What Is Peg-7 Lanolate?
Peg-7 Lanolate is a liquid ingredient made by taking the fatty acids found in lanolin, the natural waxy substance that protects sheep wool, and attaching an average of seven units of ethylene oxide to them. This blending of a natural oil source with a small dose of synthetic chemistry turns the waxy lanolin acids into a softer, water friendly material that mixes well with both oils and water. The process, known as ethoxylation, has been used since the mid-20th century to create gentle surfactants for personal care. Peg-7 Lanolate joined cosmetic formulas soon after as manufacturers looked for milder alternatives to stronger detergents. You will most often see it in face creams, body lotions, makeup removers, sunscreens, hair conditioners and cleansing wipes, where it helps keep the product smooth and uniform.
Peg-7 Lanolate’s Cosmetic Benefits/Uses
Peg-7 Lanolate serves one key role: it is an emulsifier. By sitting at the border between oil and water it holds the two together in a stable blend, which keeps a cream from separating on the shelf, improves texture and allows the skin to receive both water based and oil based goodies in a single swipe.
Who Can Use Peg-7 Lanolate
Peg-7 Lanolate is generally well tolerated by normal, dry, oily and combination skin because it is mild and mainly acts as a texture helper rather than an active treatment. Very sensitive or allergy-prone skin should take extra care since the ingredient comes from lanolin, which can rarely trigger reactions in people who are allergic to wool derivatives.
The lanolin source also means Peg-7 Lanolate is animal derived, so it does not meet vegan or strict vegetarian standards. If you follow a plant-only lifestyle you will want to choose an alternative emulsifier that is certified vegan.
Current data shows no known risks for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding when the ingredient is used in rinse-off or leave-on cosmetics. This is not medical advice and anyone who is expecting or nursing should ask a doctor before adding new products to the routine, just to be safe.
Peg-7 Lanolate does not make skin more sensitive to sunlight so there is no extra need for sun precautions beyond everyday SPF use.
Potential Side Effects/Adverse Reactions
Side effects from using Peg-7 Lanolate differ from person to person. The points below list possible issues but most people will not notice any problems when the ingredient is used in a well-made product.
- Mild skin redness or itching in those with a known wool or lanolin allergy
- Very rare cases of contact dermatitis on highly reactive skin
- Eye irritation if a formula containing high levels of the ingredient gets into the eyes
- Build-up on hair over time in heavy leave-on conditioners, which can make strands feel weighed down
If you notice any stinging, itching or rash after applying a product that contains Peg-7 Lanolate stop using it and consult a healthcare professional.
Comedogenic Rating
Rating: 1 / 5
Peg-7 Lanolate is mostly water soluble thanks to its PEG side, so it rinses away instead of hanging around in pores. While the base fatty acids come from lanolin, the ethoxylation process lightens their texture and reduces oiliness, which keeps clogging potential low. For that reason it earns a 1, meaning it is unlikely to cause breakouts for the majority of users.
Acne-prone skin usually tolerates this ingredient well, though extremely reactive or oily skins may still prefer to keep an eye on overall formula richness.
If you notice a formula using very high levels of Peg-7 Lanolate alongside heavier butters or waxes, the blend as a whole could feel greasy even though this single ingredient is low on the clogging scale.
Summary
Peg-7 Lanolate is a lanolin-derived emulsifier that keeps oil and water bound together so creams stay smooth, makeup removers lift away grime evenly and conditioners glide through hair without separating. It does this by balancing a lipophilic fatty acid tail with a short, water loving PEG head that positions itself at the oil-water border and stabilizes the mixture.
It is not a headline act like hyaluronic acid or retinol so you will not see it splashed across product labels, yet formulators still reach for it when they need a gentle workhorse to improve texture and stability.
Current research and decades of cosmetic use show Peg-7 Lanolate is safe for most people when used at the low levels typical in personal care. As with any new product though, patch test on a small area before full use to make sure your skin agrees.