Here's the deal: squalane is one of the smartest ingredients in natural skincare. It mimics your skin's natural oils, works for literally every skin type, and makes everything else in your routine work better. Learn why olive-derived squalane is a game-changer for hydration, barrier support, and long-term skin health.
If you've been paying attention to clean beauty ingredient lists, you've probably noticed squalane popping up everywhere. But here's what makes this ingredient genuinely worth the attention: it's one of the few hydrators that works across every skin type without exception—and there's solid science to back that up.
What Is Squalane (And Why Olive-Derived Matters)
Squalane is a saturated hydrocarbon derived from squalene—a lipid your skin naturally produces. The difference between squalene (with an 'e') and squalane (with an 'a') is stability. Your skin makes squalene, but it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air. Squalane is the hydrogenated, shelf-stable version that delivers the same benefits without breaking down.
Historically, squalane was sourced from shark liver oil, which is both ethically problematic and environmentally unsustainable. Today, high-quality squalane is derived from olives—specifically from the oil pressed from olive fruit. This plant-based source is renewable, cruelty-free, and chemically identical to the squalane your skin recognizes and uses.
We exclusively use olive-derived squalane in our formulations, including our Dewdrop Age Defying Face Serum, because sourcing matters. As we discussed in our post about why sourcing is what really matters, the origin and processing of botanical ingredients directly impacts their purity and performance.
How Squalane Works in Your Skin
Squalane is what's called a biomimetic ingredient—it mimics compounds your skin already produces. Your sebum naturally contains squalene (about 10-12% of its composition when you're young), which helps maintain your skin's lipid barrier and prevents moisture loss.
As you age, your skin's natural squalene production drops significantly—by your 30s, you're producing about 40% less than you did in your teens. This decline contributes to dryness, loss of elasticity, and increased sensitivity. Topical squalane helps compensate for this deficit.
Here's what makes squalane uniquely effective:
Molecular Size and Penetration: Squalane has a small molecular weight (around 422 Da), which allows it to penetrate the stratum corneum (your skin's outermost layer) rather than just sitting on the surface. It integrates into your lipid barrier, reinforcing it from within.
Occlusive Without Suffocation: Squalane creates a protective barrier that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) by up to 20%, but unlike heavy occlusives like petrolatum, it's breathable. Your skin can still function normally—releasing toxins, regulating temperature—while staying hydrated.
Non-Comedogenic: Despite being an oil-like substance, squalane has a comedogenicity rating of 0-1 (on a scale of 0-5). It won't clog pores or trigger breakouts, even on acne-prone skin.
Antioxidant Properties: Squalane has mild antioxidant activity, helping to neutralize free radicals and protect skin from oxidative stress caused by UV exposure and pollution.
Squalane vs. Other Hydrators: What Makes It Different
Unlike jojoba oil, which is technically a wax ester, squalane is a pure hydrocarbon. This makes it even lighter and faster-absorbing. While jojoba mimics sebum structurally, squalane is actually a component of sebum—your skin doesn't just recognize it, it actively uses it.
Compared to hyaluronic acid (which draws water into the skin), squalane works differently. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant—it attracts moisture from the environment and deeper skin layers. Squalane is an emollient and occlusive—it softens skin and seals in the moisture that's already there. They're complementary, not competitive, which is why many effective serums (including ours) use both.
Unlike heavier oils like tamanu or marula, squalane has virtually no scent and an incredibly lightweight texture. This makes it ideal for layering under other products or using in formulations where you don't want the oil to dominate the sensory experience.
Benefits Across Skin Types and Concerns
For Dry and Dehydrated Skin: Squalane replenishes lipids and prevents moisture loss without feeling heavy. It's particularly effective in winter skincare routines when environmental humidity is low and TEWL increases.
For Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Because squalane is non-comedogenic and lightweight, it hydrates without triggering excess oil production. When oily skin is properly moisturized, it often produces less sebum to compensate for perceived dryness.
For Sensitive and Reactive Skin: Squalane is hypoallergenic and non-irritating. It strengthens the skin barrier, which helps reduce sensitivity over time. We use it in our Everything + Blue Tansy Balm specifically because it pairs beautifully with calming botanicals like blue tansy and calendula for eczema-prone skin.
For Aging Skin: Squalane helps restore suppleness and elasticity by reinforcing the lipid barrier. It also enhances the penetration of other active ingredients, making it a valuable addition to anti-aging formulations like our Dewdrop serum.
For Compromised Barrier Function: Whether from over-exfoliation, harsh treatments, or environmental damage, a weakened skin barrier benefits enormously from squalane's barrier-repairing properties. It works synergistically with ingredients like colloidal oatmeal and chamomile to soothe and rebuild.
How We Use Squalane in Our Formulations
Squalane serves multiple roles in our products:
As a Lightweight Emollient: In our Dewdrop Age Defying Face Serum, squalane provides silky slip and fast absorption while delivering deep hydration. It balances the richness of grass-fed tallow with a lighter, more refined texture.
As a Carrier for Botanicals: While we primarily use jojoba oil for herbal infusions due to its stability during extraction, squalane works beautifully in finished formulations to enhance the delivery of fat-soluble compounds from those infusions.
As a Barrier Protector: In products designed for sensitive or compromised skin, squalane reinforces the lipid barrier while allowing other soothing ingredients to penetrate and do their work.
Squalane and the Skin Microbiome
Emerging research suggests that squalane may support a healthy skin microbiome. Because it's a naturally occurring lipid, it doesn't disrupt the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria on your skin's surface the way some synthetic ingredients can. This is particularly relevant for conditions like eczema and rosacea, where microbiome imbalance plays a role.
Squalane's non-irritating, pH-neutral nature means it creates an environment where beneficial microbes can thrive while your skin barrier stays intact and functional.
Sustainability and Sourcing
Olive-derived squalane is produced from the byproducts of olive oil production—specifically from the unsaponifiable fraction of olive oil (the portion that doesn't turn into soap during processing). This makes it a sustainable choice that doesn't require additional agricultural land or resources beyond what's already used for food-grade olive oil.
We source organic, sustainably harvested olive squalane that's processed without harsh solvents or chemical additives. The extraction process uses gentle hydrogenation to convert squalene to squalane, resulting in a pure, stable ingredient that retains all its beneficial properties.
How to Use Squalane in Your Routine
Squalane is one of the most versatile ingredients in skincare. You can use it:
- On its own as a lightweight facial oil after cleansing
- Mixed with your moisturizer to boost hydration
- As a final sealing layer over serums and treatments to lock in active ingredients
- On damp skin to maximize moisture retention
- Year-round in both morning and evening routines
Because it's so lightweight and fast-absorbing, squalane layers beautifully with other products. It won't pill, feel greasy, or interfere with makeup application.
The Bottom Line
Squalane is one of those rare ingredients that lives up to its reputation. It's not trendy hype—it's a biomimetic lipid that your skin already knows how to use, delivered in a stable, sustainable form that works for literally everyone.
Whether you're dealing with dryness, sensitivity, aging, or acne, squalane offers real benefits without the risk of irritation or clogged pores. It's gentle enough for the most reactive skin and effective enough to make a noticeable difference in hydration, texture, and barrier function.
That's why we include olive-derived squalane in our formulations—not as filler, but as a functional ingredient that enhances everything else in the formula while delivering its own measurable benefits. It's smart skincare, backed by both traditional use and modern science.
For more on how we select and source our ingredients, explore our ingredients glossary or read about why we use essential oils in our formulations.