Squalane or Squalene? What does Sugarcane and Deep Sea Sharks have to do with this?

At PUUR Ingrid we believe that every ingredients must be considered an active. Therefore we don’t believe in using cheaper oils or those that don’t fully serve your skin. There is a lot of fear surrounding face oils. A lot of carrier or base oils can cause the skin to break out, as they can clog pores or work to pull the toxins from the skin.

This is where our face oils are unique, every single oil we use in the formulas are designed to be non comodegenic – they wont block your pores. They will actually help to rebalance your own natural sebum production. This means they can be used by anyone, with any skin type, anywhere in the world.

Many of our products contain Squalane. When formulating these oils we wanted to create something that skin would understand. Something that would enhance its existence rather than work against it. It confused us that we would put something onto our skin that our skin could possibly reject. Our thought was that the closer the product is to our skins natural oils, the less chance there would be of break outs, and the higher chance of creating beautiful glowing skin. After a lot of trials Squalane became the obvious choice.

So why Squalane?

Squalene notice the spelling is different, Squalane is derived by hydrogenation of Squalene. It was originally discovered in Japan from the livers of deep sea sharks. From ancient times, fishermen all over the world benefited from the properties of the oil extracted from the liver of sharks living beneath 1,000 m. They recognized the benefits of the deep-sea sharks liver oil, as a source of power, force, energy and vitality.

Extensive medical research did not begin until 1930, when it was noted that sharks do not develop tumors and are cancer free.

As a vegan, cruelty free brand we do not use squalene derived from Sharks livers nor do we support it, we just feel its important to understand the journey.

At the beginning of the 1950s it was discovered that squalene is an important component of human sebum. It is crucial in skin hydration, repairing of the damaged skin, and rejuvenating the ageing skin. It is considered one of the greatest natural emollients, being rapidly and efficiently absorbed into the skin, restoring its natural suppleness and flexibility, without back oily residues. All these characteristics make it an excellent skin protector, being used in healing eczema, damaged hair,  anti-aging and wrinkle protection. Squalene also plays an essential role in protecting skin from free radical oxidative damage.

The human body produces its own version of squalane called squalene, but the amount made and retained decreases as you get older. Newborns have the greatest concentration of squalene in their blood, but the reserve begins to drop suddenly between late 20s and 40 years.

Our Squalane saves millions of sharks every year.

At PUUR Ingrid we found a way to produce squalane as safely and effectively as the body does. Our squalane comes from 100% plant-based, renewable sugarcane, then bio-fermented to create a beautiful end result—highly stable, totally sustainable and eco-friendly squalane. Squalane is the skin’s best moisturizer that is suitable for all skin types.

For years, some companies used shark’s liver. Many have since switched to olives, but crop variability and natural occurring impurities can make the end result unpredictable, both in terms of quality and availability. PUUR Ingrid shelf-stable, 100% vegan squalane is consistent and reliable making it nature’s best moisturizer for you and the planet.

We love squalane, we love sharks and we love sugarcane. We love that this ingredient for our products is as amazing as it can be, your skin will thank you for it.