Squalane is made by taking squalene, a naturally occurring oil found in shark liver, olives, sugarcane, and other plant sources, and chemically stabilizing it through a process called hydrogenation. The raw squalene can come from animal, plant, or fermentation-based sources, but the final step is always the same: removing its six double bonds to create a fully saturated, shelf-stable oil used widely in skincare and cosmetics.
Squalene vs. Squalane: One Letter, Big Difference
Squalene (with an “e”) is the unstable, natural form. It’s a 30-carbon chain with six double bonds, which makes it highly reactive and prone to oxidizing when exposed to air. That instability is a problem for skincare products that need to sit on shelves for months. Squalane (with an “a”) is the solution: by forcing hydrogen gas into squalene under high heat and pressure, using a metal catalyst like palladium or nickel, those six double bonds are eliminated. The result is a fully saturated, acyclic hydrocarbon that won’t break down or go rancid.
This hydrogenation process is energy-intensive. Industrial production typically runs at around 120°C under 30 bar of hydrogen pressure, and depending on the method, the reaction can take anywhere from about 90 minutes to over eight hours. The end product is the same lightweight, odorless oil regardless of which source the squalene came from.
The Original Source: Shark Liver Oil
Squalene was first isolated in 1906 by Japanese chemist Mitsumaru Tsujimoto, who extracted it from the liver oil of deep-sea sharks. He named it after the shark family Squalidae. Shark liver oil remains the richest natural source of squalene on the planet. In one species, Centrophorus squamosus, the liver makes up about 18% of body weight, roughly 77% of the liver is oil, and nearly 80% of that oil is squalene. Deep-sea sharks rely on this compound to survive in low-oxygen, high-pressure environments hundreds of meters below the surface.
For most of the 20th century, shark liver was the primary industrial source of squalene. Japanese fishermen had used shark liver oil for centuries, calling it “samedawa” (cure-all), and coastal communities across Micronesia referred to it as “miraculous oil.” As of recent market data, animal-derived squalene still holds the largest share of the global market at roughly 55%, though that number is declining as plant and synthetic alternatives scale up.
Plant-Based Sources
The most common plant source is olive oil, though it contains far less squalene than shark liver. Squalene typically makes up only 0.35% to 0.83% of olive oil’s total composition, meaning large volumes of oil are needed to extract meaningful quantities. Producers use the leftover residue from olive oil processing (called deodorizer distillate) to concentrate the squalene before hydrogenating it into squalane.
Amaranth seed oil is actually the richest plant-based source by concentration, containing about 9.87 grams of squalene per 100 grams of oil, far more than olive oil’s roughly 486 milligrams per 100 grams. Rice bran oil (320 mg/100 g), palm oil (20 to 50 mg/100 g), and peanut oil (27.4 mg/100 g) also contain smaller amounts. Despite amaranth’s impressive concentration, olive-derived squalane dominates the plant-based market because olive processing infrastructure already exists at massive scale.
When you see “plant-derived squalane” or “olive squalane” on a skincare label, the squalene was extracted from one of these botanical sources and then hydrogenated into the stable form.
Sugarcane and Fermentation-Based Production
A newer method skips both sharks and olives entirely. Engineered yeast strains are fed sugarcane molasses or other sugar feedstocks and programmed to produce squalene through fermentation, similar to how beer yeast converts sugar into alcohol. Researchers have pushed yields up to 3.5 grams per liter using cane molasses in fed-batch bioreactors, with multiple genes in the yeast’s cholesterol-production pathway overexpressed to maximize output.
This biosynthetic approach is the fastest-growing segment of the market. Several skincare brands now advertise “sugarcane-derived squalane,” which refers to this fermentation process. The squalene produced by yeast is chemically identical to squalene from any other source, and it goes through the same hydrogenation step to become squalane.
Why Your Skin Already Knows Squalane
Your body produces squalene naturally. It makes up 12% to 15% of human sebum, the oily substance your skin secretes. That’s an unusually high concentration compared to any other tissue or organ in the body. Squalene serves as a precursor to cholesterol, which your cells need for membrane structure, and it helps lubricate the skin and maintain the moisture barrier.
This is a big part of why squalane works so well in skincare. It mimics something your skin already produces. The synthetic or plant-derived squalane in your moisturizer is structurally identical to what would result from hydrogenating the squalene in your own sebum. It absorbs easily, doesn’t clog pores for most people, and reinforces the skin’s natural lipid layer. Production of natural squalene in the skin declines with age, which is part of the reasoning behind using it topically.
How to Tell What Your Product Is Made From
The ingredient list on a skincare product will simply say “squalane” regardless of source. To find out where it came from, you’ll need to check the brand’s marketing or sourcing page. A few clues help:
- Olive-derived: The most common plant-based source. Brands that use it almost always say so, since it’s a selling point over shark-derived versions.
- Sugarcane-derived: Refers to the fermentation method. Brands like Biossance popularized this approach and label it prominently.
- No source specified: Could be animal-derived, especially in lower-cost products or those sold in markets where shark-sourced squalane is still standard.
Chemically, the finished squalane is identical no matter the source. The differences are ethical and environmental, not functional. Shark-derived squalane raises obvious conservation concerns, which has driven the industry shift toward plant and biosynthetic alternatives over the past decade.