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Skincare products with squalane are your skin’s best friend during colder months. Because they stand on that sweet spot where they moisturize better than a regular gel cream but are definitely lighter than face oils. To feed our squalane frenzy, we have squalane in skincare products like serums, creams, and even cleansers.
In case you’ve missed our whole guide on squalane though, here’s the recap so you know how to choose your squalane products and what to look for in them.
First of all, squalane as a skincare ingredient is the modified and more stable version of squalene, which is naturally present in your skin.
Your skin produces sebum, which is composed of oily substances. And one of these substances is squalene. Together with the rest, they keep the skin surface moist to protect your skin barrier.
And in skincare products, squalane as the stable version does the same thing. Squalane keeps the skin moisturized, prevents water loss, and keeps the skin barrier intact against damaging elements.
Squalane is non-comedogenic, and it feels emollient but not oily. It lightly moisturizes but doesn’t make your skin look greasy. It’s the opposite, squalane gives the complexion a healthy radiance.
That’s why squalane products are great for all skin types including oily, acne-prone, and sensitive. So healthy and comfortable moisture should be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word squalane.
If you think you’re up to speed, we have some amazing plant-derived products made with squalane. If you’re not sure which product is the right one for you, scroll down for our section on how to choose squalane products.
The Best Squalane Skincare Products
From oils to creams, find below the best squalane skincare products.
Best Squalane Oil: Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil
Face oils are moisturizers by default. They tend to be occlusive because they create a barrier on the skin, which prevents water loss. As a non-comedogenic oil, squalane oil is great for moisturizing oily skin without making it greasy or clogging pores. This one utilizes olive-derived squalane for lightweight moisture. The non-greasy oil replenishes the skin and leaves it looking healthy and feeling bouncy.
Key Ingredients: Squalane
Size: 1 oz/ 30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
Best Budget Squalane Oil: The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane
This is the most affordable squalane oil on the market. And it’s a great option to test out squalane in its isolated form. The plant-derived squalane locks moisture in and enhances the effects of your moisturizer. Layer over your moisturizer if you have dry skin. If you have dehydrated oily skin, you can moisturize your skin with this without worrying about clogged pores or worsened acne.
Key Ingredients: Squalane
Size: 1 oz/ 30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, alcohol-free
Best Squalane Moisturizer: Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream
Biossance is thriving with its line of squalane products. This one combines squalane with the rest of the sebum crew. The moisturizer is made with ingredients your skin’s already familiar with. With squalane, ceramides, fatty acids, and hyaluronic acid, it moisturizes the skin and increases water retention. As a result, the squalane moisturizer reduces the visibility of fine lines and leaves the skin looking plump and dewy without the grease. Squalane is derived from sugar cane and the moisturizer is fragrance-free, making it a great option for dry, sensitive skin.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, ceramides, hyaluronic acid
Size: 1.69 oz/ 50 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
Best Squalane Moisturizer For Dry Skin: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream with Squalane
This is an overall amazing moisturizer with squalane that’s perfect for all skin types but especially great for dry skin. It’s actually one of the rare face creams with a known concentration of squalane, which is 4.5%. It also has avocado oil and soybean oil and has a very creamy consistency. Though it comes out thick at first, it absorbs fast and does not leave any residue on the skin. That’s why it works great even if you have oily skin. You can use it as a daily moisturizer, a winter moisturizer, or a barrier repair moisturizer when your skin is sensitized.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, avocado oil, rice bran oil
Size: 1.7 oz/ 50 ml
Good To Know: Fragrance-free
Best Squalane Moisturizer For Sensitive Skin: EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex
This is exactly what dry, parched, sensitive, and even rosacea skin needs to rebuild the skin barrier. This is a fragrance-free, non-comedogenic face cream made with skin-restoring lipids. In addition to olive-derived squalane, it packs ceramides and niacinamide to support the skin’s protective layer. It draws water into the skin with hyaluronic acid and provides antioxidant benefits with vitamin E. It also has enzymes to smooth out dry patches, making it one of the best squalane moisturizers for all skin types, especially for redness-prone skin.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, niacinamide, ceramides, vitamin E
Size: 1.7 oz
Good To Know: Vegan, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic
Best Squalane Moisturizer For Acne-Prone Skin: Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Dew Cream
Speaking of squalane moisturizers, this one is for combination/oily and acne-prone skin. Again, squalane may not be comedogenic, but your moisturizer may be. So oil-free is the way to go. This is an oil-free, gel moisturizer that’s formulated with different molecular weight hyaluronic acid to hydrate oily skin. And it contains squalane to lock moisture in and soften the skin texture. It also has soothing cucumber and anti-inflammatory green tea extract.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, hyaluronic acid, green tea extract, aloe
Size: 1.5 oz
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free, fragrance-free
Best Squalane Eye Cream: Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
As always, if your face is gobbling on squalane, your under-eye area will want to get in on that too. This one comes to the rescue. It is cruelty-free, vegan, and clean. The squalane eye cream is fragrance-free and ideal for sensitive eyes. And it packs hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid as well as panthenol. But that’s not it; it also has antioxidants like vitamin E and astaxanthin to help with concerns like under-eye discolorations too. The eye cream moisturizes and rejuvenates the eye area for a more youthful look.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, panthenol, paracress extract, marine algae
Size: 0.5 oz/ 15 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
Best Squalane Night Cream: Caudalie Resveratrol-Lift Firming Night Cream
Nighttime is a great time to milk the restorative benefits of squalane. But squalane is the least this night cream can offer. This is an all-in-one night cream to nourish, moisturize, and repair. Working together with squalane, the cream has oils like grape seed oil and water-boosting hyaluronic acid. The added anti-aging benefits are all thanks to resveratrol, which is an amazing, plant-based antioxidant. It’s a great option for people with dry, mature skin to care for the skin at night without causing sensitivity. Just like the serum, the cream is incredibly replenishing, gentle, and restorative for the skin.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, peptides, resveratrol, hyaluronic acid
Size: 1.6 oz/ 50 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, non-comedogenic
Best Squalane Cleanser: The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
Though squalane can be found in various cleansers, especially in the ones for sensitive skin, this one is unique in that it’s a makeup-removing balm. So for people who tend to react to makeup removers with essential oils, this squalane cleanser is a great alternative. It melts with heat and picks up dirt and makeup. And thanks to squalane’s moisturizing benefits, it leaves the skin glowy, hydrated, and unbothered.
Key Ingredients: Squalane
Size: 5 oz/ 150 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free
Best Squalane Serum: Caudalie Vinosource-Hydra S.O.S. Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Squalane is hard to come by in face serums. It’s because squalane is an oil and serums are usually water-based, very runny products. But this is a very pleasant example. It’s a hyaluronic acid and squalane serum formulated to hydrate and replenish your skin no matter your skin type. The lotion-like texture disappears into the skin and leaves it looking dewy and plump. It also packs antioxidant-rich grape water to care for the skin. The oil-free serum is suitable for acne-prone skin too.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, hyaluronic acid, grape water
Size: 1 oz/ 30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free
How To Find The Right Squalane Products For Your Skin
Here’s the thing to keep in mind when shopping for a squalane product. Squalane, because it’s a pleasant emollient and feels nice on the skin, is also the base for a lot of products.
So when buying a product, making sure squalane is high up on the ingredient list doesn’t really mean anything. We have retinol creams formulated with squalane for god’s sake. That doesn’t mean it’s going to moisturize!
So here’s how to choose your product. You can find squalane oils, which are purely squalane oils. They will work for all skin types to simply moisturize without a heavy feel.
But if you’re going for a moisturizer, there are some things to keep in mind. To ensure moisture, look for other moisture-boosting ingredients in your creams.
If you have oily skin, make sure your product is oil-free and contains humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acid and emollients like ceramides.
If you have dry skin, make sure your cream is a little bit thicker than usual and contains occlusives like shea butter for maximum moisture.
Read Next: The Best Moisturizers For Summer
