Is Shellac Vegetarian?

Not Vegetarian

Obtaining it requires the animal to die, so it falls outside a vegetarian diet as well as a vegan one.

The two diets, side by side

A vegetarian diet excludes animals that were killed. A vegan diet excludes animal products entirely, whether the animal survived or not. Shellac fails both tests on the same fact, so the two diets agree here.

Shellac is not vegan. Female lac bugs, Kerria lacca, secrete the resin onto tree bark in the forests of India and Thailand, and harvesters scrape it off. The words confectioner's glaze on a jelly bean mean shellac, and so does the shine on a supermarket apple.

Relevant to: Insect

What it is

Comes from: A resin secreted by the female lac bug (Kerria lacca) found in forests of India and Thailand. Harvested from the bark of trees where bugs deposit the resin.
Which animal: lac bug
Requires slaughter: Yes
Where you meet it: Shiny coatings on sweets (jelly beans, chocolate-covered nuts), fruit wax coating (apples, citrus), pharmaceutical tablet coatings, nail polish.
What replaces it: Carnauba wax (E903) for food glazing.

Editorial notes

The 'confectioner's glaze' on Jelly Belly jelly beans is shellac. Shiny apples in supermarkets are often coated with shellac. E904 on the label means shellac.

Frequently asked questions

Is Shellac vegetarian?

Not Vegetarian. Obtaining it requires the animal to die, so it falls outside a vegetarian diet as well as a vegan one.

Is Shellac vegan?

Not Vegan. Shellac is not vegan. Female lac bugs, Kerria lacca, secrete the resin onto tree bark in the forests of India and Thailand, and harvesters scrape it off. The words confectioner's glaze on a jelly bean mean shellac, and so does the shine on a supermarket apple.

Is shellac vegan?

No, shellac is not vegan. The resin is secreted by the female lac bug, and harvesting it means scraping the resin from tree branches where the insects live, killing or removing large numbers of them in the process. Because it is an insect-derived ingredient, it is excluded from vegan diets, and many vegetarians who avoid insect products also avoid it.

Is confectioner's glaze the same as shellac?

Yes. Confectioner's glaze is the food-industry name for shellac. It also appears on labels as 'resinous glaze,' 'natural glaze,' 'pure food glaze,' or 'pharmaceutical glaze' on medications. All of these terms refer to the same insect-derived resin.

What does E904 on a food label mean?

E904 is the European Union additive number for shellac. If a product lists E904, it contains the insect-derived resin. The product is not vegan. The plant-based glazing agents carnauba wax and candelilla wax carry the separate numbers E903 and E902.