Carnaubic acid, also known as tetracosanoic acid or lignoceric acid, is a saturated very-long-chain fatty acid found in carnauba wax and other plant waxes. It contributes to the hardness and gloss of carnauba-derived products used in food coatings, polishes, and cosmetics. As a high-molecular-weight carboxylic acid, it exhibits typical fatty acid behavior with low water solubility and forms salts with bases. It occurs naturally in small amounts in some vegetable oils and animal tissues and is studied in lipid metabolism research for its role in sphingolipid synthesis.