What Type Of Wax You're Eating In Wax Candy, And Why It's Safe

Seeing the word "wax" accompanying the word "candy" may sound foreign to you, or maybe you recall the texture in vivid detail, with a montage of the best classic Halloween candies coming to mind. Wax candies have been around for at least a century, with the most infamous being the Nik-L-Nip wax bottle candies and the Wax Lips chewing gum. It's also not uncommon to find waxes used on other candies, like the wrappers of Bit-O-Honey (though most people don't eat the wrapper).

Chewing on the waxy shells of Nik-L-Nips or even swallowing a chunk of Wax Lips is completely safe because the candies are typically made from either food-grade paraffin wax or natural waxes such as beeswax or carnauba wax. Food-grade paraffin wax meets a rigorous set of FDA standards and is entirely separate from the other kind of paraffin wax, the one that goes in candles or lotions. So there's no need to call poison control if you don't spit out enough of the wax bottle while trying to slurp the fruity juices from Nik-L-Nips. The wax is pretty much designed to be eaten (or at the very least, chewed on).

Food-grade paraffin wax is made from petroleum or shale oil and doesn't have much of a flavor on its own, though it can absorb some of the flavors of its nearby counterparts. You'll find food-grade paraffin wax not only in an edible nature but also as a coating on food-related items such as wax paper, which is why wax paper can't go in the oven. While it is non-toxic and can pass through the body safely, it's also technically indigestible — but this doesn't mean it's inedible. Too much of anything is a bad thing, however, and the same goes for candy wax. As long as you're not downing a ball of wax every single day, consuming a bit of candy wax here and there is perfectly fine.

If wax candies aren't made from paraffin wax, then they're typically made from beeswax (which comes from actual bees) or carnauba wax (which comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm tree). You'll find beeswax in honeycombs, which are also edible, if not a bit thick and chewy. Beeswax is sometimes preferred for wax candies thanks to its naturally sweet flavor, since it had time to sit with the honey that bees produced in the hives. Wax candies are rising in popularity yet again due to the entertaining nature of consumption. So don't let the idea of eating wax scare you, and enjoy the triviality that wax candies have to offer!