The antimicrobial efficacy of natural candle wax

Dear colleagues,

Taking advantage of the fact that we are in the Christmas season, at NBG we wanted to dedicate this post to the main ingredient of one of the most important icons of these holidays, Christmas candles, which were originally made from beeswax.

Beeswax not only served and serves as fuel for our candles, but also happens to be a very interesting antimicrobial agent.

Although there are still few studies in the literature and little data on its mechanism of action, studies have shown surprising antimicrobial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. It also appears that the effect of beeswax is enhanced when combined with other natural extracts, such as olive extract, which is often rich in maslinic acid and hydroxytyrosol.

I hope that we will soon have more information about the mechanism of action, which, from our point of view, we believe must be closely related to the antimicrobial peptides that are so common in invertebrates.

Finally, we would like to share an interesting article that brings together several scientists who have studied the antimicrobial activity of beeswax alone or in combination with other natural products.

Enjoy the article and Merry Christmas!