Candelilla Wax & Face Cleanser Recipe

November 2024

Beeswax and all the products of the hives are commonly used in the cosmetic industry for their healing, anti-bacterial, soothings qualities.
Materia Aromatica used to stock an organic beeswax from China. in order to receive its organic status, the hives needed to be located in remote areas so the bees had a wide fly zone which would not overlap with areas of human activities that could be affected by the use of chemicals either industrial or agricultural. According to the Soil Association, China was the only country large enough to provide areas far enough removed from any sort of human acivity.

Beyond its therapeutic properties, Beeswax is recognised as a useful ingredient in cosmetic due to its high melting point which enables it to work as a stabiliser in solid or semi-solid formulations, from lipstick to body butters or balms. It contributes effectively to the stability of the product as it is not affected by temperature varations like butters with a melting point no higher that 40 or 45 degree celcius would be. It remains more or less stable throughout the year, passing through the ups and downs of winter through spring and summer and vice versa.

I used to sell organic beeswax and include it in the formulations of a few of our prouducts, until one day, a friend who keeps bees was telling me that they need to feed their bees glucose in the winter or they would not have enough food. I was quite surpsied as i can't imagine that sugar cane syrup would have the same nutrional value as honey. Having done some research, i realised that this is actually common practice among bee keepers and I decided that in view of the difficult environement faced by the bees around the world, unless stricly necessary to ease a ciritical condition, it would be best to leave the produce of the hives to their owners and find an alternative for our skincare.

CANDELILLA WAX

The altenative came as candelilla wax. It is extracted from the leaves of the candelilla plant (Euphorbia antisyphilitica or Euphorbia cerifera - found in Mexico and in the southern parts of the United States. It comes from a renewable raw material and is suitable to vegans. It comes in the shape of hard small pale yellow pellets. It has a melting point of 68-72°C.

Nature is full of wonders and it comes as no surprise that candelilla wax has similar properties to beeswax, acting as a skin protector whilst allowing the skin to breathe.

The wax forms a protective barrier on the skin, which makes it an ideal ingredient for lip sticks and lip balms, preventing dryness when the skin is exposed to agressive environemnt. It is also non-comedogenic meaning that it doesn't block pores allowing the skin to perform its vital functions. It is therefore suitable for all skin types from dry to acne prone conditions.
It is versatile and can be used in balms, ointments, body butter, any formulations that needs to keep its semi-solid consistency. Its high melting point makes it ideal to stabilise the blend and help it keep an even state throughout the seasons and when subjected to temperature variations.

EASY FACE CLEANSER RECIPE

The recipes for this face mask are based on two principles.

1. To achieve a consistancy soft enough so one can lift a peanut size amount out of the jar with the tip of a finger and stable enough to pass through the seasonal temperature variations withough becoming either too hard or too liquid.
2. To choose oils that are naturally thicker and will glide on the skin to disolve dirt and make-up as opposed to oils that will sink easily through the pores of the skin.

Almond and olive are best suited to satisfy the second requirement, the latter being one of the thicker oils if not the thickest.

So here is our first formula for a fairly rich but very basic face cleanser:
For 100gr

• 10 gr Candellila wax
• 34 gr Olive oil
• 55 gr Almond oil
• 1gr essential oil or essential oil blend - equates to about 25 to 30 drops. Citrus oils work well in my opinion, bringing a refreshing boost but of course your favourite oil will be the best. Note that this is a wash-off product, which therefore is not designed to stay on the face and go into the skin. The specific therapeutic effect of the oils will be limited to the short aromatic boost whilst applying and removing the mask on and off your face.

The process is very easy.
Weigh the candellila wax, almond and olive in a jug
Put the jug in a bain-marie, bring to the boil until the wax has totally melted
Remove from the heat and add the essential oil
Pour into jars, gently put the lids on to prevent the aroma from escaping
Either put in the fridge to quicken the cooling or leave to stand.

Your face cleanser is ready to use.

Of course, the variations are limitless and one can easily adapt this recipe to make it not only more interesting and fun but also to adjust the richness of the formula that will suit your skin type and your taste. Why not add avocado, shea butter, and/or lighter oils if you feel that the above recipe is too rich for you. Please note that it is important to keep the formulation fairly rich and thick or the cleanser will miss its purpose. It must feel like you are giving your face an oil bath whose purpose is to dissolve dirt and make up so it can be removed with a damp cloth. If the blend is too light, the oils will sink quickly into the skin and won't work as intended.

Another formulation could be:
for 100gr

• 8gr Candelilla wax
• 10gr Olive oil
• 10gr Shea butter
• 20gr Avocado
• 22gr jojoba or argan
• 20gr almond
• 25 to 30 drops of essential oil

Follow intructions as above and enjoy!
If you are not too sure and worried about wasting the raw materials, you can halve the amount. It is better not to make too small a quantity as it becomes more diffcult to weigh very small amount.

HOW TO USE THE CLEANSER
Simply use the tip of your finger to extract a peanut size amount out of the jar. Spread on the finger tips of both hands and onto your face. Spread all over the face long enough for the make up to dissolve into the oil. Use a damp cotton pad and wipe off the cleanser, make-up and dirt. You can then apply a toner and/or a moituriser. The skin will never feel dry and tight using this cleanser.

We have 50ml blue jars and 30ml aluminium jars available on our website along with resuable and 100% degradable cotton pads.

i hope you will enjoy experimenting and this will inspire you to create stocking fillers or small gifts, to share with friends and family in time for Christmas.
I personally love this cleanser and do not like running out. But of course, i could be slightly biased!!

When you do try, i would love to hear from you.
Either positive or negative, your feedback or questions would be most welcome.