Hybrid Ceramic Waxes and Ceramic Sealants are a new fashion trend in car care.
But it is not the same as proper Ceramic Coating.
So what is it then?
As paintwork developed from the earliest cars so has maintenance and protectant products evolved.
The first protectant was car wax. At first, they were naturally based using carnauba and blends of other naturally derived waxes.
As technology developed, particularly polymers, think ‘plastic’, so did paint protection and the birth of Paint Sealants occurred. Paint Sealants were superior to Wax in that it lasted longer. Sealants are able to resist heat, UV rays, environmental contaminants, and detergents much better than wax. The main reason is that wax sits on the paint’s surface, it does not create a chemical bond to paint like sealants. In fact, wax could evaporate on a very hot day and in some cases sweat which then holds dirt to the surface!
From the early 2000’s Ceramic Coatings started to be developed. There is a variety of Ceramic technologies, for example; SIO2 or Silicon Dioxide, TIO2 or Titanium Dioxide, SiC or Silicon Carbide, and in some instances even a mix of them. The most common one is SIO2. The defining characteristic of coatings is that their molecular bond to paint is far superior to normal sealants giving their longevity. In fact, it is popularly marketed as ‘semi-permanent’ and cannot be washed off by a detergent-like wax or sealant. It’s also thicker, improves scratch resistance, and in all factors superior
The biggest problem to date has been that Ceramic coating is rigorous to be applied.
That brings us to Hybrid Ceramic Wax or Sealants. Simply, these are both a hybrid formula of either a low dilution of SIO2 in a water base formula or blended with polymer sealants or even natural carnauba wax.
By including ceramics in their formulas, it makes these products easier to apply, repel water better than normal waxes and sealants and of course cheaper and faster to apply than full-blown Ceramic Coating.
So while a Hybrid Ceramic Sealant or wax is not the same as a Ceramic Coating it will protect your paint.
