History, Hives, and Honey: Bees Keep Our World Buzzing Around

Koster Keunen began producing candles made of beeswax in 1852, so we celebrate the honey bee in all we do. But the history of beeswax use is at least three millennia older than that. Beeswax is even part of the reason we understand history as well as we do: it was used to preserve objects, papyrus, and scrolls that enhance our knowledge of the past. Scientific progress has given us a better understanding of our signature product, and the way we source, protect, and sustain beeswax and the bees that provide it reminds us every day that We are All One Hive.

Bees are among the pollinators that are responsible for pollenating over 75% of the food crops we all depend on.¹ Food crops can increase up to 50% when using pollinators. It is by keeping the bees healthy and well-tended that we maintain a strong connection to these important creatures for the next thousand years. Koster Keunen’s sustainability efforts have been dedicated to addressing both the health of bees and the communities that keep them.

Understanding beekeeping best practices is the foundation of maintaining hive health and longevity. Koster Keunen works with beekeepers in West Africa to train and support community-based beekeeping. These agricultural communities have seen improved crop yields and improved economic opportunities as a secondary result of beekeeping. The honeybees themselves provide two products that the beekeepers benefit from selling: the honey, and high-quality beeswax. Best of all, well managed beekeeping is sustainable, as harvesting honey and beeswax does not harm the bees. The hives remain healthy and go on to pollenate and produce for years to come.

In modern industry, beeswax is not limited to candles and seals. From cosmetics to ink, beeswax sports a uniquely useful profile. Beeswax contains a wide variety of components, from the cuticular wax and scale wax that the bees make themselves, to the propolis that consists of resins, oils, and other substances that the bees gather from the plants that they visit in the process of collecting nectar and providing the essential service of pollination. When the bees chew the waxes and propolis together, the enzymatic action adds yet another layer of chemical modification to the mixture. This is one of the reasons that it is so difficult to produce direct beeswax substitutes. For a breakdown of the chemical composition of beeswax and its physical and chemical properties, check out this article by Koster Keunen chemists.

Connecting the historical importance of beeswax to modern cosmetic chemistry, we can see why beeswax has never gone out of style. What other wax can be a structurant, a plasticizer, and a thickener in emulsions? What can go from oil-in-water to water-in-oil formulations and, with a comparatively low level of modification offer a firm, stable stick or a smooth, creamy butter? Take a look at our example formulations for some on-trend ideas that showcase beeswax.

Formula #: 1/20-421/484-4

Lip gloss is having a big moment in cosmetics. But this formulation is not the lip gloss of your youth. Our Flush Lip Tint Natural Lip Gloss stays in place but is not tacky in feel. The sample formula realizes the dream of getting a smooth glide-on shine without gluing your lips together! And your formulators will want to shout to your marketeers, because this formulation utilizes both natural and sustainable ingredients. Sustainable Beeswax comes in strong for social and environmental responsibility, while imparting its multifaceted formulation superpowers.

Our second featured formula this month speaks to the trend of saving water, ease of transport, travel, and just plain ease of use. This sample formulation is in a bar, but it’s not a soap, it is a lotion! Save Water Lotion Bar offers easy application and fast absorption. Using Sustainable White Beeswax recognizes the importance of ingredient choice, while the Kester Wax K-24, a plant-derived natural ester, provides the slip, the melt, and the glide that ends with a light, dry, cool feel.

Formula #: 1/20-10005/484/358-5

On this National Honeybee Day, take a moment to celebrate the wonder of the creatures that pollenate our food crops, sweeten our treats, and formulate a wax so versatile and complex that we have been using it, studying it, and appreciating its brilliance for thousands of years. If your formulations could benefit from the many options that beeswax offers, or if you are looking for beeswax derivatives, or even beeswax substitutes, contact us today to start a conversation.

¹ https://www.un.org/en/observances/bee-day