Has anyone seen this before? This has happened now with two different cans of CBD salve but not with the other 40 cans in the same bunch. The one person said that the can was stored in a humid place. I’m guessing that the cans got hot and the wax is separating from everything else? Any thoughts? Am I doing something wrong?
Do you have a picture of a good one we can use for comparison? Besides humidity are there any temperature fluctuations in the storage area such as a walled area that may be retaining more heat/cool than the rest of the space?
Just from this image it looks like undissolved beeswax pellets which is why an image of a good one would help since we don’t know what the texture should be like. Might these two have been the final pours of the batch? 
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I think it’s beeswax too. No idea where it was in the batch. Im wondering if i need to mix the whole batch longer. I noticed on the last batch i made as it was drying I’d see slight discoloring in the can. Almost like disks. Am i not being aggressive enough when I’m mixing it? Here is a pic of a similar can
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Here is a pic of my last batch. You can see what looks like disk. I mix everything together at around 170 degrees F and when i pour it in the can it looks uniform but when it dries it looks like that.
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I’d say that it looks like you’re not getting your beeswax completely melted and dispersed throughout. 170°F is the temp I use and the wax is well melted by that time so the temperature shouldn’t be the problem. You may need to adjust your wax to oil ratio but I think you may want to homogenize your mixture better before doing any reformulation. It’s the simplest fix.
Whipping your salve will help quite a bit. I’ll start whipping once it’s off the heat just to start cooling it down to 150° when I add my essential oils. I then cool the mix in the freezer for a few minutes at a time then whip as it’s setting up. I like the salve to be around 100° before I pour.
Of course, that’s just me but I have found that if it’s poured while it’s still hot some ingredients (oils/butters/aloe) can separate out while it sets up. If you whip it after is has started to set it will lock everything in place. It’s a simple thing to do to see if that may solve the problem and you’re only out a little time. I think you might like the results, though. 
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If you don’t crash cool your mixture it can separate in the container before it cools. I generally pour hot from a container with an overhead stirrer and crash it in a freezer on a sheet tray. I’ve never tried @PSam technique but it sounds like it’s a similar concept.
That separation can also happen if the finished product (even properly cooled) is heated to liquid and slowly cooled back down. The different melting points of substances causes separation. Maybe that jar was in a warmer spot.
It can be helpful to test your salve consistency at different temperatures to see where it melts completely. In my experience you want it to liquify around 90 F so it will easily melt into the skin but won’t melt if stored in normal temperature conditions. A “keep in a cool dark place” label is also handy.
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That kinda looks like micro contamination. Does it seem like there is water in there?
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I gotta ask the obvious question. How/what are you using to homogenize?
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Yeah, it’s the same principle. Small batch vs larger batch and equipment on hand, etc.
Another thing to be cognizant of is the climate. Formulating a formula that’s optimal in AZ in the summer is different than someplace cooler. Freezing temps can mess with the butters if not crashed and then give you a gritty product.
Frankly, I just use a fork anymore like I’m making an omelet but I just make small personal batches now. An immersion blender fits the bill usually. It ensures the melted beeswax is better distributed. The OP’s doesn’t appear to have that. It looks like it was hot enough to melt the pellets except for some areas. The blender would pull those into the blend.
Of course, a magnetic stirrer gets the job done with less mess. Should have been my first answer for the homogenization. The blender or fork for whipping.
Are you tempering your stuff? You should hold it at 70c or higher for 30 min. It makes for a really nice texture.
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I do that for my lotions but haven’t for the salves. For the lotions it’s for sterilization. I’ll have to check it out for the salve.
Thanks PSam. Sounds like that is the ticket and I will give it a try my next go around!
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It’s just a simple thing to try out before you start changing things and should do the job. You’ll find that you retain more of your essential oils if you wait until your temp drops to 150°, too.
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PSam and everyone who responded. Thank you so much for all your inputs. I made a new batch, followed what you said and it came out perfect! Before I was putting it straight into the cans at about 170 F and no doubt i was shocking the liquid with the temp differences between the liquid and cans and i believe that’s what was causing it to seperate. You were also spot on about needing less essential oils if you add it when the liquid was cooler. Appreciate the education all! Such a great community here!
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Happy to help. 
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