Spermaceti, a waxy substance derived from the head of sperm whales, is largely not used today due to ethical concerns and legal protections for whales. Historically, it was utilized in candles, cosmetics, and lubricants, but modern alternatives have largely replaced it. Today, the focus is on conservation efforts to protect whale populations and their habitats. As a result, the use of spermaceti has significantly declined and is mostly obsolete.
Same thing as spermaceti, an oily substance from the heads of certain whales that historically was used in the manufacture of candles.
Spermaceti sometimes erroneously called parmaceti is a wax present in the head cavities of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Spermaceti is extracted from sperm oil by crystallisation at 6 degree Celsius, when treated by pressure and a chemical solution of caustic alkali. Spermaceti forms brilliant white crystals that are hard but oily to the touch, and are devoid of taste or smell, making it very useful as an ingredient in cosmetics, leatherworking, and lubricants. The substance was also used in making candles of a standard photometric value, in the dressing of fabrics, and as a pharmaceutical excipient, especially in cerates and ointments. Originally mistaken for the whales sperm (hence the name), spermaceti is created in the Spermaceti organ inside the whale's head and connected to its nasal passage, among other functions.
The spermaceti organ in sperm whales is a large organ located in their heads that contains a waxy substance called spermaceti. This organ helps sperm whales regulate their buoyancy and dive to great depths by changing the density of the spermaceti. It also plays a role in echolocation, allowing the whales to navigate and communicate underwater. The unique physiology of the spermaceti organ contributes to the sperm whale's ability to dive deep and hunt for prey in the ocean depths.
The product from whales that was used in cosmetics--it's not anymore--is spermaceti, which comes from sperm whales rather than blue whales.
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In the very old days when there was still an American whaling trade, the most popular whale to kill was the sperm whale. These whales have a big chamber in their heads that holds a wax called spermaceti. There's no sperm in it and the chamber is in both male and female whales, but whalers went after this whale because the six thousand pounds of spermaceti in the head of one whale was worth more than the entire rest of the whale. In Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, there's a chapter about how the spermaceti was harvested: they beheaded the whale, tied it to the side of the ship, cut a hole in the spermaceti chamber and dipped out the spermaceti. The same book tells of a whaleman who fell into the chamber and had to be rescued. Today, they don't make lipstick from spermaceti for three reasons--you can't get it anymore, if you could there would be international outrage directed against your company for using it, and jojoba oil happens to have the same chemical composition as spermaceti and is safer to gather as well.
No, the name comes from the substance found in their heads, spermaceti
None of it anymore, for three reasons. Reason 1: there's no whale blubber available to make into cosmetics. Reason 2: even if there WERE whale blubber available, it would be cheaper to use plant-derived ingredients like jojoba oil, shea butter and cocoa butter. Reason 3: if whale blubber was available and if it was cheaper than plant oils, no one would use it because the public backlash would be too great.
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It used to be made from "spermaceti," which is a fat you'll find in the head of a sperm whale. There's no sperm in spermaceti. Now they use Jojoba oil, which is a very good replacement for spermaceti.
Spermaceti oil, found in the spermaceti organ of sperm whales, helps maintain buoyancy by adjusting its density based on temperature and pressure changes in the ocean. When the whale dives deeper, the pressure increases, causing the oil to become denser, which aids in sinking. Conversely, as the whale ascends, the oil becomes less dense, helping it to rise. This unique property allows sperm whales to efficiently control their buoyancy during deep dives.