Lanolin
Lanolin (from
Lanolin's role in nature is to protect wool and skin from climate and the environment; it also plays a role in skin (integumental) hygiene.[2] Lanolin and its derivatives are used in the protection, treatment, and beautification of human skin.[2]
Composition
A typical high-purity grade of lanolin is composed predominantly of
An estimated 8,000 to 20,000 different types of lanolin esters are present in lanolin, resulting from combinations between the 200 or so different lanolin acids and the 100 or so different lanolin alcohols identified so far.[2][3]
Lanolin’s complex composition of long-chain esters, hydroxyesters, diesters, lanolin alcohols, and lanolin acids means in addition to its being a valuable product in its own right, it is also the starting point for the production of a whole spectrum of lanolin derivatives, which possess wide-ranging chemical and physical properties. The main
Type of lanolic acid | Carbon chain length | Number identified |
---|---|---|
Alpha-hydroxy normal | C 13–C 24 |
12 |
Alpha-hydroxy iso | C 13–C 23 |
6 |
Alpha-hydroxy anteiso | C 12–C 24 |
7 |
Production
Crude lanolin constitutes about 5–25% of the weight of freshly shorn wool. The wool from one
Applications
Lanolin and its many derivatives are used extensively in both the personal care (e.g., high value cosmetics, facial cosmetics, lip products) and health care sectors such as topical liniments. Lanolin is also found in lubricants, rust-preventive coatings, shoe polish, and other commercial products.[8]
Lanolin is a relatively common allergen and is often misunderstood as a wool allergy. However, allergy to a lanolin-containing product is difficult to pinpoint and often other products containing lanolin may be fine for use. Patch testing can be done if a lanolin allergy is suspected.[8]
It is frequently used in protective baby skin treatment and for sore nipples from breastfeeding[9] although health authorities do not recommend it, advise against nipple cleaning[10] and rather recommend improving baby positioning and expressing milk by hand.[11]
Lanolin is used commercially in many industrial products ranging from
7-Dehydrocholesterol from lanolin is used as a raw material for producing vitamin D3 by irradiation with ultraviolet light.[13]
Anhydrous liquid lanolin, combined with
tuning slides.Lanolin can also be restored to woollen garments to make them water and dirt repellent, such as for cloth diaper covers.
Lanolin is also used in lip balm products such as Carmex. For some people, it can irritate the lips.
Lanolin is sometimes used by people on continuous positive airway pressure therapy to reduce irritation with masks, particular nasal pillow masks that can often create sore spots in the nostrils.
Lanolin is a popular additive to moustache wax, particularly 'extra-firm' varieties.
Lanolin is used as a primary lubricating component in aerosol-based brass lubricants in the ammunition reloading process. Mixed warm 1:12 with highly concentrated ethanol (usually 99%), the ethanol acts as a carrier which evaporates quickly after application, leaving a fine film of lanolin behind to prevent brass seizing in resizing dies.
Lanolin, when mixed with ingredients such as neatsfoot oil, beeswax and glycerol, is used in various leather treatments, for example in some saddle soaps and in leather care products.
Standards and legislation
In addition to general purity requirements, lanolin must meet official requirements for the permissible levels of
A second monograph also introduced into the US Pharmacopoeia XXII in 1992 was entitled 'Modified Lanolin'. Lanolin conforming to this monograph is intended for use in more exacting applications, for example on open wounds. In this monograph, the limit of total pesticides was reduced to 3 ppm total pesticides, with no individual limit greater than 1 ppm.
In 2000, the European Pharmacopoeia introduced pesticide residue limits into its lanolin monograph. This requirement, which is generally regarded as the new quality standard, extends the list of pesticides to 40 and imposes even lower concentration limits.
Some very high-purity grades of lanolin surpass monograph requirements. New products obtained using complex purification techniques produce lanolin esters in their natural state, removing oxidative and environmental impurities resulting in white, odourless,
Lanolin attracted attention owing to a misunderstanding concerning its sensitising potential.[17] A study carried out at New York University Hospital in the early 1950s had shown about 1% of patients with dermatological disorders were allergic to the lanolin being used at that time. By one estimate, this simple misunderstanding of failing to differentiate between the general healthy population and patients with dermatological disorders exaggerates the sensitising potential of lanolin by 5,000–6,000 times.[17][18]
The European Cosmetics Directive, introduced in July 1976, contained a stipulation that cosmetics which contained lanolin should be labelled to that effect. This ruling was challenged immediately, and in the early 1980s, it was overturned and removed from the directive. Despite only being in force for a short period of time, this ruling did harm both to the lanolin industry and to the reputation of lanolin in general.[17] The Cosmetics Directive ruling only applied to the presence of lanolin in cosmetic products; it did not apply to the many hundreds of its different uses in dermatological products designed for the treatment of compromised skin conditions.
Modern analytical methods have revealed lanolin possesses a number of important chemical and physical similarities to human
Skin bioengineering studies have shown the durational effect of the
The barrier repair properties of lanolin have been reported to be superior to those produced by both petrolatum and glycerol.[2] In a small clinical study conducted on volunteer subjects with terribly dry (xerotic) hands, lanolin was shown to be superior to petrolatum in reducing the signs and symptoms of dryness and scaling, cracks and abrasions, and pain and itch. In another study, a high purity grade of lanolin was found to be significantly superior to petrolatum in assisting the healing of superficial wounds.
References
- ^ Malmstrom, Ivar (1949). "Technological aspects of lanolin". Journal of Cosmetic Science. 1 (4). Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9783931146054.
- ^ ISSN 0361-4387.
- ISBN 978-3527306732.
- ^ "Quaternise". Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
quaternise: to convert (as an amine) into a quaternary compound
- ^ "Alkoxylation". BASF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
Reaction of ammonia or amines with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide to produce aminoalcohols. The process is also adaptable to produce specialty aminoalcohols from other epoxides.
- ^ Sengupta, Amit; Behera (2014). "Comprehensive view on chemistry, manufacturing & applications of lanolin extracted from wool pretreatment,also used in vitamins" (PDF). American Journal of Engineering Research (AJER). 3 (7): 33–43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- ^ PMID 21212847.
- ^ "HPA® Lanolin Cream". lansinoh.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Agence Nationale d'Accréditation et d'Évaluation en Santé (French Health Authority) (May 2022). "Allaitement maternel - Recommandations (Maternal breastfeeding - advice)" (PDF). Haute Autorité de Santé. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ National Health Service (UK) (7 December 2020). "Sore or cracked nipples when breastfeeding". Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "MSDS for Lanocote" (PDF). www.forespar.com/products/boat-lubricant-lanocote.shtml. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- S2CID 18566028.
- S2CID 36508740.
- PMID 26905373.
- .
- ^ a b c Steel, I. (1994). "Lanolin Allergy: Hype or Hypersensitivity?". Journal of the National Eczema Society (Exchange) (75): 16–17.
- ^ Steel, I.; White, I. R.; Beck, M. H. (1995). Dilemmas in Lanolin Sensitivity. 10th International Symposium on Contact Dermatitis. Nagoya.
- ^ a b Clark, E. W.; Steel, I. (1993). Poster No. 2 (Report). Washington, DC: American Academy of Dermatology.
- ^ a b c Clark, E. W.; Steel, I. (1993). "Investigations into biomechanisms of the moisturizing function of lanolin" (PDF). Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. 44 (4): 181–195. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
External links