Lanolin is a waxy substance naturally produced as a protective barrier for sheep’s wool. The sheep’s sebaceous glands produce this wool wax to help shed water and keep the sheep dry. It is a widely popular ingredient in creams and moisturisers such as anti-inflammation creams, from soaps to hair care products and is widely known as a skin care remedy for nappy rashes and mothers who breastfeed. It is extracted by putting the wool through a machine that separates the oil from the wool. This method of extraction is also known as ‘processed Lanolin’. Almost every anti-inflammatory cream contains Lanolin which is the main active ingredient to healing rashes such as nappy rash. Lanolin is essentially the key to healing inflammation.

Since Lanolin is produced in mass production, it is important to point out products that claim to be cruelty free whilst producing in mass production are extremely difficult to maintain. One of the only ways to detect ethically produced Lanolin is by going for trusted brands. Even then there is some sort of processing which occurs as a result of ‘refining’ and manufacturing Lanolin on a mass production. In contrast to this, Magical Wool believes that the sheep deserve to roam freely around the fields without being ‘caged’ and not used on a mass scale for exploitation.

It is also worth pointing out that the European standards of cruelty free are not as stringent as the German KbT certification, which totally outlaws any harmful practice done to the sheep. One of the many differences between the European and the German requirements is that the sheep are not kept locked up in small confined stalls or fed any plants that have been genetically modified. Only food that comes from the natural fields. In addition, with the KbT certification, care must be taken to ensure that the animals reproduce naturally and that all human interventions are avoided. Unlike the European standards, the use of artificial chemicals, antibiotics and hormones is also severely restricted (unless it is 100% necessary and approved by a vet overseeing the health of the sheep)

Now that you know more about Lanolin and the industry that supplies Lanolin on an industrial scale, you can make an informed decision about your health and the health of your loved ones. Companies that produce mass production of Lanolin only require the European standards of certification. This creates less accountability towards the welfare of the sheep as it creates difficulty monitoring each and every sheep's condition and health whereas the KbT certification makes sure each and every sheep is healthy and in good shape.

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