Product Details
Category
Lubricant; Base; Binder; Emulsifier; Excipient; Dispersant
Grade
Pharmceutical Excipients
Synonyms
White wax ; Cera alba ; White beeswax ; bleached wax
Administration route
Oral; Topical
Dosage Form
Oral capsules and tablets, rectal, topical and vaginal formulations
Stability and Storage Conditions
When the product is heated to more than 150℃, esterification occurs, resulting in lower acid value and higher melting point. When stored in a closed container away from light, the property is stable.
Source and Preparation
Yellow wax comes from the hive of honeybees (Apis mellifera Linné (Fam. Apidae)); see Yellow Wax. White wax is obtained by bleaching yellow wax with an oxidizing agent.
Applications
Used to increase the consistency of creams and ointments, temperature oil-in-water emulsions, etc. Also used for polishing sugar-coated tablets and adjusting the melting point of suppositories. White wax is also used as a thin film coating for sustained-release tablets, and white beeswax microspheres are used in oral dosage forms to inhibit the absorption of the active ingredient into the stomach so that the majority of absorption occurs in the intestine. Release of drug from ion exchange resin spheres is controlled by coating with this product.
Safety
White wax is used in topical and oral preparations and is generally considered non-toxic and non-irritating. However, there have been isolated reports that beeswax can cause allergic reactions (due to impurities in beeswax).
Incompatibilities
Avoid compatibility with oxidants.