The Greek physician and pharmacist Dioskurides (1st century BC), writing under the pseudonym ‘Oesypus’, in his 5-volume work ‘De materia medica’, mentions a fatty substance; Today we know that he was referring to the ‘wool wax’ (lanolin). At that time, lanolin was obtained by boiling sheep’s wool in water, and then the fat that was floating on the surface was extracted. For centuries, the lanolin fell into oblivion. It was not until 1882 that it was manufactured in a purified form by Brown and Liebrich and given the name Latin (wool = wool; Oleum = oil).

In terms of its chemical composition, lanolin is not really a fat, but a mixture composed of esters of various acids and alcohols. The lanolin is obtained after shearing washing the fat with soap and soda until the level of fat removal has been reached (in places known as wool washers), by acidification (precipitation of waxes), alkaline emulsification and by centrifugation of the Raw liquid lanolin. Subsequently, it is purified by re-melting it repeatedly and cleaning it.

Solid wool wax is a pale yellow substance with the consistency of an ointment and with a characteristic odor. In the molten state, wool wax is a clear, or visually clear, yellow liquid that is practically insoluble in water, very little soluble in ethanol and soluble in ether. The benzene wool wax solutions show opalescence. However, the most obvious characteristic of wool wax is its ability to absorb up to 300% water and this is the reason why it is suitable for use in all sectors of the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

The resulting emulsions have a good shelf life. It can be kneaded without undergoing any change in its external quality. Lanolin is excellent at penetrating the skin, but it also has an irritating potential and can cause allergic reactions in sensitive skin. In industry, lanolin is used in textile factories and leather goods (fatliquoring agent), also as an antioxidant agent. The acetylation, ethoxylation and hydroxylation of lanolin make the product suitable for use in the manufacture of other cosmetics.