All plants produce wax to protect themselves from the environment aggression. The Corpenícia Prunifera Palm, name given in reverence to Nicolaus Copernicus, grows along the rivers, valleys and lagoons from Sri-Lanka, Africa and some South America’s countries. Meanwhile, due to its exposition in a wild environment in of Brazil’s Northeast, especially in Ceará, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte states, this palm is able to produce maximized wax in industrial level.
The wax is produced in the leaf internal cells and migrates to its surface, forming a film on the leaf. This film hinders the plant to loose much water by perspiration, allowing the Photosynthesis.
The Carnauba Wax is a result from the refined powder extracted from the Corpenícia Prunifera Palm’s leaves. The Carnauba Wax can be commercialized in powder, flakes or lumps. Its coloration and type are determined in accordance with the extracted leaves’ age and the way they are handled in the extraction and improvement process.
The Carnauba Wax types are:

Carnauba Wax Type - 1 - Filtered Prime Yellow
	Resultant from the powder extracted from the “Palm eye” leaves. They are recent leaves, which have not effectuated the Photosynthesis yet, giving a clear coloration to the wax.

Carnauba Wax Type - 3 - Refined Light Fatty
	Resultant from the powder extracted from the opened leaves, which have already effectuated the Photosynthesis. Although it is bleached, its coloration is a little darker than the one from the Carnauba Wax Type 1.

Carnauba Wax Type - 4 - Filtered Fatty Gray
	Also resultant from the powder extracted from the opened leaves, nevertheless it does not pass by the bleaching process.

Curiosity

The oldest Carnauba illustration can be found in a work written by Marcgravius and Piso, dated of 1648, entitled "History of Naturalis Brasiliae".