Dermatologist Answers: Is Lanolin Good or Bad for Your Skin?
Lanolin has long been used in the skin care and cosmetics industry as an effective emollient, commonly used in body creams and lotions to lock in much-needed moisture and prevent water loss. But lanolin also has a bad rep for irritating sensitive skin and causing allergic reactions. So what’s the real story behind lanolin?
What Is Lanolin?
Lanolin is a greasy yellow substance made from secretions (sebum) from the skin glands of sheep to condition their wool. It is a natural, animal-derived product harvested from shorn wool. Unrefined lanolin has been used for thousands of years by various cultures, and refined lanolin has been used for more than a hundred of years in ointments.
Lanolin is a long-chain waxy ester that contains cholesterol, but with a different composition than human sebum. There are two common forms: lanolin and lanolin alcohol. The latter, the one that’s more commonly used in skin care, adds a molecule to provide a smoother skin feel. Because of its high fat content, lanolin is occlusive, meaning it prevents the evaporation of water from the skin (transepidermal water loss). This keeps skin moisturized and helps the skin heal.
So How Did Lanolin Get a Bad Rep?
Lanolin is generally considered safe for intact skin. However, ointments and occlusive products are designed to be used on healing skin, not normal and intact skin. This is the trouble with lanolin. Despite being a common ingredient in a number of products marketed to help heal eczema, burns, scrapes, raw nipples and post-procedure skin, the incidence of lanolin allergy is rapidly increasing. For example, a recent study of more than 1,000 children with eczema found that 66% of them reacted to lanolin alcohol (1). Another study looking at allergic reactions in patients with chronic wounds found 11% reacted to lanolin (2). Lanolin is not what our skin needs when it is trying to heal!
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