Lanolin with reduced sensitizing potential. A preliminary note.

The allergens of lanolin appear to lie in the content of natural free fatty alcohols rather than in the total alcohols as hitherto supposed. The detectable incidence of allergy is increased by the simultaneous presence of detergent. Amongst selected lanolin-sensitive skin patients, removal of both free fatty alcohols and detergent from lanolin reduces the incidence of detectable hypersensitivity by 96%. Methods are described for determining free fatty alcohols and detergent in lanolin, and for removing them.