(INCI: Squalane)
Skin-identical lipid · Biomimetic · Antioxidant · Lightweight and non-greasy · Olive-derived
6 min read · A foundational lipid in both hero formulas
Squalane for menopausal skin may be the most quietly perfect ingredient we use, because your skin already knows it. Squalene, its parent lipid, makes up around 13% of your skin's own sebum, one of the natural oils that keep the surface soft and protected. The catch is that your skin produces less of it as you age, which is exactly the kind of gap squalane is made to fill.
The lipid gap, and a lipid your skin already makes
The lipid gap of perimenopause is not only about the oils we apply, it is about the oils the skin stops making. Squalene production begins to decline from the mid-twenties and continues to fall, so by perimenopause the skin has less of one of its own key surface lipids. Squalane lets us replace it with the stable, skin-identical version, a true biomimetic match that the skin recognises and accepts without fuss. Read more in The Lipid Gap.
The chemistry
Squalene, the form found in skin, is an unsaturated hydrocarbon with six double bonds, which makes it a lovely lipid but an unstable one, prone to oxidation. Squalane is squalene with those double bonds saturated through hydrogenation, giving a stable, inert, long-lasting hydrocarbon (C30H62) that keeps all the skin affinity without the instability. It is colourless, odourless, non-comedogenic, and has a distinctively dry, weightless slip.
What squalane does for skin
- Replenishes a skin-identical lipid: integrates into the skin's own lipid matrix, replacing what age depletes.
- Supports the barrier: helps limit water loss while staying light and breathable.
- Antioxidant character: squalene is a natural antioxidant in skin, helping quench oxidative stress.
- Weightless and non-greasy: a dry-touch lipid tolerated by all skin types, and a gentle carrier for other actives.
Where it comes from
Squalane once came, notoriously, from shark liver oil. Ours does not. We use squalane derived from olives, a renewable, fully plant-based and vegan source that is molecularly identical to any other squalane, without any cost to marine life. Olive-derived squalane is a by-product of the olive oil industry, so it also makes considered use of what the harvest already yields. Choosing plant squalane is a clear example of taking a superb ingredient and insisting it be sourced with a conscience.
What the research shows
Squalene and squalane are well characterised in the dermatology literature. Reviews describe squalene as a major component of human sebum and a natural antioxidant that helps protect the skin surface from oxidative damage, and squalane as its stable, biocompatible emollient form that integrates into the barrier and helps reduce water loss (squalene review, Molecules). More recent laboratory work on cultured skin fibroblasts has examined squalane's protective activity against UV-induced oxidative stress (in vitro, 2025). We describe squalane as a skin-identical, antioxidant emollient on this basis.
Ingredient profile
- INCI: Squalane
- Parent lipid: squalene, around 13% of human sebum
- Chemistry: saturated hydrocarbon (C30H62), the stable form of squalene
- Character: lightweight, dry-touch, non-comedogenic, skin-identical
- Sourcing: olive-derived, vegan and shark-free
- In Philogeni: a foundational lipid in both the Bio-Lipid Concentrate and the Resilience Balm
Featured in
Squalane is a foundational lipid in both hero formulas. Start with the Resilience Balm, our most-loved formula, or explore the Bio-Lipid Concentrate, where squalane forms much of the weightless, skin-identical base that carries the M-Veil active complex.
Common questions
Is squalane good for menopausal skin?
Yes, particularly. It replaces a skin-identical lipid the body produces less of with age, supporting the barrier while feeling weightless.
What is the difference between squalane and squalene?
Squalene (with an e) is the natural, unstable form found in your sebum. Squalane (with an a) is the stable, hydrogenated version used in skincare, with the same skin affinity and a long shelf life.
Is your squalane from sharks?
No. Ours is derived from olives, fully plant-based, vegan and shark-free.
Will it clog pores?
Squalane is non-comedogenic and among the best-tolerated lipids for all skin types.
References and further reading
- Biological and pharmacological activities of squalene and related compounds: potential uses in cosmetic dermatology. Molecules. PubMed Central
- Squalane and UV-stressed dermal fibroblasts (in vitro, 2025). PubMed Central
At a glance
- Common name: Squalane
- INCI: Squalane
- Type: skin-identical saturated hydrocarbon lipid
- Cosmetic function: emollient, barrier support, antioxidant, active carrier
- Sourcing: olive-derived, vegan, shark-free
- Found in: Bio-Lipid Concentrate and Resilience Balm
- Status: vegan, biomimetic
A lipid your skin already knows, replaced where age depletes it, squalane is the skin-identical heart of the Philogeni base. Shop the Resilience Balm or explore the Bio-Lipid Concentrate.