Beauty And The Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Squalene’

Squalane and Squalene in skin care. Same thing? Or not? Yes and No.

Both are a natural component of human sebum. Sebum is the natural oil found in your own skin. Both are also found in rice bran, wheat germ, olive oil and yuck, shark liver (what do you want to put on your skin, hmm?).

Squalene is often derived from sharks for cosmetic use. Particularly in Japanese products.  Squalane is derived from squalene.  Both do exactly the same thing on and in your skin. So other than the fact that you may not want to use oil derived from a shark, why choose squalane derived from plant sources?

Still reading? Guess you do want to know…

Squalene is highly unstable as a cosmetic ingredient. No matter what it is derived from. Shark, rice bran, olive oil, etc. This is because it is a double bond molecule.  Meaning a very short shelf life and quick to oxidize or spoil. Squalane is not a double bond molecule, so it is much more stable as a cosmetic ingredient. Squalane has a shelf life of over 2 years and does not oxidize quickly with exposure to air. That’s all I’m saying on that. It’s boring and I am not going there. I want to talk skin care.

So, squalane is a derivative of squalene. Squalane has all the great qualities of squalene. And when derived from olive oil is environment and animal friendly. I absolutely prefer to put something on my face that is plant derived rather than animal. How about you?

Since plant derived squalane is so similar to the natural squalane in our own skins sebum, our bodies “identify” it as being “our own”.  Our naturally occurring moisture. Squalane is also responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol, steroids and vitamin D. And since it is a derivative it is more saturated with the good stuff we want, leaving behind components that we don’t need.

Did you know that squalane as a natural oil lipid composes up to 15% of skin fats in the teenage years? Once we enter our 20’s it begins to decline. This can mean pre-mature aging in your 30’s and 40’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Dry winter  skin getting to you? Haven’t replaced your usual moisturizer with something a little more emollient? Or you have and it still isn’t enough?

Here is a quick fix anyone can do in a flash. Olive oil! We all have it in our pantry. All you need to do is add a drop to your moisturizer in the palm of your hand, mix it up real well and apply.

Olive oil is rich in vitamins A and E which are antioxidants and fight damaging free radicals. It also contains natural plant derived Squalene. Squalene is a natural moisturizer used in many cosmetics.

Be aware that Squalene is also a compound found in the liver of sharks. Go for the more environmentally and animal friendly version found in olive oil. Remember, cosmetic labels can be  misleading, make sure it states Squalene as olive oil or as botanically derived.

One other very cool component of olive oil is Chlorophyll, which is a photosynthetic pigment found in plants and algae. It is an anti-aging substance that promotes the healing of skin conditions and wounds.

So next time you have a dab of your moisturizer in your palm and need a little boost for that dry skin, mosey on over to the pantry and have a little visit with that bottle of olive oil.

And don’t worry about smelling like the makings of a salad dressing. You won’t notice and no one else will either. Trust me, this works.

Note~2/25/2010~ After writing this post I started thinking about Squalene and Squalane. And started looking around, did some research. Check this out to see what I learned, and why I now use the Squalane in it’s pure form.