Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Castor Wax)

About This Product

Castor wax is made by fully hydrogenating castor oil, saturating the double bond in its ricinoleic acid chains while leaving the hydroxyl group at carbon 12 intact. It carries CAS number 8001-79-4 and the INCI name Hydrogenated Castor Oil, and is supplied as hard, brittle white flakes, powder or micronised grades melting at 85 to 88 degrees Celsius. Among waxes it is unusual in carrying free hydroxyl groups, and that is what makes it behave differently from paraffin, beeswax or the hydrogenated vegetable waxes. Those hydroxyls hydrogen-bond to one another and to polar surfaces, so the wax builds structure in a liquid at additions far lower than a purely hydrocarbon wax would need. In practice it gels oils, holds pigments and fillers in suspension so they cannot settle out on standing, and stops liquid systems separating. Its very high melting point also makes it the most effective hardener available to a candle or cosmetic formulator working with soft vegetable waxes, since a small addition raises melting point and firmness noticeably. Because it is so hard and brittle it is used as an additive rather than a base. It is used as a structurant in candle and wax blends, in lipsticks, sticks and balms, as an anti-settling and rheology additive in coatings and inks, as a lubricant in polymer processing and in grease manufacture. Bio Green Wax supplies castor wax to specification on melting point, hydroxyl value, acid value, iodine value, moisture and particle form.