Croda Pharma’s history with lanolin
Croda Pharma has an extensive history of lanolin purification. We have been refining wool grease to make lanolin and lanolin derivatives for over 100 years. Croda Pharma’s founders, the chemist Mr Dawe and the entrepreneur Mr Crowe, began processing wool grease in Rawcliffe Bridge, a small village in the north of England, in 1925.
Today, Croda Pharma refines lanolin at several manufacturing sites across the globe, and also produces high-purity lanolin using a proprietary Super Refining process.
Croda Pharma’s lanolin products
Croda Pharma offers many grades of lanolins suited for a variety of pharmaceutical use-cases. We are a multi-site manufacturer making lanolins across three continents, minimising supply chain risks.
Outside the lanolin range, we also produce numerous lanolin derivatives using wool grease as a starting material. Processes such as alkoxylation, fractionation, hydrolysis, and acetylation allow for the development of lanolin-based products with diverse functions and properties (Lis 2024).
What is lanolin?
Lanolin is a refined version of sheep’s wool grease. It is secreted through the sheep’s skin to protect the skin and wool from environmental stressors. Historically, the use of lanolin for its skincare properties can be traced back to ancient Greek texts, where lanolin is described as being moisturising (Lis 2024).
The material, in the present day, has a wide variety of uses. It is used in the formulation of topical creams, ointments, and lotions (Lis 2024).
Which topical formulations use lanolin?
Lanolin has been used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical topical formulations for over sixty years. It can be used in topical formulations, including creams and ointments. In fact, it is the most frequently used base substance for medicinal ointments (Lis 2024). Lanolin is often used as an ingredient in the following products (The British Society for Cutaneous Allergy 2016, “Lanolin” 2006):
- Nappy creams
- Barrier creams
- Hand and face creams
- Nipple creams for breastfeeding mothers
It is also used to formulate treatments such as topical steroids (The British Society for Cutaneous Allergy 2016). Lanolin oil can also be used as a plasticiser and dispersant in medicines, while lanolin wax is used as a stabilising and binding agent to create homogenous mixtures (Lis 2024).
How is lanolin made?
The Medilan™ range
Medilan™ is a highly purified lanolin, uniquely engineered to imitate the natural lipids of the skin. Medilan™ Super and Medilan™ Ultra undergo Croda’s proprietary Super Refining™ process to produce modified lanolins with exceptional purity and reduced colour, with Medilan™ Ultra being almost white in colour and suitable for the most sensitive dermatological applications (Croda International Plc 2022b).
Super Refining™ is a process that minimises oxidative purities, leading to benefits such as increased batch-to-batch consistency, shelf life, and API stability (Croda International Plc 2022b).
The Medilan™ range of lanolins offers exceptional lanolin purity beyond monograph compliance, efficacy in clinical trials, and proven safety in use. They help repair, protect, and hydrate the skin and play an important role in the treatment of a number of compromised skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, wound healing, and other skin conditions that lead to a compromised barrier (Croda International Plc 2022b).
The Pharmalan™ range
Pharmalan™ is a purified grade of anhydrous lanolin that meets the monographs for lanolin and modified lanolin (Croda International Plc 2022b). It is a purified medical-grade lanolin which can be used as a long-lasting emollient and moisturiser with exceptional aesthetic properties. It, along with the other Croda Pharma lanolin products, is listed in the FDA Inactive Ingredients database, facilitating regulatory submissions (Croda International Plc 2022a).