Squalene is a lipid, or fat, made naturally by our oil glands to hydrate and maintain the barrier of our skin. The beneficial properties of squalene don’t end there; it has also been found to fight free-radical damage in our skin as an antioxidant.
For squalene to stay stable for use in cosmetics, it has to be hydrogenated and become squalane.
Formerly derived from shark liver, the squalane in skin-care products is now being derived mostly from plants such as olives and rice bran, as well as amaranth seed, wheat germ, and even sugar cane.
