It is dead skin cells from the inside of your ear.

After thinking about Paige Honor's answer, I decided to do some research on my own. Here's what I found: "The skin cells lining our outer ear canals include tiny glands, similar to sweat glands, which produce wax. The point seems to be that this acts as a protective layer, which traps dust and other particles which get into the ear. The wax slowly works its way to the outside, taking the trapped dirt and dust with it." Another site at least mentions the dead skin: "Ear wax is a normal product of the ear which protects the skin of the ear from water and infection. Ear wax is formed from wax glands in the external ear canal as well as other components such as dead skin, sweat, and oil. The primary component of ear wax is keratin (derived from dead skin). Ear wax thus differs slightly from cerumen which is the secretory product of the ceruminous glands in the external auditory canal." So while the primary ingredient may be from dead skin, that wasn't exactly the answer I was looking for when I posted the question. Source 1: http://www.medinfo.co.uk/conditions/earwax.html Source 2: http://www.tchain.com/otoneurology/disorders/hearing/wax2.html Search strategy: Google, "ear wax"