Squalane, squalene and hemisqualane sound confusingly similar, what are the differennces between them? They are all oily, emollient materials, yet their chemistry and stability make them useful in different sorts of formulations.
Squalene – what your skin makes
Squalene with an e is the one your skin actually produces itself, as part of the natural sebum. This is what keeps the barrier layer flexible and comfortable. It does such a good job that we hardly notice it, but when you think about it skin does a remarkable job of moving around while we are living our lives. There is no synthetic material that is anywhere near as able to shift and stretch under the various ways our arms, legs and faces move all the time. We just don’t know how to come up with a lubricant that is as good. And squalene is a big contributor to this lubrication.
In chemical terms it is an unsaturated hydrocarbon with six double bonds, which makes it very good at reacting with oxygen. On the plus side, in the skin this reactivity helps mop up free radicals giving an antioxidant effect. But in a bottle it means neat squalene goes off quickly, oxidising to form peroxides and other breakdown products that are not great news for irritation potential. This distinctly limits its shelf life.
For that reason you do not often see pure squalene as a headline cosmetic ingredient, at least not in leave‑on products that are expected to sit happily on a bathroom shelf for months or years. Formulators can use it, but it needs to be carefully handled. It is a lot more trouble and a lot more expensive than squalane.
Squalane – the workhorse emollient
Squalane with an a is simply squalene that has been fully hydrogenated, which is chemist speak for removing the double bonds and turning it into a saturated hydrocarbon. That one change transforms its behaviour: squalane is highly stable to air and light, does not oxidise easily, and so gives you a very long‑lived, non‑reactive oil that is ideal for modern skincare. Incidentally, if you find the small difference in spelling confusing you are not the only one. Many marketing copywriters seem to mix up the claims that can be made for squalane with those that can be made for squalene. Squalene has some antioxidant potential. Squalane does not. What it does have is the ability to lubricate and an appealing skin feel.
On the skin it feels like a light, silky oil, spreading easily but giving a reasonably cushiony, emollient feel. Functionally it helps reduce water loss. It is also structurally similar enough to the lipids in our own sebum and so is well tolerated across skin types, which is why you now see it in ingredient lists for everything from facial oils to barrier creams and even colour cosmetics. Cosmetic squalane is now produced from plant feedstocks such as olive or sugarcane. Squalane from the original source, shark liver oil, is non-existent. There are some very specialised cosmetic ingredients that are derived from dogfish fins that are rich in squalene – but this is a material that is rarely used and when it is it is a big selling point. Vegetarians and sealife lovers don’t need to worry about the source of the squalane in their products.
From a formulator’s perspective squalane is one of those ingredients that just behaves itself. It plays nicely with most other common emollients, does not interfere with preservatives, and gives an elegant glide without too much greasiness. If you have dry or barrier‑impaired skin, a product rich in squalane is often a very decent, low‑drama way to improve comfort and reduce flakiness.
Hemisqualane – the lighter cousin
Hemisqualane is related in concept but not a simple half‑molecule of squalane, despite the name suggesting that. In practice what the industry calls hemisqualane is a mixture of shorter chain saturated hydrocarbons, typically with 13 to 15 carbon atoms, sold under the INCI name C13‑15 Alkane. Like squalane it is usually made from sugar‑based feedstocks by fermentation and subsequent processing, so it can be described as plant‑derived and of biotechnological origin.
Because the chains are shorter, hemisqualane has a noticeably lighter, drier feel on the skin than squalane. It spreads very quickly, evaporates or soaks away without much residue, and is often described as behaving a bit like a low‑viscosity silicone such as cyclomethicone, which is exactly what a lot of formulators use it to replace. It is also non‑comedogenic in standard tests. These tests aren’t especially reliable, but formulators have found that hemisqualane does give a very appealing slip and doesn’t possess much pore‑clogging potential.
These properties make hemisqualane particularly popular in hair care, make‑up and cleansing products. In hair it helps to reduce frizz and improve combing without weighing styles down, a neat trick you cannot always pull off with heavier oils. In make‑up removers it is good at dissolving long‑wear and waterproof products while rinsing or wiping away cleanly, again behaving rather like some of the lighter synthetic hydrocarbons it is often chosen to replace.
How they compare in real use
So if you are reading an ingredient list, what practical differences do these three names really imply. Squalene is mainly of interest as something your own skin makes, and as a precursor to squalane, rather than as an ingredient you need to hunt down for its own sake. Squalane is the comfortable, middle‑weight emollient that boosts moisturisation, cushions the barrier and suits most skin types without too much drama. Hemisqualane is the ultra‑light option that gives slip, spread and cleansing with minimal residue, making it particularly attractive for oilier skin, fine hair and textures that aim to feel weightless.
All three are good for skin compatibility, skin feel and lubrication. They stand on their own merits as skincare ingredients, but are also strong candidates for replacing petrochemical derived oils for a more planet friendly product or silicone based ones for a more natural one.
