear shiny, as an anti-caking agent, and to prolong shelf life. The leaves of the carnauba tree are dried and beaten, then the wax is extracted for use.

Rating:

Carnauba wax comes from nature, has been proven to be non-toxic, and is a better alternative than paraffin wax or soy wax. While Carnauba wax itself seems safe to consume for most people, sometimes it is processed using chemical, petroleum-based solvents which may leave residues in the final product. Some people may also be allergic to Carnauba wax.

Resources:

  1. EFSA Study evaluating Carnauba Wax’s toxicity
  2. General information on carnauba wax

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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