Lanolin — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?

Vegan status: Not Vegan

Also known as: Wool wax, Wool grease, Wool fat, Anhydrous lanolin

Source

A waxy substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Extracted from raw wool by scouring in hot water and centrifuging out the grease. A byproduct of the wool industry.

Used in

Cosmetics (lip balms, lotions, nipple creams, leather conditioning), vitamin D3 supplement production (lanolin is irradiated with UV light to produce cholecalciferol), some industrial lubricants.

Appears on label: No. Listed as 'lanolin', 'wool wax', 'wool grease', or 'cholesterol' in cosmetics. In vitamin D3 supplements, the lanolin origin is typically not declared.

How to avoid

In cosmetics: look for lanolin-free formulations. In vitamin D3 supplements: seek lichen-derived D3, which is vegan. Vitashine and several other brands produce lichen-derived vitamin D3.

Notes

Lanolin is the animal origin of most vitamin D3 supplements on the market. Vegans requiring vitamin D3 supplementation should specifically purchase lichen-derived cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is always vegan (derived from yeast). The lanolin-D3 connection is one of the most under-appreciated non-vegan hidden ingredient pathways in mainstream supplementation.