If you are following skincare
news, the new hottest thing in the skincare/cosmetic industry is squalane. A quick google search will unleash a flood of
skincare products, including both famous brands and obscure ones, all claiming squalane,
the new miracle moisturizing agent, as a key ingredient.
What is squalane? To answer that, let me first tell you what is
squalene. And, no, squalane (ends with “-ane”)
and squalene (ends with “-ene”) are not the same—despite some bloggers were
claiming the opposite. Simple fact is
those who made that claim lacks the basic knowledge of chemistry.
Squalene is a natural 30-carbon organic compound. All
plants and animals produce squalene as a biochemical intermediate, including humans. Commercially, squalene is originally obtained
primarily from shark liver oil
(hence its name). Nowadays, plant
sourced squalene is also available commercially mainly by extracting from amaranth seed, rice bran,
wheat germ, and olives.
Chemical structure wise, squalene
is a hydrocarbon
(meaning the entire molecule is comprised of only carbon and hydrogen atoms)
and a triterpene
(meaning the compound is highly unsaturated).
It has a chemical structure that is very similar to beta-carotenen
(Vitamin A) and is a natural and vital part of the synthesis of all plant and
animal sterols, including
cholesterol, steroid hormones, and vitamin D in the human body.
Squalene
is a natural moisturizer. In humans, about 60 percent of
dietary squalene is absorbed. It is
transported in serum generally in association with very low density lipoproteins and
is distributed ubiquitously in human tissues, with the greatest concentration in the skin, where
it is one of the major components of skin surface lipids. Therefore,
squalene is a vital part of our skin’s natural moisturizing mechanism.
In addition, squalene also acts
as an anti-oxidant in our skin. Squalene is not very susceptible to
peroxidation and appears to function in the skin as a quencher of singlet oxygen, protecting human skin surface from lipid peroxidation due to exposure to UV and other sources of
ionizing radiation. Animal study has
shown that supplementing squalene to mice has resulted in marked increases in cellular and
non-specific immune functions in a dose-dependent manner.
Now, let’s talk about squalane. Squalane is a saturated
form of squalene in which the double bonds have been eliminated by hydrogenation. This means that squalane is a stable compound and
is much less susceptible to oxidation
than squalene. Squalane is thus more
commonly used than squalene in personal care products, such as moisturizers. However, the double bonds in squalene are
responsible for its antioxidant effect.
This means that squalane will not be able to act as an
anti-oxidant. And since it’s not really
naturally occurring in human skin, it’s not really a “natural” moisturizer as
many have claimed.
Guess which compound you should
use in your skincare regime? Correct—squalene! The plant oils that are high in squalene
include olive oil, pumpkin oil (89mg/100g) and oils from macaronesi echium
leaves. Please refer to my previous
posts for skin serum recipes. One tip
about using squalene—always blends it with vitamin E. The two compounds are known to work
synergistically.
References:
1. Phytosterol, squalene,
tocopherol content and fatty acid profile of selected seeds, grans, and
legumes, Plant Foods Hum. Nutr. 2007 Sept.; 62(3):85-91. Epub 2007 June 27.
2. Occurrence and
characterization of oils rich in γ-linolenic acid Part II: fatty acids and
squalene from Macaronesian Echium leaves, Phytochemistry 54(5), 1 June 2000, 525–529.
3. Sebaceous Gland Secretion is a
Major Physiologic Route of Vitamin E Delivery to Skin, Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1999) 113, 1006–1010;
doi:10.1046/j.1523-1747.1999.00794.x
Thanks for reading!
Connie
Comments
Post a Comment