Lanosterol (inci)

Lanosterol is a naturally occurring chemical compound. Chemically it is a steroid compound with the molecular formula C30H50O. Lanostrol is formed in eukaryotic organisms as an intermediate product in the biosynthesis of cholesterol.

In larger quantities lanostrol is a component of wool fat. Wool fat consists mainly of long-chain esters, di-esters and hydroxy-esters. During the hydrolysis of these ester compounds numerous aliphatic alcohols (C14-C36) and fatty acids (C8-C41) have been isolated. Furthermore, several sterols such as cholesterol, dihydrocholesterol and lanosterol were also isolated.

Lanostrol is used in cosmetic formulations. It acts as an antistatic agent (reduces static charges by neutralizing the electrical charge on the surface of e.g. hair), emollient (makes the skin supple and smooth), skin care and hair conditioning agent (makes the hair easy to comb, smooth, soft and shiny and gives it volume).