Is Shellac (E904) vegan?
No — shellac is a resin secreted by lac insects and harvested with them.
Also listed as: confectioner's glaze, E904, lac resin
Key facts
- Verdict
- Not vegan
- Category
- Additive
- Also listed as
- confectioner's glaze, E904, lac resin
- Best swap
- Carnauba wax
Why
Shellac is scraped from tree branches along with the insects embedded in it. It is used to glaze sweets, apples, coffee beans and pill coatings.
What to check on the label
- Confectioner's glaze on sweets
- Waxed apples and citrus
- E904 in tablet coatings
Swap it for
What is actually in it
Shellac is a resin secreted by the lac bug (Kerria lacca), which swarms over host trees in India and Thailand. The insects coat branches with a protective resin called sticklac; harvesters scrape it off — insects included — and it is washed, melted and filtered into the flakes and bleached powder used as a glaze. In food it is the 'confectioner's glaze' that makes chocolate beans, jelly beans and coated nuts shine, the glossy coat on some pills, and the wax-like finish sprayed on citrus and apples to replace the natural wax lost in washing. On labels it appears as shellac, confectioner's glaze, resinous glaze, E904 or, in cosmetics, simply 'lac'. Because production kills vast numbers of insects, it is not vegan. The plant alternatives do the same jobs: carnauba wax from Brazilian palm leaves (E903) is the standard hard gloss for sweets and fruit; candelilla wax (E902) from a Mexican shrub works similarly; and zein, a corn protein, glazes pharmaceutical tablets. Fruit coatings are the subtlest exposure — unwaxed or 'no added wax' citrus exists, and organic standards in several countries restrict shellac on fruit. For sweets, any product listing carnauba wax or 'vegetable glaze' instead of shellac is the vegan choice, and many major brands of chocolate buttons and coated peanuts have already switched.
Label codes to recognise
- E904 — Shellac
- Insect — lac bug resin
- Confectioner's glaze — Shellac solution on sweets
- Insect
- Resinous glaze — Synonym for shellac glaze
- Insect
- E903 — Carnauba wax — the common vegan gloss
- Plant — palm leaves
Questions people ask
Is carnauba wax vegan?
Yes — it comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm.
Where does shellac hide?
Chocolate lentils, jelly beans, coated nuts, some supplements and nail products.
Are shiny apples vegan?
Apples produce their own wax, but packers wash it off and often re-coat with shellac or carnauba. Carnauba-coated or unwaxed fruit is vegan; if the coating is unspecified, washing and peeling removes most of it.
Is shellac in nail polish the same thing?
Not necessarily. CND Shellac is a gel-polish brand name, not a declaration of insect resin. Check the actual polish’s ingredients and vegan statement.
Do all shiny sweets use shellac?
No. Many use carnauba wax or no glaze at all. Check for E904, confectioner's glaze or resinous glaze; E903 (carnauba) is plant-based.
Is shellac vegetarian?
Opinions differ among vegetarians because the resin is a secretion rather than body tissue, but harvesting kills the insects, so vegans and many vegetarians avoid it.
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