Beeswax (E901): Vegan Status, Where It Hides

Beeswax is an insect product. Vegan standards exclude it, as they exclude honey; vegetarian standards accept it. On food labels it appears as E901 or under the generic words glazing agent; in cosmetics as cera alba. Its jobs — glazing, stiffening, waterproofing — are all replaceable with plant and mineral waxes, which is what a vegan reformulation documents.