It makes up some 15-20 percent of wool and is extracted by scouring the fleece with a soap solution or through a separation method using volatile solvents. Lanolin is composed of a complex mixture of esters, alcohols, and fatty acids.
Anhydrous lanolin is commonplace in both the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
An absence of any tendency to rancidity, and its ready absorption by the skin make lanolin a highly valued commodity particularly for the preparation of pharmaceutical ointments and lotions, as well as for general skin and hair care products. Menthol is largely employed in medicine, and is useful in dental preparations for obtaining that cooling freshness after application. Because one of the principal ingredients of peppermint oil is menthol, it s benefits when used both topically and internally are similar to the oil from which it is derived. Peppermint oil is distilled from fresh or partially dried flowering tops of several varieties of peppermint plants. It is cultivated around the globe with Mentha piperata being the more predominant variety in Europe and the Americas, while Mentha arvensis , which is native to China and Japan, is more common in the Far East.