Polishing compositions comprise aqueous emulsions or aqueous colloidal solutions of synthetic waxes consisting wholly of a compound or compounds of the formula RCONHXOOCYCOOH, wherein R is a monovalent aliphatic radical containing at least 11 carbon atoms, X is a divalent aliphatic radical containing at least 2 carbon atoms, and Y is a divalent aliphatic radical containing at least 4 carbon atoms, or consisting of such compounds in admixture with unreacted starting materials and/or by-products. (For preparation of the waxes see Group IV (b).) The synthetic waxes may be used in combination with natural waxes, such as candellilla wax, carnauba wax, ouricouri wax, sugar cane wax, esparto wax, paraffin wax, micro-crystalline waxes and oxidized hydrocarbon waxes, or synthetic resins. Emulsifying agents such as polyglycol ethers and esters, or oleates of triethanolamine or morpholine may be added. The synthetic waxes can be emulsified with inorganic or organic bases. As the higher fatty acids used in the preparation of the waxes, stearic acid and behenic acid are particularly suitable but hydrogenated fish or vegetable oil fatty acids, oxy-acids, montanic acid or the corresponding unsaturated fatty acids may also be used. Suitable alkylolamines are monoethanolamine or n-butanolamine. Sebacic acid and adipic acid are suitable dicarboxylic acids for the preparation of the waxes but substituted dicarboxylic acids such as b -hydroxy-adipic acid can also be used. In an example, a brightdrying emulsion is prepared from a synthetic wax obtained from stearic acid, monoethanolamine and sebacic acid, together with a coumarone-indene resin, and carnauba wax by melting together the components, adding triethanolamine to the melt and dispersing the whole in boiling water with agitation. An aqueous alkaline solution of shellac may be added to enhance the spreading capacity of the resulting preparation.ALSO:Synthetic waxes consisting wholly of a compound or compounds of the formula RCONHXOOCYCOOH wherein R is a monovalent aliphatic radical containing at least 11 carbon atoms, X is a divalent aliphatic radical containing at least 2 carbon atoms, and Y is a divalent aliphatic radical containing at least 4 carbon atoms, or consisting of such compounds in admixture with unreacted starting materials and/or by-products, are used for making polishes in conjunction with synthetic resins such as coumarone-indene resins, alkylated phenol-formaldehyde resins or terpene-phenolic resins. Emulsifying agents such as polyglycol ethers and esters, or oleates of triethanolamine or morpholine, may be added for the preparation of aqueous wax emulsions. (For the preparation of the synthetic waxes see Group IV (b).) In an example, a brightdrying emulsion is prepared from a synthetic wax obtained from stearic acid, monoethanolamine and sebacic acid, together with a coumarone-indene resin, and carnauba wax by melting together the components, adding triethanolamine to the melt and dispersing the whole in boiling water with agitation. An aqueous alkaline solution of shellac may be added to enhance the spreading capacity of the resulting preparation.ALSO:A synthetic wax consists of a compound or compounds of formula R-CO-NH-X-O-OC-Y-COOH where R is a monovalent aliphatic radical of at least 11 carbon atoms, X a divalent aliphatic radical of at least 2 carbon atoms, and Y a divalent aliphatic radical of at least 4 carbon atoms, or a mixture thereof with residual starting materials or by-products. R, X and Y may be saturated or unsaturated, straight or branch chain. The waxes are made by condensing one mol. of an appropriate fatty acid or functional derivative, e.g. acid chloride, anhydride or ester, with one mol. of an alkylolamine, and condensing the product with one mol. of an appropriate dicarboxylic acid or functional derivative. The products are used in polishes, if desired with other synthetic or natural waxes (see Group III) or resins (see Group IV (a)), in wax emulsions, as vehicles for pigments or dyestuffs used in making carbon paper (see Group XV). Stearic and behenic acids are preferred fatty acids for making the waxes; others include hydrogenated fish oil or vegetable oil acids, oxy-acids and unsaturated acids, and montanic acid. Saturated fatty acids of not more than 20 carbon atoms are of advantage for bright-drying emulsions. The alkylolamine may be ethanolamine or n-butanolamine. Preferred dicarboxylic acids are sebacic and adipic. Substituted acids, e.g. b - hydroxy adipic, may also be used. In Example (1), stearic acid containing palmitic and some oleic is heated at 200 DEG C. with an equimolar quantity of ethanolamine and the resulting stearyl ethanolamide heated at 240 DEG C. with an equimolar amount of sebacic acid.