Ingredient glossary / Occlusive
Candelilla wax
On the label: Euphorbia Cerifera Cera · Occlusive
What it is
A hard plant wax from a Mexican shrub; the vegan substitute for beeswax in balms.
Occlusives: Occlusives sit on the surface and slow water loss; petrolatum and waxes are the strongest.
Wikidata: Chemical compound. Q898937 →
In the research
9 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Biomimetic UV photo-protection of skin surface by structured epicuticular wax films · Materials today. Bio, 2025
- Evaporative Drying Induced Self-Assembly of Epicuticular Wax: A Biomimetic Approach in Tuning Surface Roughness · Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids, 2024
- Friction Dynamics of Organogels on Artificial Skin Surfaces · Journal of oleo science, 2023
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other occlusives
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.