If you've been paying any attention to my formulas, you've probably noticed something: squalane shows up constantly. It's in serums, it's in face creams, it's in the products I reach for morning and night. And I get asked about it all the time. "Why is it in everything? What does it actually do?" So let's talk about it — because squalane is one of those rare ingredients that genuinely earns its place in almost every formula I make.
Here's the simple version first: squalane is an oil derived from olives that your skin already knows how to use. It seals moisture in, softens the barrier, and disappears into skin without leaving a greasy film. It works on dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, aging skin. It doesn't clog pores. It doesn't irritate. It just works. But the real story is a little more interesting than that.
Your Skin Already Makes This
Squalane starts as squalene — spelled with an "e" — a lipid your own sebaceous glands naturally produce. It makes up a real portion of your skin's sebum and plays a key role in keeping your barrier soft, supple, and protected. The problem is that your body starts winding down squalene production in your late twenties. By your mid-thirties, it's dropped significantly. That's not a coincidence — it's right around the time most people start noticing their skin feels drier, tighter, and less resilient than it used to.
What we use in skincare is squalane — the hydrogenated, stabilized form derived from olives. That extra step makes it shelf-stable and skin-friendly without changing what it does. The squalane I source is 100% olive-derived, GMO-free, and comes from Spain — olive oil is the richest plant source of it, and I'm not interested in cutting corners on an ingredient this foundational. Because your skin recognizes it, it absorbs quickly and efficiently. There's no adjustment period, no purging, no "my skin is getting used to it" phase. It just goes where it's needed.
"Your skin recognizes squalane because it's chemically similar to something it already makes. That's the whole reason it works so well."
What Squalane Actually Does in a Formula
I think about squalane as the ingredient that locks everything else in. It sits in the final layer of your routine — after your water-based products, your serums, your actives — and creates a seal that keeps moisture from escaping. That process, called transepidermal water loss, is the silent thief behind most dry skin. You moisturize, you hydrate, and then all of that moisture just evaporates into the dry Colorado air before your skin has a chance to use it. Squalane slows that down significantly.
Beyond sealing, squalane is deeply emollient. It softens the surface of the skin and fills in the micro-cracks in a compromised barrier — the ones that make skin look dull, feel rough, or react to everything. Research shows it strengthens the barrier itself over time, reducing that water loss at the structural level, not just on the surface.
It also has real antioxidant properties. Studies have found that squalane helps neutralize free radicals — the environmental damage from sun, pollution, and dry climate exposure that accelerates aging and breaks down collagen. For anyone living at altitude, that matters. We get more UV exposure up here than most people realize, and antioxidant protection in your skincare is not optional.
Why I Put It in Products for Every Skin Type
This is the part that surprises people. If you have oily skin and you've avoided oils your whole life, I understand. But squalane is non-comedogenic — confirmed by research — meaning it genuinely does not clog pores. It's also lightweight enough that it doesn't sit on skin or feel heavy. In fact, because it mimics your skin's natural sebum, it can actually help balance oil production over time. Your skin overproduces oil partly as a compensation response when it's stripped and dehydrated. Give it what it's missing, and it can calm down.
For sensitive and reactive skin, squalane's anti-inflammatory properties matter. Research shows it can help calm redness and reduce swelling associated with conditions like eczema and acne. It's fragrance-free, it's gentle, and it has almost no risk of reaction — which is why I've never hesitated to include it in formulas designed for the most reactive skin types.
For aging skin, it's one of the most reliable ingredients I work with. Regular use supports collagen production and improves elasticity, and the sealing effect means that everything else in your routine — your Bakuchiol, your peptides, your ceramides — actually gets to do its job instead of evaporating before it sinks in.
The Insider Tip
Worth Sharing
Apply your squalane-containing products to skin that's still slightly damp — right after washing, before you've fully patted dry. Squalane seals in whatever moisture is already there. If you apply it to completely dry skin, it's doing less than half the work. Damp skin + squalane = the combination your barrier actually needs. This single habit change makes a bigger difference than switching products.
Where You'll Find It in Simple Body Products
I reach for squalane as a finishing, sealing ingredient — which is why it shows up in our richer, barrier-focused formulas. The Barrier Defense Serum uses it alongside ceramides to rebuild and protect skin that's been stripped, over-exfoliated, or compromised by climate. The two ingredients are genuinely complementary: ceramides repair the structure of the barrier, squalane seals and softens it. Together they work the way your skin barrier is supposed to work on its own.
It's also a key part of the Face Cream for Dry Skin, where it does the heavy lifting in the moisture-sealing department — especially important for anyone dealing with tight, flaky skin in winter or at altitude. After sixteen years of formulating, I've tried every oil there is. Squalane keeps coming back because nothing else performs as consistently across every skin type and condition. And knowing exactly where it comes from — Spanish olives, GMO-free, nothing added — matters to me as much as what it does on skin.
How to Work It Into Your Routine
The general rule is simple: squalane goes near the end of your routine. After cleansing, toning, and any serums or actives, apply your squalane-containing moisturizer or serum while skin is still a little damp. At night, it can go on last — think of it as your skin's overnight seal. In the morning, it creates a smooth base without interfering with anything that goes on top of it.
- Cleanse and tone as usual
- Apply any water-based serums or actives while skin is damp
- Press in your squalane-containing serum or moisturizer — don't rinse, don't pat aggressively
- At night, this is your last step. In the morning, follow with SPF
- Notice the difference within a few days — softer texture, less tightness, more even tone
There's a reason this ingredient has been in my formulas from the beginning. It's not trendy — it's foundational. Your skin knows it, needs it, and responds to it reliably. That's everything I look for in an ingredient. For more on the ingredients I trust and why, explore more on the blog.
xoxo, Jewels
From the Simple Body Shelf
Your Barrier, Sealed and Defended
If your skin feels perpetually dry, tight, or reactive — especially in a dry climate — it's often a barrier problem, not a hydration problem. The Barrier Defense Serum pairs squalane with ceramides to rebuild what daily life strips away, leaving skin noticeably softer, calmer, and more resilient.
Try the Barrier Defense Serum →