The Fatty Acid Composition of Vernix caseosa

Abstract

The fatty acids obtained on hydrolysis of sebum from newly-born babies contained approximately equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and 10% of α-hydroxyacids. Gas chromatographic examination showed that the saturated fatty acids (C₁₂ to C₃₀) contained 78% branched-chain and 22% normal compounds, while the unsaturated acids (C₁₂ to C₃₂) contained 15% branched and 85% normal compounds. The a-hydroxyacids (C₁₀ to C₂₆) contained 79% branched-chain and 21% normal components and had little if any unsaturation. The high proportion of branched-chain acids suggests that these are not likely to be exogenous.