The components of the products used for skin care fur —the famous skincare— are varied and the market changes them constantly. Each brand seeks to innovate, both to improve its compounds and also to captivate a new audience. Your goal? Let everyone become obsessed with stopping or delaying the signs of aging.

One of the ingredients that has become fashionable lately is squalane. Perhaps you have read it on the label of one of your products, or in the content of an influencer, because although this component is not exactly new, it is unknown to most.

Francisca Daza, aesthetic dermatologist at Clínica Alemana, explains that squalene is a moisturizing oil, a plant lipid that is very similar to those secreted by the skin naturally. But being hydrated, “it has the advantage that it does not oxidize, it is more stable, it has a pleasant texture and it has no smell,” she says.

Squalane, as an organic compound, is found in animal organisms but also in vegetable oils, such as olive oil, explains Lorena Sáez Lancien, director of Chemistry and Pharmacy at the U. Andrés Bello Viña del Mar Campus. “Squalane is derived from fats. natural, after being chemically stabilized through hydrogenation,” he points out.

Its main function, explains Daza, is oil. “They help prevent the skin from losing water, because they generate a kind of film on the skin,” says Daza. In this way, it hydrates and prevents the skin from drying out, maintaining its moisture. “It helps improve the quality of the skin barrier,” he points out about the component.

“The reason why it is included in facial creams and skin care products is because of its remarkable antioxidant and moisturizing properties,” analyzes Sáez. What products have squalane? It is common to find it in lip or eye contour hydration sticks, as well as face creams.

However, these properties are not exclusive to squalane. Daza explains that we can also see these same qualities in products such as Vaseline, lanolin or petrolatum, or also in silicone derivatives such as dimethicone, or even in beeswax.

“But the beauty of squalane is that its texture is very pleasant, so it doesn’t leave a sticky, it’s pleasant to touch and it lasts a long time, because it doesn’t oxidize,” he points out about its differentiation.

Among the benefits of squalane proven in research, Daza mainly points to the improvement of the functions of the skin barrier, helping the skin not to lose water and to become more hydrated. Being light in texture, it tends to absorb without leaving a greasy sensation.

However, there is a little confusion as to whether it is actually anti-aging. “There are many creams that say that squalane serves to prevent or correct wrinkles, but the truth is that studies only say that this ingredient improves the penetration of other components of creams that have anti-aging action, such as vitamin C, or polyphenols of antioxidant agents,” Daza elaborates. That is, there are still studies to grant these benefits.

“Its antioxidant properties protect the skin from damage that could be caused by free radicals and other environmental factors,” adds Sáez. In practice, it helps skin “look more hydrated, plump, supple and soft,” she says.

By improving hydration, the skin may tend to wrinkle less, says Daza. “It won’t make wrinkles go away, but it can help prevent new ones from appearing. This is due to having well-hydrated skin, and this is one of the many components that exist to do so,” she explains.

Although equalane is a good component, Daza explains that it is not a panacea nor a recent discovery. “It is not the only product that does this,” adds the Clínica Alemana specialist, adding that “it is just one of the many components that creams with this function can have.”

Squalane promises luminosity and hydration, but this is an effect that does not occur equally for everyone; It depends on your skin type and conditions. The UNAB academic warns that people with acne and other similar pathologies should always consult with their dermatologist before trying products with this component. “We must not forget that the skin hydration mechanism for this cosmetic active ingredient is obstructive; That is, avoiding water loss by clogging the pores of the skin, a mechanism that could aggravate certain pathologies such as acne,” analyzes Sáez.