"Squalane" Ingredient Revealed: Skin Balm
About Squalane:
When it comes to “squalane”, you have to say “squalene”. Squalene is a natural component that is widely found in animals and some vegetable oils. Among them, the shark’s liver has the highest content, and squalene is also first extracted from the shark’s liver, so this oil component is called squalene.
Squalene is one of the important components of human sebum. The content of squalene in infant sebum is about 1%, and that of adults is about 2%. Squalene and other ingredients together form the sebum film of the skin, which locks in moisture, prevents moisture from evaporating, and plays the role of moisturizing and locking water. Squalene is a great emollient ingredient that is breathable, non-greasy, and non-heavy.
Although squalene is an excellent skin care oil, its stability is poor, it is easily oxidized, and its storage time is short, which is not conducive to application. In order to overcome these shortcomings of squalene, squalene is “hydrogenated” to make it saturated and not easily oxidized. Squalane is the product obtained after “hydrogenation” of squalene. The skin care effect of squalane and squalene is almost the same, it is not easy to be oxidized, and has a long shelf life. Squalane is widely used in the cosmetic industry.
Squalane is highly inert and does not easily react with other ingredients. It is mild and non-irritating. A large number of studies and actual consumer experience have shown that squalane is a safe oil component, and long-term use will not cause damage to the skin.
Shark Extracted Squalane
The earliest squalane was hydrogenated after extracting squalene from shark liver. However, every 3,000 sharks can produce 1 ton of squalane, which is far from meeting human needs.
Although the extraction of squalane from shark livers has caused huge damage to marine ecology, Japan has been using it from shark livers in line with the wonderful concept of “Japanese skin is the most sensitive skin in the world, and the safest cosmetics should be used”. The extracted squalane, in the final analysis, is still reluctant to give up the commercial profits obtained. Four out of five of the world’s largest squalane factories are in Japan. This kind of squalane raw material is scarce, the price is relatively expensive, and the effect is the best among many squalanes. There are very few products that actually use this squalane.
● Phyto-squalane
Many plants also contain squalene, and olive oil is a relatively high content of oil components. Many of the squalane on the market are extracted from olive oil and then hydrogenated, which is called plant squalane. There is also squalane derived from other vegetable oils. Most of the squalane used in EU cosmetics is plant squalane. The skin care effect of plant squalane and animal squalane is similar, but there is no damage to marine ecological resources. The price of vegetable squalane is cheaper, but overall it is still more expensive.
● Synthetic squalane
In order to meet the market demand for squalane and to search for cheaper raw materials, it is now possible to chemically synthesize raw materials with properties similar to squalane, such as hydrogenated polyisobutene. Hydrogenated polyisobutylene is a synthetic polymer with moisturizing, moisturizing and lubricating properties, similar to natural squalane, but much cheaper. Mainly used in lipsticks, creams, etc.
Most of the squalane sold in the market is this kind of synthetic squalane, which is cheap. Although it has the characteristics of natural squalane, the effect is still weaker.
To sum up, squalane is an excellent skin care oil with good emollient effect and strong moisturizing properties, making the skin soft and elastic when it can be used; the skin feels smooth, not greasy and heavy; it is mild in nature and generally does not cause skin sensitivity. However, she has limited effects in whitening and anti-aging, and cannot expect too much from him.
Effects of Squalane On The Skin
1. Squalane can reinforce and repair the skin, effectively form a natural protective film, and also help the equilibrium between skin as well as sebum. Squalene comes from the Latin “Squalus”, which means shark.
2. Squalane is a lipid that is closest to human sebum. It has solid affinity as well as can be incorporated with human sebum membrane to form an all-natural obstacle on the skin surface to prevent unnoticeable water loss.
3. Squalane can prevent the peroxidation of skin lipids as well as supply oxygen to the skin; it can successfully pass through into the skin and also promote the spreading of skin basic cells, which has apparent physical effects on postponing skin aging, boosting and removing chloasma.
4. Squalane can likewise open up skin pores, promote blood microcirculation, enhance cell metabolism, and help repair damaged cells. It is a great information for delicate skin and has obvious result on repairing red blood. Can additionally be made use of for after-sun fixing.
5. High moisturizing and also moisturizing properties; repair service skin flexibility; give skin gloss, it is a natural softener for skin.
6. Colorless, odorless, non-toxic, chemically inert (very stable), intense and also clear.
7. Give the item a superb as well as noble feeling, and also the feeling after use is really thick, wet yet not oily.
8. It is non-irritating and also non-sensitizing to the skin, very secure, and also is highly recommended for usage in baby care items.
9. It is conducive to the uniform dispersion of sun block in the oil phase, can increase the SPF value, and enhance the durability of the SPF worth after washing.
10. Made use of in hair care products to raise brightness and also brushing sensation.
11. It has outstanding distributing impact on powder, and also is suggested to be utilized in make-up and lipstick.
12. It can soften the acne keratinized port and prevent the growth of mold. It is a functional ingredient for acne therapy.
13. The purity gets to 99.9%, without including chemicals, synthetic flavors and scents, petrochemical surfactants, mineral oil, tar as well as pigments.
Squalane is Suitable For The Crowd
1. If you are prone to allergies, you can always keep a bottle at home, especially when the seasons change, dryness and allergies frequently occur, and timely replenishment of water and oil is the best way to counteract it.
2. If the stratum corneum is particularly thin and red bloodshot, it must be used. This can repair your stratum corneum, gradually increase the tolerance of the skin epidermis, and restore the damaged stratum corneum bit by bit.
3. Expectant mothers who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. I dare not use the product casually during pregnancy, and I am afraid that the skin will deteriorate. First, I will take a bottle of this product first, and then I will tell you how to use it.
4. It is a must-have for seasonal mixed dry, dry and mature skin. This kind of skin secretes less sebum itself, and even if you try your best to replenish water, you will feel dry. The reason is that oily moisturizing has not been achieved. In layman’s terms, it is necessary to replenish oil, not blindly replenish water.
5. It is easy to develop acne one after another. The acne is often red, swollen and itchy. Prepare a bottle, because there is a kind of acne skin that actually has poor skin tolerance (except for oily acne skin). Whenever you use something new, you will get acne. The skin can use shark thinner oil for a week to increase skin tolerance before changing to a new product, and then change to a new one.
How to Use Squalane
Use directly on the face alone: When the skin is wet, take 1-2 drops of squalane to the palm of your hand, rub it on the palm of your hand to warm it up, and then gently press the skin until it is absorbed. It is suitable for dry skin.
Mix with skin softener: Take 1-2 drops of squalane and mix with proper amount of skin softener, then gently press the skin until it is completely absorbed, suitable for all skin types.
Add it to base makeup products: When making up, take an appropriate amount of BB cream or liquid foundation, add 1-2 drops of squalane, mix well, and then apply makeup normally. It is suitable for dry skin and skin that loves to take off makeup. Use as hair oil: After washing hair, take 3-5 drops of squalane to the palm of your hand, rub it evenly in the palm of your hand, gently press the hair tail, let it dry naturally or blow dry after it is absorbed, suitable for skin with dry hair.