Database/Emollient/Acetylated Lanolin
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Acetylated Lanolin natural?

Mostly. Lanolin, from sheep's wool grease, is natural; the acetyl groups added to its alcohols come from petrochemical acetic anhydride.

INCI nameAcetylated Lanolin
CAS61788-48-5
FunctionEmollient · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockLanolin is the wax secreted by sheep to…

How we scored it

Representative lanolin alcohol (cholesterol-type, natural, ≈387 Da) + acetyl cap from acetic anhydride (petrochemical, +42 Da) = 429 Da; 387/429 ≈ 0.90.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Lanolin is the wax secreted by sheep to protect their wool, a natural animal by-product of wool processing. It is chemically acetylated using acetic anhydride, a small petrochemical reagent, to modify its free alcohol groups.

In plain English

A conditioning, water-resistant ingredient derived from sheep's wool grease (lanolin), chemically modified with an acetyl group to change its texture. Most of its weight still comes from the natural wool-wax base.

CosIng definition: Acetylated Lanolin is the acetyl ester of Lanolin.

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References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2ACETYLATED LANOLIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3ACETYLATED LANOLIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ACETYLATED%20LANOLIN