What is Lanolin?

Lanolin is a natural wax obtained from sheep’s wool. Also known as wool wax, it originates from wool grease, a waxy substance naturally present on the fleece.

Lanolin is characterized by its complex composition and has been known and used for centuries. Today, refined lanolin is available in different grades for personal care, pharmaceutical, and technical applications.

Natural wax originating from sheep’s wool
Also known as wool wax
Complex mixture of naturally occurring wax components
Available as refined lanolin for different applications

What Is Lanolin Made Of?

Lanolin is a complex natural wax composed mainly of wax esters formed from long-chain fatty acids and fatty alcohols. Despite sometimes being referred to as wool fat, its composition differs fundamentally from that of conventional fats and oils.

The terms wool wax, wool grease and lanolin are closely related but not identical. Wool grease refers to the material recovered from wool, while lanolin generally describes the refined and purified product. Wool wax is commonly used as another name for lanolin.

Where Does Lanolin Come From?

Lanolin originates from the natural wool grease present on sheep’s fleece. It is secreted by the sheep’s sebaceous glands and coats the wool fibres, where it helps repel water and protect the fibres from environmental influences.

During the washing of raw wool, this natural grease is separated from the fibres and recovered as a by-product of wool processing. The recovered wool grease serves as the raw material for the production of refined lanolin.

Learn how lanolin is produced

The History of Lanolin

Wool-derived substances have been used for centuries. In the 1st century, the Greek physician Dioscorides described oesypus, a wool grease obtained from sheep’s wool and used in medicinal preparations.

Modern lanolin emerged in the late 19th century, when advances in wool processing enabled wool grease to be recovered and refined more effectively.

In the 1880s, Oscar Liebreich and Otto Braun developed methods for processing wool grease into lanolin. The name lanolin, derived from the Latin lana (wool) and oleum (oil), became established as a term for the refined material, marking its transition to a standardized raw material.