Bayberry wax is an aromatic green vegetable wax. It is removed from the surface of the fruit of the bayberry (wax-myrtle) shrub (ex. Myrica cerifera ) by boiling the fruits in water and skimming the wax from the surface of the water. [1] Unlike other plant waxes, it is made up primarily of esters of lauric, myristic, and palmitic acid. [2]
Bayberry wax is used primarily in the manufacture of scented candles [3] and other products where its distinctive resinous fragrance is desirable.
The fats that comprise bayberry wax are not produced and stored inside the fruit cells like they are in seeds; instead, the plant uses an unusual assembly line that starts with a basic fat building block and finishes putting the final fats together on the fruit’s surface, much like how plants make their protective skin. [4] This explains the massive wax buildup, which helps attract birds to spread the seeds, and gives scientists a potential new way to engineer plants that can produce useful oils on leaves or fruits without clogging up the cells inside. [4]