1. Chewing Gum

Mixtures of food-grade waxes are commonly used in chewing gum. Hard, high melting point waxes such as microcrystalline waxes and candelilla waxes are commonly used. This wax is combined with resins and elastomers to give the chewing gum its malleability.

 

2. Lava Lamps

The “lava” flecks floating in the lava lamps are coloured wax. As the wax heats up, it begins to melt and float to the top in clumps. When the wax reaches the top of the lamp, it begins to cool and then slowly falls back to the base to be heated again.

 

3. Chocolate

Food-grade paraffin wax is added to chocolate candies to give them a lustre and keep the chocolate solid at room temperature. Without this wax, chocolate candies would melt in our hands before reaching our mouths.

 

4. Beehives

Many beekeepers use wood to construct artificial hives for their bees. To preserve the wooden hives and protect the bees from disease, a mixture of paraffin and microcrystalline wax is used to cover the hives. Today it is very important to protect the bees from disease as many colonies are beginning to die.

 

5. Perfume

Some high-end perfumes contain ambergris, a waxy substance produced by the intestines of sperm whales. Ambergris helps retain the fragrance of the perfume when it is applied to the skin.