If you have ever pay attention to the skincare ingredients, you might be familiar with squalene and squalane. These two ingredients serve for the same purpose, deliver hydration and protect the skin. In the world of skincare ingredients, these two are famous for their highly effective emollient and natural antioxidant.

Squalene and Squalane can help to reduce wrinkles, eliminate scars, reverse UV damage, lighten freckles and erase skin pigmentation, all while acting as a free radical scavenger.

ou might have noticed that the spelling of these two ingredients is alike. SqualEne, with an E, is a colorless poly-unsaturated hydrocarbon liquid founded naturally in many animals and plants, including human sebum.

It first came to light in the early 1900s. The chemical structure of squalEne is comprised of multiple double bones, which make it unstable. It may cause comedogenic for some skin types and will go rancid rather quickly. Whereas SqualAne, with an A, is the derivative of squalene going through the hydrogenation process. It is lighter and has a longer shelf life than squalene. The chemical structure of SqualAne is stable and has become widely used in the beauty industry.

As I have mentioned above, even though both of these ingredients are natural emollients to lock the moisture into the skin, squalene is heavier and make it more helpful for extra-dry or mature skin. On the other hand, squalane is lighter, which makes it suitable for acne-prone and oily skin.

Rumor has it that SqualEne comes from sharks, whereas SqualAne comes from olives. I must make it clear here! Chemically, Squalene is the same makeup whether it comes from a shark liver or a plant. There is no easy way for consumers to distinguish the difference between the two. The only way is the check the label on the skincare products. If they're labeled vegan, which means no animal ingredients are added, you can make sure the squalane or squelne comes from the plants. Create your skincare products with Squalene & Squalane!