Squalene (with an “e”) is a lipid naturally produced by skin cells and makes up about 13% of human sebum. The amount of squalene your body produces declines as you age, peaking in your teens and slowing in your 20s and 30s. As a result, your skin becomes drier and rougher as you age. Skincare products help counteract this natural process by supplementing your body’s squalene supply with shark liver or plant-based squalene. The ability of topical shark- and plant-based squalene to mimic the superior effects of the body’s natural functions is what makes squalene such a sought-after ingredient.
But animal or plant-based squalene is too unstable in its natural form to be used in skincare products; it can turn rancid and spoil quickly when exposed to oxygen. The hydrogenation process that turns squalene into squalane (with an ‘a’) creates a stable form of the molecule while making the oil softer, thinner, and more skin-friendly. It also changes the color from yellow to clear and significantly extends its shelf life. (P.S.: While hydrogenation in food is bad for you, it’s not bad for skincare. All squalene must be hydrogenated to be included in skincare products.)
Squalane is chemically the same ingredient whether it comes from a shark or a plant (though it’s made using different methods), and it’s not easy for consumers to tell the difference.
That’s why Malek, along with other companies, is calling on the cosmetics industry to stop using shark liver oil, and asking consumers to join us in demanding that the cosmetics industry impose stricter labeling regulations on squalane supplies.
While most squalene globally still comes from sharks, the market has recently begun to shift toward plant-based squalene as awareness of the inhumane methods of harvesting shark livers has grown. Consumers and advocacy groups must continue to demand that companies and corporations source squalene exclusively from plants to eliminate shark-based squalene from cosmetics.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that more than a quarter of the world’s shark species are overexploited for commercial reasons, with around 100 million sharks killed each year by commercial fishing. Sharks grow slowly, reach maturity late in life, and have long periods between reproductive cycles, making them extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. They play a vital role in the stability of the Earth’s marine ecosystems, and their absence from the ocean could have catastrophic consequences.
Our cosmetics should not harm the environment and the creatures we share them with. Let’s use information to empower ourselves as consumers so that we can make choices that have a positive, healthy impact on our bodies and the world around us.
