E904

Shellac

What the research shows

Not enough

published research on this page yet

How we decide

A resin from a bug.

It is used as a glaze on food and candy.

Written from English Wikipedia¹

Not vegan
Not vegetarian
EU permitted

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

European Union Permitted EUR-Lex Reg. (EC) 1333/2008
United Kingdom Permitted FSA retained EU law
Canada Permitted Health Canada · Glazing Polishing Agents

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 1,619 products on Open Food Facts that list shellac.

Pistachios with milk chocolate Italiamo 4 additives
Zillionaires' Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cheesecake Desserts (2 x) Gü · 183 g 10 additives
Sweet Easy Peelers Tesco · 600 g 4 additives
Milk Chocolate Digestive deliciously creamy yogurt müller 6 additives
Lemons 2 additives
Strawberry Shortcake deliciously creamy yogurt müller · 124 g 7 additives

References

1Shellac. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026.