How sealing wax is made? And from when?

A long time ago, people from India were probably the first ones to produce sealing wax. They used shellac to seal their messages, manuscripts and writings since Antiquity.

Venetians sailors brought it back to Italy, Spain and France, where it was long-known as the Spanish Wax.

Little is known about sealing wax in other European countries…

During the 1789 French Revolution the "lettres de cachets" had the power to send people to jail and especially to the most famous one known as "La Bastille".

The word "wax" itself can have various meanings according to its use; anyhow, it differs much from bee wax and other animal wax or from vegetal origin.
Sealing wax is made of colophony which comes from the distillation of gum resin harvested on maritime pines which grow in the southern part of France called "Les Landes" ; Spain, Portugal, Greece and even China produce colophony too.
Colophony is melted and mixed with chalk; fat and colouring substances are added.
In order to meet a wide range of applications, we use colouring substances compatible with food packaging regulations.