Lipid composition of the bovine epidermis.

In contrast to skin surface or sebum lipid, cattle epidermis was found to contain a lower proportion of wax ester and unesterified fatty acid and a high proportion of triglyceride. The epidermal triglycerides differed significantly in their fatty acid composition from those of the skin surface and sebum. In particular they contained extremely low levels of linoleic acid. It is concluded that the skin surface triglycerides and most likely the other major lipid fractions of the bovine skin surface are derived mainly from sebum.