Lanolin Suppliers & Bulk Manufacturers

Available Forms: Cream, Ointment, Lotion

Available Strengths:

Reference Brands: Lanolin USP

Category: Cosmetics

Lanolin is a natural wax derived from sheep’s wool, widely used in skincare and cosmetic formulations. It acts as an emollient and moisturizer, helping to soften and protect the skin by forming a barrier that prevents moisture loss. It is also used in pharmaceutical ointments and topical preparations.

Product Description:

Lanolin is the waxy secretion of sheep sebaceous glands, recovered from wool during scouring and then refined. Chemically it is not a fat but a complex mixture of sterol esters, and that structure is what makes it useful: it is an occlusive that slows water loss from the skin surface, and it can hold roughly twice its own weight in water, giving it emollient and emulsifying properties that petrolatum does not have.

Pharmaceutical-grade lanolin is used as an ointment base and emollient, and medical-grade purified lanolin is widely used for cracked nipples in breastfeeding, where its safety if ingested by the infant matters. Its historic drawback is allergic contact dermatitis, attributed largely to free lanolin alcohols and to detergent and pesticide residues; modern highly purified and hypoallergenic grades have greatly reduced the rate, but sensitivity still occurs, particularly on damaged skin and leg ulcers.

Sourcing notes. Grade is everything here. Pharmacopoeial lanolin, anhydrous lanolin, modified and hypoallergenic grades differ in free alcohol content, peroxide value, pesticide residue limits and water-absorbing capacity. The monograph, the residue specification and the intended use — ointment base, nipple cream or cosmetic ingredient — should all be stated on any enquiry.