What, Exactly, Is Wax Candy And What Kind Of Wax Is Used To Make It?

Your childhood memories may include sweets and treats that made you smile, but some confections, like wax candy, might have left you scratching your head. After all, eating wax isn't typically what people do, yet wax candy was, and remains, quite popular.

Perhaps you recall those tiny wax bottles, officially called "Nik-L-Nip," filled with sticky, fruity liquid candy. You'd bite off the top, spit it out, and slurp its contents, in flavors like "Groovin' Green," "Chillin' Cherry," and others. You may have even chewed on the wax bottle after all the liquid was gone. Or Halloween may come to mind, when big red wax lips, crazy-looking mustaches, or vampire teeth would get your mouth watering, whether for the fun in store or the treat itself. The lips and fangs are called "Wack-O-Wax" and come in various flavors, including cherry, lemon, blueberry, lime, grape, and orange. Nik-L-Nip, wax fangs, and wax lips might not be the nostalgic candy kids hope for due to their odd consistency, but they still find their way to store shelves. Both Nik-L-Nip and Wack-O-Wax are now owned by the Tootsie Roll company.

But what is wax candy exactly, and what kind of wax are we gnawing on? If you had any doubts, wax candy is made from food-grade wax (meaning it's safe to put in your mouth). The old-fashioned wax candies in the candy store and birthday party goodie bags are typically made with paraffin wax or beeswax, along with corn syrup, sugar, artificial flavors, and colors.

Aside from the fun and nostalgia associated with enjoying wax candy, paraffin is technically ingestible but offers zero nutritional benefit. Food-grade paraffin, crafted from plant-based oils, palm derivatives, and select synthetic resins, simply passes through the digestive system unchanged. So, you can swallow it (if you're so inclined).

If your wax candies are made from beeswax, you may benefit from an immunity boost from eating them, thanks to the antioxidants in beeswax, particularly flavonoids. Antioxidants like flavonoids help protect the body's cells from damage by free radicals, which can otherwise cause chronic diseases. Some other foods high in antioxidants include chia seeds, blueberries, and even dark chocolate. As for the wax candies, you can spit out the beeswax after chewing them or swallow them to get the antioxidant boost.

These waxy treats have been popular for decades, and it appears that wax candy is here to stay. They are a reminder of simpler times when a bit of waxy indulgence was all it took to make a day a little brighter. So, take a moment to savor and enjoy the nostalgia.