Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Paraffin Wax
Paraffin Wax is a natural complex flavoring material in the lipid family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3216 (CAS 8002-74-2). Its odor is odorless, mild, waxy.
- FEMA
- 3216
- CAS
- 8002-74-2
- EC
- 232-315-6
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 4. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 8002-74-2.
Structure
Material
Paraffin Wax is a natural complex material rather than a single molecule, so it has no one structure. FEMA lists it as PARAFFIN WAX.
Identity
Also known as: Hydrocarbon waxes, Paraffin waxes and Hydrocarbon waxes, Paraffin wax and other hydrocarbon waxes, Paraflint RG, Advawax 165, Apiezon W, Durowax FT 300, FT 300, Apiezon M, Apiezon N, Waxes and Waxy substances, hydrocarbon, Aristowax.
Can Paraffin Wax be labeled natural?
Paraffin Wax is a preparation from natural raw material, so it is natural flavor in the United States, natural flavouring in the EU and UK, and natural in Mercosur and Mexico.
- United States
- Natural flavor
- European Union and UK
- Natural flavouring
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Paraffin Wax is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3216. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.615.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Paraffin Wax. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
Paraffin Wax has not been evaluated by JECFA as a flavouring agent, or no evaluation is on file.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Paraffin Wax appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 8002-74-2, where EPA names it Paraffin waxes and Hydrocarbon waxes.
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA regulatory flags
| Flag | EPA definition | What it obliges |
|---|---|---|
| UVCB | The presence of "UVCB" indicates the substance is a Class 2 substance within the UVCB group, i.e. those with "unknown" or "variable composition," "complex reaction products" and "biological materials." | Care with identity. A UVCB has no definite molecular formula, so its identity rests on the process and the feedstock. Two suppliers can ship materially different material under one CAS number. |
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: odorless, mild, waxy.
Where it is used
Typical applications for Paraffin Wax are not on file yet.
Paraffin Wax FAQ
Is Paraffin Wax FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists Paraffin Wax as GRAS under FEMA number 3216. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.615.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for Paraffin Wax?
Paraffin Wax is FEMA 3216, CAS 8002-74-2. FEMA files it in the lipid flavor category.
Does Paraffin Wax count as natural in the US and the EU?
Made from natural raw material, Paraffin Wax carries the natural claim in the United States, in the EU and UK under Regulation 1334/2008, and in Mercosur and Mexico.
How is Paraffin Wax described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe Paraffin Wax as odorless, mild, waxy.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as PARAFFIN WAX under CAS 8002-74-2 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, masticatory substance, processing aid, surface-finishing agent, texturizer.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.