# Squalane vs squalene: what one letter changes

Squalene is the lipid your own skin makes in quantity, and it oxidizes easily. Squalane is the same molecule with its double bonds hydrogenated away, so it is shelf-stable and does not go rancid. On skin it spreads thin and dry rather than greasy, cuts water loss and carries oil-soluble actives, which is why it turns up as a vehicle as often as an ingredient (Molecules, 2009).

Canonical: https://existentialcosmetics.com/guides/squalane-vs-squalene

## What is squalene?

Squalene is the single largest polyunsaturated component of human skin surface lipid. Your sebaceous glands make it, which is why a squalene-based product feels like something skin recognizes. The catch is the unsaturation: those double bonds are exactly where oxygen attacks, so squalene in a bottle goes off, and squalene on skin oxidizes in sunlight. A review in Molecules in 2009 by Huang, Lin and Fang covers both the biology and the cosmetic uses.

## What is squalane?

Hydrogenate squalene and you get squalane. The double bonds become single bonds, the shape stays the same, and the rancidity problem disappears. Squalane is close to chemically inert, which is precisely why it is used: it does not react with what it is carrying. On skin it spreads thin, reduces water loss from the surface, and gives slip without the heavy film of a triglyceride oil.

Most cosmetic squalane today is plant-derived, from olive or sugarcane, which avoids the shark liver supply chain entirely. Ask any brand where theirs comes from; it is a fair question and the answer should be short.

## Which one should you use?

Squalane, almost always. It gives you the skin-familiar structure without the oxidation, and it plays well with actives that need a calm vehicle. The 2009 review describes squalene and its relatives as emollient, antioxidant and hydrating, and notes squalane's role as an established material in topical vehicles from lipid emulsions to nanostructured carriers. There is no threshold dose. More squalane means more slip and more occlusion, not more activity, so the level in a formula is a texture decision.

## Will squalane clog pores?

It is non-comedogenic in most testing, and it is the lipid closest to what your own skin surface is made of. Very oily skin may still find a thick layer of any lipid uncomfortable, which is a comfort question rather than a pore question. Use less.

## What we made with it

Squalane is in two of our products for two different reasons. In Coming of Age it keeps 0.1% retinal comfortable and the emulsion civilized; a strong active in a bare vehicle is how people quit retinoids. In Baby's Bottom it adds softness alongside the ceramide, cholesterol and fatty acid system and the wax esters, without turning a barrier cream into spackle.

## Related questions

**Does squalane come from sharks?**

It used to, and some still does. Shark liver oil is rich in squalene. Plant-derived squalane, from olive or sugarcane, is chemically the same molecule and avoids the shark supply chain entirely. Ask the brand; if the answer is not short, that tells you something.

**Is squalane an oil?**

Functionally, yes: it is a lipid that spreads and seals. Chemically it is a saturated hydrocarbon rather than a triglyceride, which is why it feels lighter and drier than plant oils and why it does not go rancid the way they do.

**Can I use squalane with retinal?**

Yes, and we do. Squalane is inert, so it does not interfere with the retinal, and it makes a strong active feel survivable. Coming of Age is built on exactly that pairing.

## Sources

1. Huang ZR, Lin YK, Fang JY. Biological and pharmacological activities of squalene and related compounds: potential uses in cosmetic dermatology. Molecules 2009;14:540-554. (PMID 19169201) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19169201/