Lanolin: Evidence and Safety

Quick safety points

• Lanolin is a recognized contact allergen. In people patch tested at North American dermatology clinics, 3.3 percent reacted. That is a clinic group, not the general public. [1] It is thought to be a rare sensitizer on healthy skin, but people with long-term inflamed skin are at higher risk. [15]
• Lanolin is a sheep product, not a plant. Raw wool can carry residues such as pesticides and processing chemicals, and labs have built methods to test lanolin for them. [4][17] Highly purified grades that follow a pharmacy standard have these removed or reduced, and a lab study found one such nipple cream with no detectable pesticide residues. [3][4]
• Highly purified lanolin is widely used on sore nipples while breastfeeding, but trials do not show it works better than no treatment or the mother's own milk. [5][6]
• LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine's drug and breastfeeding database, says even highly purified lanolin should be avoided by anyone with a known wool allergy. A 2024 review disagrees that wool allergy is real. See the section on safety below. [7][4]
• Always try a small patch first, and stop if the skin gets red, itchy or sore. See patch testing natural oils and butters.

What lanolin is

Lanolin is the waxy grease that sheep make in their skin glands and that coats their wool. It is washed out of shorn wool, so it is an animal product and does not come from a plant. Raw lanolin makes up roughly 5 to 25 percent of the weight of fresh-shorn wool. [4]

Chemically it is not a true fat. It is a mixture of waxy esters made from fatty acids and special alcohols, including cholesterol and lanosterol, and it has no triglycerides. It melts at body-warm temperatures (about 36 to 42 degrees C), so it softens in the hand. [4] It is sticky and thick on skin and forms a protective film. It can soak up about twice its weight in water. [4]

How it is used

• Nipple care while breastfeeding: a thin layer of highly purified, anhydrous (water-free) lanolin after feeds is a very common product. [7]
• Lips, hands and dry patches: a base for balms, lip care and "barrier" ointments.
• Skin protectant medicines: in the US, lanolin is a listed ingredient for over-the-counter skin protectants (see Claims checked). [8]
• Other products: hair and baby products, makeup, and industrial uses. [2][4]
• It is not a food. See carrier oils explained for plant oils that people use instead.

Traditional use (not proof)

Lanolin has been used on skin since ancient Greece, and industrial production began in Germany in the 19th century. [2] It has long been used for sore, cracked nipples. [7] Long use is not proof that it works better than other options.

What research shows

Most human research is about sore nipples. Trials differ in the lanolin product, the comparison and how pain was measured, so the findings do not add up to a clear answer.

LactMed summarizes the same picture: highly purified lanolin has not been consistently better than milk, hydrogel dressings, peppermint gel, aloe or warm compresses, and lanolin started before delivery did not prevent sore nipples. [7] The NHS page on sore nipples advises early help with latch and positioning, dabbing a little expressed milk, and asking a midwife or health visitor about creams. It does not mention lanolin. [13]

Dry skin and the skin barrier: a review of studies of everyday moisturizers for dry skin in eczema included lanolin among many ingredients and found that most basic moisturizers were safe and helped. It does not single lanolin out. [14] A dermatology review says lanolin on intact skin lubricates, supports the skin's fatty barrier and keeps moisture in, but this is a narrative summary, not a trial of lanolin. [2] Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for lanolin as a treatment for eczema, wounds or aging skin.

Lab and animal findings: we did not read any lanolin-specific lab or animal study, so none is reported.

Claims checked

Forms, grades and why they matter

• Anhydrous lanolin: nearly water-free, the usual base of nipple creams. [4]
• Hydrated lanolin: about 25 to 28 percent water. [4]
• Highly purified (pharmacy-grade) lanolin: refined to a USP or European Pharmacopoeia monograph. One lab study says this removes more contaminants and lowers the free lanolin alcohols, which are thought to be the main allergy trigger. [3] A review reports that cutting free alcohols below 3 percent reduced allergy reports by 96 to 99 percent. [4] The tested nipple cream had 0.61 percent free alcohols, and another had 2.76 percent. [3]
• Lanolin alcohols and Amerchol L-101: processed forms used in creams. They are also the substances used in patch testing for lanolin allergy. [1][4]
• Acetylated lanolin: a modified form; reviewed studies suggest it is much less allergenic. [4]
• Cosmetic or industrial grade: may be less refined. The sources we read do not compare these grades directly, so check the label for a pharmacy standard if the product goes on nipples or broken skin. See cosmetic grade vs food grade.

Safety and cautions

• Contact allergy: lanolin reactions are well described. Among 43,691 patch-tested patients in North America (2001 to 2018), 3.3 percent reacted and 2.8 percent had a currently relevant reaction. [1] In north-eastern Italy, 1.64 percent of 30,629 patch-tested people reacted. [16] Risk looks higher with leg dermatitis and older age, and reactions are tied to personal care products and medicines. [1][16] The 2023 review calls it a rare sensitizer on healthy skin, with a higher risk for people with chronic skin conditions. [15]
• Damaged skin: lanolin can help intact skin but may cause allergic reactions on damaged or inflamed skin, so it is a poor fit for broken-skin uses. [2] People with eczema, leg ulcers or hay fever were more likely to be allergic in the North American study. [1]
• Wool allergy: LactMed says highly purified lanolin should be avoided with a known wool allergy. [7] A 2024 review states that wool allergy probably does not exist and that wool itself can irritate atopic skin without a true allergy. [4] These sources disagree. If you have reacted to wool or lanolin before, skip lanolin or ask a clinician.
• Pesticides and contaminants: see Forms and grades above. [3][4]
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the sources we read cover use on nipples while breastfeeding only. Follow the product label. Ask the midwife about nipple pain that lasts or breaks the skin. [13]
• Pets, swallowing, medicines: not described in the sources we read.

Quality and storage

Lanolin is chemically unstable and slowly oxidizes in normal storage, so antioxidants are often added. [4] Keep it closed, cool and out of direct sun, and discard it if it smells off. See rancidity and storage.

Related pages

• Check before you use natural oils and butters
• Patch testing natural oils and butters
• Common contact allergens in natural products
• Skin barrier care
• Natural oils for baby skin and massage
• Coconut oil