Beeswax

also: White beeswax · Yellow beeswax · Cera alba · Cera flava

The wax bees build honeycomb from. It gives sweets and fruit a shine and stops them sticking. It is not vegan.

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An ingredient list from the cakes, biscuits and desserts aisle

Sugar, Water, Cocoa Powder, Plant Oils (Coconut, Shea), Glucose Syrup, Potassium Carbonate, Stabiliser (Acacia Gum), Dextrin, Glazing Agent (Beeswax)

E901Animal

Beeswax

Beeswax is the wax honeybees make to build the walls of their honeycomb.

Not veganVegetarian

210

of the 43,325 UK supermarket foods we checked declare E901 in their ingredients

That is 0.5%, counted by its code or its name.

Only 2.4% of these labels print “E901”. Most use the name: look for “beeswax”.

Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted

How common it is in UK food, by aisle

Cakes, biscuits and desserts68 products1.8% of 3,715
Chocolate and sweets56 products2.7% of 2,045
Bread and bakery41 products1.1% of 3,682
Cupboard staples13 products0.7% of 1,936

What beeswax is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Beeswax is the wax honeybees make to build the walls of their honeycomb. It is mostly made of fats joined to long-chain alcohols. It comes in yellow (raw) and white (bleached) forms, both covered by the same E-number.

What does it do?

It is used as a glaze. A thin coat on sweets, fruit and supplements keeps water in, stops pieces sticking together and adds a shine. In baking it also stops dough sticking to equipment.

Where you will see it

Mostly on chocolate sweets, sugar-coated sweets and chocolate beans, chewing gum, fresh citrus fruit and apples (often with other waxes), and hard-coated vitamin tablets. UK labels call it beeswax, E901 or glazing agent (beeswax).

What the science says

The body barely absorbs it

The gut absorbs very little beeswax, and it does almost nothing on the way through. Reviews have set no numerical daily limit for the small amounts that come from food coatings, because the evidence did not show a need for one.

Europe's food scientists, and later European reviewers, set no numerical daily limit for beeswax, finding no sign of significant absorption, breakdown or harm at the levels used in food.

2012Regulator reviewEFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (ANS), re-evaluation of beeswax as a food additive

It comes from bees, so it is not vegan

Beeswax is made by bees, so it is an animal product and not suitable for vegans. Because it sits on the surface rather than in the food, it is easy to miss, especially on fresh fruit and sweets.

Beeswax (E901) is listed among the E-numbers unsuitable for vegans and many vegetarians, because it is taken from bee colonies.

Trade listingErudus, Additives and E Numbers Unsuitable for Vegetarians and Vegans

Reactions in people allergic to bee products are rare

People allergic to bee stings or bee products occasionally report reacting to things containing beeswax, but confirmed reactions to beeswax in food are rare and poorly recorded. It is not one of the allergens UK law makes labels declare.

Beeswax is not one of the 14 allergens UK food labels must declare. Skin reactions to beeswax are recorded in skin medicine, but reactions from eating it are not well described.

2014LawUK Food Information Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1855), Schedule 1 allergen list

Where it stands with the regulators

Approved in the UK and the EU, as a glazing agent

Daily limit. None set.

Legal basis: On the Food Standards Agency's approved list for Great Britain
Permitted foods: Sweets, including chocolate and sugar-coated sweets · Chewing gum · Fresh citrus fruit, on the surface · Fresh apples and pears, on the surface · Coated tablets and capsules of food supplements
Maximum levels: No set maximum, as long as makers use no more than they need.
History: Beeswax has a long history in food and cosmetics. Europe's food scientists assessed it, and European reviewers looked at it again in 2012, as part of reviewing every additive approved before 2009. They kept it approved with no numerical daily limit.

Who should be careful

Vegans should avoid it, because it comes from animals. People sensitive to bee products may want to check labels, though it is not a declared allergen in UK law. Look for beeswax, E901 or glazing agent (beeswax) in the ingredients.

The honest read

Beeswax has been used in food for centuries, and the 2012 European review found nothing calling for a numerical limit. Very little transfers from a surface coat to the food. The practical issue for shoppers is diet, not health: it comes from animals, so it is not vegan. Bee welfare is a separate ethical question that science does not answer.

Common questions about beeswax

Is E901 banned in the UK?

No. Beeswax is an approved glazing agent in the UK and the EU, allowed on sweets, fresh fruit, chewing gum and food supplements.

Is beeswax on my fruit?

It can be, on some fresh citrus fruit, apples and pears. A thin coat is sometimes added after harvest to replace natural wax lost in washing, slow drying out and improve the look. UK rules require it to be declared if used.

What foods contain E901?

Chocolate sweets, jelly beans and other sugar-coated sweets, chewing gum, some hard supplement tablets, and fresh apples, pears and citrus fruit coated after harvest.

Is E901 vegan?

No. Beeswax is made by honeybees, so it counts as an animal ingredient. It is not suitable for vegans or some vegetarians. Look for beeswax or E901 in the ingredients.