Squalene was discovered in 1906 by a Japanese scientist doctor.
Detailed medical research only began 24 years later, in 1930, in an attempt to find out why sharks appeared to remain free of cancer tumors.
Encouraged by the research, cosmetic companies soon included squalane (the fully oxidized form of squalene) in their products to aid in treating and moisturizing skin. This led to widespread hunting and killing of sharks to mine their livers for the valuable compound.
Squalene is costly to produce so it is only used in small quantities. Squalane is the fully oxidized or hydrogenated version of squalene and as such it is a more stable and preferred form for cosmetics because it will last longer.
Squalane oil is rich in antioxidants and is widely used in cosmetics and skin care products because it helps to heal skin scarring, sun-damage, wrinkles and discoloration. It is safe for all kinds skin types when used in cosmetics and other skin care products.
Squalane’s Benefit to Skin
Studies claim squalane oil can regenerate human skin cells and that it helps retain surface skin moisture. It even improves hair flexibility. Other benefits claimed from regular use include that it reduces fine wrinkles, abnormal skin pigmentation, freckles. It improves skin texture, softens the skin and even works on eczema.
It is nothing new to the skin as it is indeed a component of human sebum, the natural emissions from our skin glands.
By the time people reach their 20s, the amount of squalene in the body starts to decline, so there is great interest in its anti-aging capabilities too.
It turns out that most living things contain squalene which can also be produced from rice bran, olives, wheat germ, and some vegetable oils.
People began to complain that shark hunting was inhumane, ecologically and environmentally wrong and they worked to stop the industry. These objections also came from many informed cosmetics buyers. Eventually it had an impact on manufacturers who began turning to squalene extraction from vegetable sources and biosynthesis.
Stop Killing Sharks
Not all cosmetic manufacturers use squalene from shark killing, but the habit has taken quite some killing (sad pun).
It was only as late as 2008 that two of the biggest cosmetic manufacturers finally announced they had stopped the process and were turning to plant-based supplies.
Leading cosmetic companies have stopped using shark liver oil as a moisturising base because of concerns over the survival of the deep-sea predators.
In a development welcomed by marine conservationists yesterday, L’Oreal said it had started switching to plant sources for the compound squalene, which is used in creams, lotions and glosses.
Unilever said it had stopped using shark oil in high street brands such as Pond’s and Dove some years ago and was now ensuring that beauty spas the firm owns in Spain did likewise. Boots and Clarins have either made similar decisions or never used shark sources in the first place, according to information gathered by the campaign group Oceana. Boots told the Guardian it had never sold shark squalene.” — The Guardian, Wednesday 30 January 2008
there too!
to be more effective for scars than cocoa butter.
and a great ingredient for chocolates, but it does not help in removing or in fact even diminishing scars or marks formed on the skin.
