Soft, smooth and dewy-fresh… A baby’s skin is amazingly beautiful. And there is a good reason for this…
Infants are born with extremely high levels of a natural lipid that hydrates and protects their delicate skin by locking in moisture.
I’m talking about an emollient called squalene.
Squalene is found in almost every cell of your body. Especially your skin cells. Sebum — your body’s natural skin lubricant and conditioner — is rich in squalene.
Babies are born with a natural hydrating moisturizer… like my sweet little Isobel.
Unfortunately, you start to lose this built-in moisturizer by the time you hit your 30s.
As it turns out, squalene has tremendous hydrating and moisturizing abilities, too… along with other anti-aging properties. And because it’s already found naturally in and on your skin, squalene is safe and gentle.
We used to harvest squalene from the livers of sharks. Thankfully, we don’t do that anymore.
Fortunately, scientists discovered that squalene can be naturally stabilized. The result is squalane (with an “a”).
Squalane has all of squalene’s benefits… plus, it remains stable for a long time. And new technology has opened up another, renewable source of squalane: olives.
Now the anti-aging benefits of squalene — once out of reach for most women — are available to everyone. And that’s great news, because squalane may be one of your most powerful allies in your fight against the effects of aging.
Squalane doesn’t act like a typical fat. Most fats oxidize easily. That is, they’re easily damaged by free radicals. But squalane resists oxidation. And it goes further.
It acts as a powerful antioxidant on your skin. Studies have shown it’s as powerful as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), an antioxidant chemical used in many cosmetics.1
Squalane is so effective, the Academy of Anti-Aging Research reports it can even help restore smoothness to skin that’s been damaged by frequent detergent use or sunburn.2
And that’s not all.
Squalane helps strengthen your skin’s ability to hold in moisture by forming a barrier on your skin. It absorbs deeply into your skin to promote flexibility and suppleness.3 French researchers also report it can help reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.4
3 Best Ways to Get Squalene at Home
- Eat more squalene-rich foods. People living in the Mediterranean take in about 200-400 mg per day. But in the U.S., we only get about 30 mg a day. That’s not enough. Olive oil is also a great source of squalene. In fact, for a while, it was thought to be the only vegetable source of this powerful nutrient.
- Try supplementing. Shark liver oil and squalene are both available in supplements. Taking 500 mg per day is safe. But be sure to read labels carefully before you buy. Ingredients are listed on product labels in the order of what it includes the most of, so be sure squalane is one of the first items listed.
- Use it topically. Squalane is being added to anti-aging skincare treatments. But some products contain very little squalane — as little as 1/10th of 1%. I doubt you’ll get much benefit from such tiny amounts. One way to ensure you get the right amount is to make your own serum.
Here’s what I suggest:
Squalene Serum Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. squalene
- 5 drops rose essential oil
- 1 drop evening primrose oil
Directions:
- Mix together in a glass bowl.
- Moisturize with 5-8 drops every morning and night.
To Your Best Health Ever,
Rachel Koenig
1. Kohno Y, et al. “Kinetic study of quenching reaction of singlet oxygen and scavenging reaction of free radical by squalene in n-butanol.” Biochim Biophys Acta. 1995;1256(1):52-56.
2. Lam M and Sulindro M. “Aging Skin.” Academy of Anti-Aging Research. 2001;23(1):5.
3. Huang Z.-R, et al. “Biological and pharmacological activities of squalene and related compounds: Potential uses in cosmetic dermatology.” Molecules. 2009;14:540-554.
4. Jame P, et al, “Differentiation of the origin of squalene and squalane using stable isotopes ratio analysis.” SOFW-Jl. 2010;136:1-7.