Lanolin

Lanolin is a natural material obtained from wool grease, the protective coating on sheep’s wool, and is therefore derived from sustainable resources, an important consideration in today’s environmentally conscious consumer markets.
Lanolin has been used in skin care for centuries, dating back to the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians.

Chemically it is a highly complex mixture of esters, alcohols and fatty acids, and has no synthetic alternative.
Its superb performance and affinity for skin, its purity and dermatological safety make it an essential ingredient for personal care and healthcare products.

Designed by nature

The name "lanolin" is derived from the Latin for "wool oil" (lana oleum).
Lanolin has been designed by nature, and perfected over millions of years of evolution, to protect the skin and hair of sheep from the ravages of climate (from Australian summer heat to the wet British winter).
Lanolin has an evolutionary advantage (about 70 million years) over most other topical product ingredients.

Lana Lanolin (Medilan)™ is a highly refined medical grade lanolin (EP/USP/NF).

Lanolin possesses a number of physical and chemical similarities to the lipids in the stratum corneum, the lipids that are responsible for controlling skin hydration levels.

Lanolin spontaneously emulsifies water and can hold over 200% of its own weight of water.

Lanolin penetrates the epidermis as far as stratum granulosum and acts as an in vivo moisture reservoir maintaining the hydration of the skin.

Lanolin creates a semi-permeable film, which is important in restoration of barrier function and in wound healing.

Lanolin provides pronounced and persistent emollient lasting for more than eight hours after application.

Under a microscope, the outer part of human skin (the stratum corneum) looks rather like a brick wall. In the skin the "bricks" are cells called corneocytes, and the "mortar" is the stratum corneum lipids. These stratum corneum lipids are responsible for controlling the rate of trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and consequent skin hydration levels. These lipids play a major role in giving skin what is known as its "barrier function". A healthy barrier function is vital for a healthy skin.

Lanolin, medical grade lanolin, possesses a number of physical and chemical similarities to the lipids in the stratum corneum - the lipids that are responsible for controlling skin hydration levels.
Lanolin can be absorbed into the intercellular spaces of the skin, where it is able to help repair barrier function and increase skin moisturisation.
Even in healthy skin, profilometry techniques have shown that Lanolin can improve the skin profile by over 30% just one hour after application.

Lanolin is exceptionally pure lanolin that complies with pesticide limits lower than those given in the European Pharmacopoeia.

There is a lot of chemical similarity between lanolin and the human skin lipids.

Measuring lanolin’s benefits:

The ability of lanolin to smooth skin has been measured. Reductions in skin roughness ranging from ca. 25% to 50% have been observed in these studies. Emollients that reduce skin roughness by more than 25% are generally regarded as having a significant effect.

References:

• The Lanolin Book,Ch 10, Ed Udo Hoppe,
  Pub BiersdorfAG, Hamburg (1999)
  
• Lanolin Clinical Support Document,
  Croda Oleochemicals, V118/0