Squalene vs. squalane

What is squalene and what is squalane. Squalene is a lipid produced by your body, it is a natural moisturizer and helps keep your skin hydrated.

Sounds great, doesn't it? The dark side of squalene is that its production declines with age.

Peak production of squalene is during the teen years and it starts slowing down in your 20’s & 30’s. This is why some people notice their skin getting drier without making any changes to their skin care routine. 

Squalene isn't only natural to humans though, and this is where things can get a little interesting. Squalene is also found in things like rice bran and olives. And sugarcane! (Yum) And.. Shark liver. Shark liver? Yes. Is shark liver harvested for the use of its squalene? It is. Is that the only way to get it into your skincare products? Thankfully, no. 

Squalene oxidizes quickly and it has to be processed in order to go into your skin care products, the process used is hydrogenation and it changes squalene to squalane by processing the oil from a non-saturated oil to a saturated oil. This is what gives it the shelf life needed to be included in your skin care routine. 

Squalane is added to skin care products to increase hydration and it is also lighter than squalene which makes it feel nicer on the skin. Squalane also has anti-inflammatory properties making it helpful for eczema and acne since it's non-comedogenic, it won’t clog your pores. Regular usage has also indicated a boost in collagen production which can give skin a firmer appearance. 

Your hair, like your face and body, produces its own natural oils. And like your skin, that oil production can change as you age (age is not the only factor. Diet and other environmental factors can also change how our bodies produce oils, among other things.) Thankfully, squalane is not just for your face and body, it can be added to hair products as well. When used in hair care, it can help add shine and also assist with preventing breakage. 

In case we didn't mention it before, and it might even go without saying.. The squalane we use at Halo Ayne’s Botanical comes from olives, not sharks