From time to time, a post goes viral warning consumers about the wax on fruit, like a TikTok post about apple waxing from 2020 that garnered nearly 6,000 likes, or a subsequent post from 2021 that racked up more than 100,000 likes. Both posts urged consumers to remove the wax coating, but in fact, there's a very good reason that coating exists.

All fruits have a natural wax coating that acts as a sort of survival mechanism, but they lose this coating when they are washed to remove dirt and pesticides. To make up for the loss, the washed apples receive a new coat of wax, which dramatically increases the fruits' shelf life and adds a glossy sheen that makes them more aesthetically attractive.

Some sources claim that fruit waxing causes cancer, but these are mainly social media influencers who don't back up their claim with concrete evidence, while Snopes found no known carcinogens in any of the common fruit waxes. In fact, the wax is indigestible, which means it passes through our digestive system without being absorbed by the body.