Wax esters
Wax esters are not a currently permitted food additive in the UK or EU. The code does not appear in the UK FSA approved-additives list.
E910 is not authorised for use in UK or EU food. If you see it on a UK label, that product may not comply with food additive regulations.
What is it?
Wax esters are a chemical class formed when a fatty acid bonds with a fatty alcohol. They occur naturally in many plant and animal waxes, including beeswax and carnauba wax. The E910 code has appeared in some older classification systems and non-EU additive lists as a label for synthetic or mixed wax ester glazing agents, distinct from the individually approved natural waxes (E901 to E905).
What does it do?
In contexts where wax esters have been used as food ingredients, they act as glazing agents or surface treatments, creating a protective coating on fruit, confectionery, or other foods to reduce moisture loss and improve appearance. The fatty acid and fatty alcohol components are slowly hydrolysed in the gut.
Where you will see it
E910 does not currently appear in UK or EU food products as an authorised additive. Wax-coated foods in the UK use approved alternatives such as carnauba wax (E903), beeswax (E901), or shellac (E904). On a label, E910 would appear as 'glazing agent (E910)' or 'glazing agent (wax esters)', but this should not be present on compliant UK products.
What the science says
Regulatory and authorisation status
E910 does not appear in Annex II of the assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008 or on the UK FSA approved-additives list (last updated July 2025). The approved wax-type glazing agents in UK and EU food law are E901, E902, E903, E904, E905, E907, and E914. The absence of E910 from both lists means it has no current authorisation as a food additive in these markets.
The UK FSA approved-additives list (updated July 2025) lists no entry for E910. The list moves directly from E907 (hydrogenated poly-1-decene) to E914 (oxidised polyethylene wax), with no E910 entry.
Annex II of EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives, which sets the Union list of permitted food additives, does not include E910 as an authorised additive.
What wax esters are, chemically
Wax esters occur naturally throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Beeswax (E901) is roughly 70% wax esters. Carnauba wax (E903) contains about 80-85% wax esters. Jojoba oil is almost entirely wax esters and is used in cosmetics. The individual natural waxes that contain wax esters have each been separately assessed and authorised. The E910 code as a standalone category for synthetic or mixed wax esters has not been taken through the same approval process in UK or EU law.
Wax esters as a chemical class are hydrolysed in the gastrointestinal tract to their constituent fatty acids and fatty alcohols, which are absorbed through normal lipid metabolism pathways.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
Because E910 is not authorised in UK or EU food, encountering it on a UK food label is itself a regulatory red flag rather than a question of individual avoidance. Anyone who monitors their intake of unauthorised additives should note that compliant UK products will use E901, E902, E903, E904, E905, or E907 instead. Look for 'glazing agent (E910)' or 'glazing agent (wax esters)' as the label term.
The honest read
E910 is largely a ghost code in UK and EU food law. The wax esters that occur naturally in approved waxes like beeswax and carnauba wax are well understood biologically, but those are authorised under different E numbers. E910 as a standalone classification has not been granted food additive status in UK or EU markets. The absence of a safety opinion from EFSA specific to E910 as a category is itself the relevant fact here: it means the substance has not been through the standard approval gate that would permit its use. Some third-party databases and older reference texts list E910 as if it were in use, which creates confusion.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E910 banned in the UK?
E910 is not listed as an approved food additive in the UK. It does not appear on the UK FSA approved-additives list (updated July 2025), which means it has no authorisation for use in UK food products. It has not been explicitly banned by name, but the UK system operates on a positive list, meaning only additives that appear on the list are permitted. Absence from that list is equivalent to not being permitted.
Why does E910 appear in some additive databases if it is not approved?
Some databases and older reference guides assign E-number codes to substances based on historical classification systems or non-EU schemes (such as older Codex Alimentarius category numbering) rather than the current UK or EU positive list. The presence of an E-number code in a reference list does not mean the substance is authorised. The only authoritative source for UK approval is the FSA approved-additives list.
What foods contain E910?
Compliant UK and EU food products should not contain E910, as it is not an authorised additive. Foods that use approved wax glazing agents will carry E901 (beeswax), E902 (candelilla wax), E903 (carnauba wax), E904 (shellac), or E905 (microcrystalline wax) on their labels instead.
Is E910 vegan?
The question of vegan status is secondary to the fact that E910 is not an authorised food additive in the UK or EU. As a chemical class, wax esters can be derived from either plant or animal sources. Some naturally occurring wax ester sources, such as beeswax, are animal-derived and not considered vegan.
Sources
- UK FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers
- EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives
- Open Food Facts E910 entry
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