Squalane vs Facial Oils: What Squalane Is, and What It Is Not

Squalane is squalene with its double bonds removed by hydrogenation, which makes it less prone to oxidation. Squalene is the oil your own sebum contains, about 13 percent of it. Squalane's non-comedogenic reputation is plausible, but it rests on less direct testing than most labels imply. Below: squalane vs squalene, shark vs plant sources, the pore claim examined, and how squalane compares with plant facial oils.

Squalane vs squalene: one letter, different chemistry

Squalene is a polyunsaturated hydrocarbon with the formula C30H50. Squalane is its saturated derivative. PubChem lists squalane as C30H62, against C30H50 for squalene. The 12 extra hydrogen atoms sit where squalene's double bonds used to be.

That difference decides how each behaves. A 2016 dermatology review explains that squalane's double bonds were eliminated by hydrogenation. That leaves it less susceptible to oxidation than squalene. The review adds that this is why squalane is the form more commonly used as a moisturizer.

The name comes from sharks. Squalene was named for its occurrence in shark liver oil, its richest source. It also turns up in olive, palm, wheat germ, amaranth and rice bran oils.

Why your skin makes squalene

Squalene is one of the signature lipids of human sebum. A 2008 review names wax esters and squalene as the two lipids characteristic of the sebaceous gland. Those glands sit everywhere except the palms and soles, most densely on the face and scalp. Inside cells, squalene is also a step on the route to cholesterol. A 2009 review gives this breakdown of human sebum.

Sebum component	Share of sebum
Triglycerides, free fatty acids and diglycerides	57 percent
Wax esters	25 percent
Squalene	13 percent
Other components	3 percent
Cholesterol	2 percent

Figures come from a 2009 review of squalene in cosmetic dermatology. A 2012 review gives the same 13 percent for squalene.

Squalene's weakness is oxygen. When squalene is exposed to UVA light, its first oxidation product is squalene monohydroperoxide. On rabbit ear skin, that compound proved more comedogenic than well-known comedogenic cosmetic ingredients. Squalene itself scored lower.

Human data point the same way. A 2023 pilot study found that acne-prone skin carried more squalene, with its peroxide form present in the outer layer. Levels of peroxidized squalene rose with sebum content. The authors note that sunlight increases this peroxidation. It was a pilot, and a correlation is not a cause.

Here is the useful part. Squalane has no double bonds, so it cannot become squalene monohydroperoxide. The specific oxidation route that made squalene suspect does not apply to it.

Where squalane comes from: shark, olive or fermentation

Historically, squalene and squalane came from two places. A 2010 study describes both as mainly produced from deep-sea shark liver oil and olive oil distillates. Shark-derived material cost less, and the authors called its use in cosmetics unethical.

The same study solved a labeling problem. Carbon isotope ratios differ between olive and shark sources. A lab can detect shark material mixed into an olive product from about 10 percent. The method even works on squalane extracted from finished cosmetics. You cannot run that test at the shelf, but a laboratory can.

Newer routes avoid sharks entirely. Olive pomace, the residue left after pressing, can yield squalene that is then hydrogenated to squalane. Engineered yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Yarrowia lipolytica can overproduce squalene. A 2022 review cites rules on shark-derived squalene as one reason for that work.

Once hydrogenated, the molecule is the same whatever it started as. Labels such as plant-derived or sugarcane describe the feedstock, not a different ingredient. The source matters for ethics and supply. Purity is the variable worth asking a brand about.

Is squalane non-comedogenic? The claim, examined

Comedogenic ratings mostly trace back to rabbit ears. A 1984 paper listing comedogenic ingredients called the rabbit ear assay not an ideal animal model, though the best then available. Its offenders included isopropyl myristate, some lanolin derivatives and D&C red dyes.

Human testing complicates those lists. A 2006 study ran a human assay on six people prone to forming comedones. It concluded that finished products containing comedogenic ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic themselves. That moves attention from single ingredients to the finished formula.

Now squalane specifically. The 2016 dermatology review cited above calls squalane noncomedonal. The reference behind that sentence is a consumer skincare website, not a study. We searched PubMed and found no human comedogenicity test of squalane itself.

The same review also describes squalane as something the body produces. The lipid your glands make is squalene. Even peer-reviewed sources blur the two names, so read claims about either one with care.

So where does that leave the claim? It is plausible. Squalane cannot form the oxidized squalene that tested comedogenic, and it contains no fatty acids. It is not proven in people.

The American Academy of Dermatology advises people with acne to use products labeled non-comedogenic. It notes these do not cause breakouts in most people. Most, not all. If you break out, change the finished product. For small bumps that never come to a head, see our guide to closed comedones.

Squalane vs plant facial oils: the fatty acids decide

First, a definition. A facial oil in this sense is a fixed oil, pressed or extracted from seeds and nuts. A 2024 review separates these from essential oils, which are volatile and steam distilled. Essential oils are a different, fragrant category.

A facial oil is not one ingredient. Plant oils contain triglycerides, free fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, phospholipids, waxes and phenolic compounds, and some contain squalene too. A 2017 review notes these components affect skin differently, and the mix varies by plant (2017 review of topical plant oils).

The fatty acid balance matters most for the barrier. A 2018 review found that oils with a higher ratio of linoleic to oleic acid have better barrier repair potential. Oleic acid, it adds, can irritate and may harm barrier function. The same review prefers cold-pressed oils, because heat and chemical processing can strip useful lipids and leave irritating byproducts. Olive oil consists mainly of oleic acid. Sunflower seed oil carries more linoleic acid than olive oil does, according to the 2017 review.

A direct test shows the difference. Nineteen adults, some with a history of atopic dermatitis, took part in two randomized forearm studies. After four weeks, olive oil significantly reduced stratum corneum integrity and caused mild redness. Sunflower seed oil preserved integrity, caused no redness and improved hydration. The authors wrote that their results challenge the belief that all natural oils are good for skin.

Linoleic acid also matters for acne-prone skin. People with acne have been found to have low linoleic acid in their skin surface lipids. One hypothesis links that to clogged follicles. In a double-blind crossover study, topical linoleic acid shrank microcomedones by almost 25 percent over one month. Placebo sites did not change.

	Squalane	Olive oil	Sunflower seed oil
What it is	One saturated hydrocarbon	A mixture of lipids	A mixture of lipids
Main fatty acid	None	Oleic acid	More linoleic acid than olive oil
Barrier evidence	No human barrier trial found	Reduced stratum corneum integrity in four weeks	Preserved integrity and improved hydration
Pore question	Plausibly low, untested in people	Oleic acid linked to irritation	Linoleic acid studied as a comedolytic

Where squalane fits in a routine, and what it will not do

Squalane is best described as an emollient: it softens and smooths. Reviews report skin hydrating and emollient activities for squalene and squalane, mostly from animal and lab models.

It is not the strongest seal. Petrolatum is the reference occlusive for slowing water loss, as our guide to slugging sets out. We found no study measuring squalane's effect on water loss against petrolatum. Some guides group squalane with occlusives. Without a measurement, the fair description is emollient first, occlusive uncertain.

• Apply it after water-based layers, following the thin-to-thick rule in our routine order guide.
• Pair it with a humectant on damp skin, since squalane adds no water of its own.
• For a damaged barrier, lipids such as ceramides do the structural work, covered in our ceramides guide.
• Patch test any new facial oil, and choose fragrance-free versions if you react easily.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between squalane and squalene?

Squalene is the polyunsaturated oil your sebaceous glands make, about 13 percent of sebum. Squalane is squalene after hydrogenation removes its double bonds. That makes squalane less prone to oxidation, which is why it is the version usually used in skincare.

Is squalane non-comedogenic?

Probably, but it has not been proven in people. It cannot form the oxidized squalene that proved comedogenic on rabbit skin, and it contains no fatty acids. We found no human comedogenicity test of squalane itself. The finished product matters more than any one ingredient.

Is plant squalane better than shark squalane?

Chemically, no. Once hydrogenated, squalane is the same molecule from any source. The difference is ethical and practical. A 2010 study called shark-derived material unethical in cosmetics and showed that labs can detect shark squalane mixed into olive products.

Is squalane better than facial oils for acne-prone skin?

It is a simpler choice. Squalane is one molecule with no fatty acids, while plant oils vary widely. Olive oil, high in oleic acid, weakened the barrier in one forearm study, and oils richer in linoleic acid look more favorable. If breakouts persist, see a board-certified dermatologist rather than rotating oils.

Can squalane replace a moisturizer?

For some people it can, but it does a different job. Squalane softens and smooths, while a moisturizer usually combines humectants, lipids and an occlusive. On dry or damaged skin, a full moisturizer is the safer base, with squalane on top if you like the feel.

Does squalane go on before or after moisturizer?

Either can work. The general rule is thinnest to thickest. A few drops of squalane usually go after water-based serums, then under or mixed into a cream. In the morning, sunscreen still goes last.