Oils and waxes have been used to protect natural materials from the effects of the environment—light, water, cats, etc.—in buildings and building materials for as long as such things have existed.
One only has to look at an old pub or church floor in Europe to realize that naturally occurring materials such as seed oils and waxes can effectively protect a wood floor for hundreds of years. This isn’t to say that these old floors don’t look old—they do and they should. The bottom line is, they are real, they are beautifully authentic and they still exist today.