Lanolin Wax
This is a lanolin derivative, rated separately. Plain lanolin: lanolin. Every lanolin entry is on one table with its rating.
Lanolin wax is rated 3 on our list, in the moderate band, and the number is traced: Fulton 1989 graded it 1.
Like every rating here, it is for the raw ingredient tested alone, and a label does not print how much of it a product holds.
Is lanolin wax comedogenic?
Lanolin Wax is rated 3 on the comedogenic scale, which is the moderate band. The rabbit-ear studies we have read give it less: Fulton 1989 gave it 1. Our list's 3 is above all of them.
A purified, solid portion of lanolin used to stiffen cosmetics and provide barrier protection.
- Comedogenic rating
- 3 out of 5
- Band
- Moderate: Borderline plugging in the rabbit-ear test. Worth a look in a leave-on product.
- Where the number comes from
- Traced to Fulton 1989. The section on who rated it prints each grade.
- Composition
- Animal Wax / Waxes
- Also written as
- No common variants recorded
What a 3 means in practice
Three is the middle of the scale. Fulton 1989 counted 2 to 3 as borderline in the rabbit-ear test: some plugging of the follicles, short of a clear positive. Whether it matters depends on how high it sits on the label and whether the product stays on your skin.
Two things change what this number is worth. Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration, so lanolin wax near the top of a label matters far more than lanolin wax at the bottom. And the rating describes the raw ingredient on its own. A 2006 review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that a rating for a single ingredient does not reliably predict how a finished formula behaves on human skin. The full story of the scale is here.
Who rated it
Our list is one band above the research. Our list gives lanolin wax 3. Fulton 1989 gave it 1. We report the list as it stands and show the papers beside it. Where the list and the research disagree.
Our list gives lanolin wax 3. These are the figures the published rabbit-ear studies we have read give it, as printed in each paper's table.
| Paper | Grade | Tested as |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton 1989 | Grade 1 | Tested as Lanolin wax |
Our list's top figure, 3, is higher than anything in these papers.
Similar names, rated separately
These share a source with lanolin wax or carry it in their name, and each has its own rating on our list. The 3 on this page does not carry over to them, so check the exact name on the label.
Others in the same family
Common questions
- Is lanolin wax comedogenic?
- Lanolin Wax is rated 3 on the comedogenic scale, which is the moderate band. The rabbit-ear studies we have read give it less: Fulton 1989 gave it 1. Our list's 3 is above all of them.
- Is lanolin wax non comedogenic?
- No. Lanolin Wax is rated 3 on the comedogenic scale, which is the moderate band. That is the number on our list; the papers we read grade it lower (see Who rated it).
- What is lanolin wax's comedogenic rating?
- 3 out of 5 on our list. It is classed as Animal Wax / Waxes. The rabbit-ear studies we have read give it less: Fulton 1989 gave it 1. Our list's 3 is above all of them.
Sources we checked this rating against
- Kligman AM, Kwong T. “An improved rabbit ear model for assessing comedogenic substances.” British Journal of Dermatology, June 1979;100(6):699–702. (opens in a new tab) The rabbit-ear assay behind published 0 to 5 comedogenicity grades.
- Fulton JE Jr. “Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products.” Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, November/December 1989;40(6):321–333. (opens in a new tab) Rabbit ear. Each ingredient at 10 percent in propylene glycol unless stated, applied five days a week for two weeks, and graded 0 to 5 from the width of the follicles, measured by micrometer and under the microscope. The paper counts 0 to 1 as not significant, 2 to 3 as borderline and 4 to 5 as positive. Some grades depended on the supplier of the raw material, and some oils were also tested refined.
- Draelos ZD, DiNardo JC. “A re-evaluation of the comedogenicity concept.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, March 2006;54(3):507–512. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.11.1058 (opens in a new tab) Tested finished products on the backs of six people and concluded that “Finished products using comedogenic ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic.”