Glazing agents in food

A glazing agent is a substance applied to the outer surface of a food to give it a shiny appearance or a protective coating. Makers use it when they want a product to have a glossier surface.

Vietnam regulates additives through a list of permitted additives (Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT, referencing international Codex standards); a substance not on the list is not permitted in Vietnam, and that is the first tier of the Yenzo Scale — see how levels are set.

Glazing agents: low risk

Low risk: limited concern or ongoing debate. How we score →

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E414Acacia gum (gum arabic)E473Sucrose esters of fatty acids E553bTalc E905Microcrystalline wax E907Hydrogenated poly-1-decene E912Montan acid esters E914Oxidised polyethylene wax E1201Polyvinylpyrrolidone E1203Polyvinyl alcohol E1205Basic methacrylate copolymer E1206Neutral methacrylate copolymer E1207Anionic methacrylate copolymer E1208Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer E1209Polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer E1503Castor oil E1520Propane-1,2-diol (propylene glycol)E1521Polyethylene glycol

Glazing agents: very low risk

Very low risk: no concern at the levels used in food. How we score →

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E400Alginic acid E401Sodium alginate E460Cellulose E461Methyl cellulose E462Ethyl cellulose E463Hydroxypropyl cellulose E464Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose E466Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)E471Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids E901Beeswax E902Candelilla wax E903Carnauba wax E904Shellac E953Isomalt E1200Polydextrose E1204Pullulan

Fun fact. Shellac (E 904) is purified and bleached lac, a resinous secretion from the insect Laccifer (Tachardia) lacca Kerr. According to industry information given to EFSA, lac insects colonise tree branches, which are cut into 20 cm lengths called “sticklac”. Sticklac is crushed and sieved to remove twigs, then washed with water to remove the insects and other impurities. What remains is a resinous substance that is dried into a material called “seedlac”. Refined shellac is extracted from seedlac through one of two processes: chemical bleaching with sodium hypochlorite or physical decolouring with active coal. Source: Re-evaluation of shellac (E 904) as a food additive and a new application on the extension of use of shellac (E 904) in dietary foods for special medical purposes (EFSA Journal, 2024)

Frequently asked questions about glazing agents

Which foods contain glazing agents?

Glazing agents are applied to the outer surface of a food, so they are found in products that need a glossy outer layer or a coating. Each code has its own page with the functions given in Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT; for example beeswax (E901), carnauba wax (E903) and shellac (E904) are all listed with the function glazing agent.

How can I recognise glazing agents on a label?

Labels usually write the group name followed by the INS number in brackets, for example “glazing agent (901)”, or the code E901, or the name of the substance (beeswax). A substance may be written in any of these ways.

Which glazing agents are the most common?

Yenzo does not rank additives. Some codes of this group that have a page on Yenzo: E414 (gum arabic), E901 (beeswax), E903 (carnauba wax), E904 (shellac, bleached), E1520 (propylene glycol). All of them are named in Appendix 1 of Circular 24/2019/TT-BYT.

Other categories

Updated 28 October 2026

How Yenzo scores

Sources (1)

Re-evaluation of shellac (E 904) as a food additive and a new application on the extension of use of shellac (E 904) in dietary foods for special medical purposes (EFSA Journal, 2024)

Information only, not medical advice. The risk level is the additive's class in Yenzo's open scoring method, based on the cited source.