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Ingredient on hair labels

Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina)

TheWashDay editorial · Updated · From the EU ingredient register and the makers’ own labels · How we match names

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Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina) is on 2 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 1 maker. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include emulsion stabilizing, viscosity controlling and binding. None of these labels names it among its first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

In the register’s words: “Microcrystalline Wax is a wax derived from petroleum and characterized by the fineness of its crystals in contrast to the larger crystals of paraffin wax. It consists of high molecular weight saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons.”

EU register name (INCI)
MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX
CAS number
63231-60-7
EC number
264-038-1 (I)

Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina) where the register says MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX. Both are the same ingredient.

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina) in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.

Emulsion stabilizing

Keeps a cream’s oil and water from separating on the shelf.

Register definition: “Helping the process of emulsification and improving emulsion stability and shelf-life.”

Viscosity controlling

Makes a product thicker or thinner, so a gel holds its shape or a shampoo pours. Gums, cellulose and some salts carry this role.

Register definition: “Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.”

Binding

Holds powders or pressed products together. On a hair label it usually sits beside another listed use.

Register definition: “Providing adhesive properties during and after compression in cosmetic tablets and/or cakes.”

Bulking

Adds volume to a product without reacting with anything.

Register definition: “Non-reactive (chemically inert), solid ingredients that dilute other solids and/or increase the volume of cosmetic products.”

Where it sits on each label

US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.

Every label, product by product (2)

Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.

Your next step

Find products without Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina) Check every name on your own label All ingredients on the labels we compare

Other emulsion stabilizing ingredients on these labels

Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.