Glazing Agents & Waxes — Complete E-Number Guide

Glazing Agents & Waxes are food additives (E900–E999) that give foods a shiny surface coating or protective layer. They are found in many everyday foods including sweets, chocolate, chewing gum, fresh fruit coatings and baked goods. This guide covers every glazing agents & waxe E-number with its safety, vegan and halal status at a glance.

What do glazing agents & waxes do?

Additives in the glazing agents & waxes group give foods a shiny surface coating or protective layer. Without them, many everyday products would spoil faster, separate, lose texture or look unappetising — which is why they appear in so many ingredients lists. Every additive in this table has been through EFSA's authorisation process, but as the safety column shows, "authorised" doesn't always mean "concern-free": some carry conditions, warnings or ongoing debates, and each entry links to a full breakdown.

Checking labels for glazing agents & waxes

On UK and EU labels these additives appear with their function and E-number or name — for example "glazing agents & waxe: E900". Tap any E-number in the table for its complete profile: what it is, where it's found, whether it's safe, and its vegan, vegetarian, halal and palm-oil status.

Additive data sourced from Open Food Facts (ODbL licence) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).