When it comes to skincare ingredients, I believe that everyone has their favourite ingredients that form the staple of their skincare closet. Whether it’s Vitamin C, Lactic Acid or Hyaluronic Acid, everyone seems to have their faves that react positively to their skin.

For the longest time, Hyaluronic Acid was and still is THAT GIRL for me. I loves me a product that plumps skin! One of the benefits of being fat is that my collagen really COLLAGENS, keeping my face plumped (lmao) and bouncy. Hyaluronic Acid has definitely helped with keeping my skin looking young, but ever since my friend and fellow award-winning skincare writer and content creator Demi Colleen introduced me to the world of Squalane via U.S brand Biossance, I’ve become a devout fan.

I’m going to do a bit of a humble brag here, and I hope you don’t mind. A few months ago at the top of the year, I visited three separate cosmetic doctors with the aim of wanting to do something about the lines underneath my eyes. Age and excessive smiling over him had deepened them and for a while, I developed slight insecurities about them whenever I smiled, and also it was an absolute ballache when applying under-eye concealer – the creasing!

Anyhoo, I went in to enquire about fillers or botox. Not only was I told by the first doctor that applying fillers so close underneath the eye could be counter-productive, but after examining my whole face, he told me I should never touch my skin because *apparently*, my skin was perfect. great to hear, but annoying that I couldn’t get a refund on my consultation fee!

Like a desperate dickhead, I paid for another consultation a month later with someone else to talk about these lines. That doctor said exactly the same thing regarding the fillers, but also that I had really great, supple skin and that I shouldn’t mess it up with cosmetic enhancements. Which is wild, coming from professionals who make this thing their living, you know?

I then went to see a Dermatologist for a hydro facial (which I deffo recommend) who also told me that I apparently have a lot of collagen in my skin and asked what products I used. When I mentioned Squalane, her face lit up. Clearly, I was onto something here!

Anyway, I say all that to say – alongside Hyaluronic Acid, Squalane is one of my MVP products that has radically changed not only the texture of my skin, but its suppleness of it. I adore the ingredient, so let’s talk about what it is, where you can find it, and why it’s amazing.

What is Squalane?

Squalane is a liquid that is found naturally in many animals (including us!) and plants. It’s a lipid that makes up 10-12% of our skin’s natural oil. It’s function is to moisturise and protect our skin. There are two types of this ingredient: SqualANE and SqualENE. For the purposes of this post, I’ll be focusing on Squalane.

Squalene is harvested unethically from sharks and we don’t like that, so Squalane was invested as a plant-based alternative, harvested from crops like sugar cane, rice bran and olives. Both ingredients work just as well as each other, but Squalane is a little better due to it being more stable and having a longer shelf life.

What does it do?

It’s main function is to hydrate the skin, similar to hyaluronic acid. It also helps to make skin more supple and elastic and to help eradicate fine lines, if you’re into that kind of thing. Did you know that scientists sometimes add squalane to some vaccinations in a bid to boost the body’s defences? The POWER this ingredient has.

It’s also used as an antioxidant and in some cases, can be used to help hyperpigmentation and reverse UV damage. It really can do it all, this ingredient, and can be used on the face, hair and on body.

Where can I find it?

These days we are seeing more and more brands using Squalane in their products, which is great. Biossance is great in this area, as all their products are squalane-based, and I found that their products have made the most impact on my skin – especially the pure Squalane oil that I use to moisturise my skin after bathing. It’s deeply moisturising and sinks into the skin easily.

See below for some of my favourite Squalane products!

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