Because it’s non-irritating and compatible with all your go-to skin-care ingredients, it’s impossible to overuse squalane. But to truly satisfy your skin barrier, you’ll need to use the right formula. Below, we share the best squalane skin-care products to help you achieve your most balanced, hydrated, and nourished complexion yet.
Best Brightening: Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Dark Spot Serum
- Why We Love It: Caudalie’s Vinoperfect serum helps fade all manner of dark spots—including those caused by breakouts, sun damage, and even super-stubborn melasma—using a gentle ingredient derived from grapevine sap that won’t irritate even the most sensitive skin types. Soothing bisabolol and moisturizing squalane further comfort skin and enhance its new glow.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, grapevine sap extract, bisabolol
- Best For: Mature skin, dull skin, oily skin, sensitive skin
- Size: 1 oz.
Best Face Cream: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream
- Why We Love It: In addition its TFC8 complex, Augustinus Bader’s cult-favorite face cream is loaded with lipid-packed plant extracts to help fortify the skin barrier, including avocado and argan oils, shea butter, and (of course) squalane. By preventing water loss, this blend of lipids leaves skin looking supple and smooth.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, hyaluronic acid, evening primrose oil
- Best For: Dry skin, mature skin
- Size: 1 oz.
Best Cleanser: CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser
- Why We Love It: When it comes to face washes, this drugstore option is a must-try for those who have very dry or sensitive skin as well as those who want to streamline their routines—it can be used on both the face and body. When you add water, the lightweight oil transforms into a soft foam that won’t strip the skin after rinsing, but rather leaves it feeling soft and protected courtesy of hyaluronic acid, squalane, and the brand’s signature ceramide blend.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, hyaluronic acid, ceramides
- Best For: Dry skin, sensitive skin
- Size: 19 oz.
Best Face Oil: Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil
- Why We Love It: There’s just one ingredient in Indie Lee’s face oil—olive-derived squalane—and the beauty is in its simplicity. It absorbs quickly to leave skin looking radiant and feeling nourished without a greasy sheen or residue. It’s rich enough for dry skin, light enough for oily skin, and promotes a balanced moisture barrier, helping to stave off blemishes and irritation. Bonus: You can also use it on your body, hands, and even your hair.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane
- Best For: Dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, mature skin
- Size: 1 oz.
Best Eye Cream: Biossance Squalane + Marine Algae Eye Cream
- Why We Love It: The Biossance eye cream boasts a lightweight gel texture that sinks into skin quickly, making it an ideal prep step ahead of applying your concealer. In addition to nourishing dry, crepey-looking skin around the eyes with squalane, the formula also contains hyaluronic acid and pink marine algae, which work in tandem to plump and smooth the look of crow’s feet.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, hyaluronic acid, pink marine algae
- Best For: Dry skin, sensitive skin
- Size: 0.5 oz.
Best Toner: Then I Met You Birch Milk Refining Toner
- Why We Love It: While most toners feature a base of water or, worse, stripping astringents like alcohol, Then I Met You’s formula uses birch juice, a nutrient-rich K-beauty favorite. As it works with hyaluronic acid and squalane to support skin’s moisture levels, a blend of alpha-hydroxy acids lactic and glycolic and polyhydroxy acid gluconolactone help resurface skin—sloughing away dead cells to leave behind a fresh, luminous glow.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, birch juice, alpha- and poly-hydroxy acids
- Best For: Dull skin, dry skin, mature skin, blemish-prone skin
- Size: 3.38 oz.
Best for Sensitive Skin: SkinCeuticals Hydra Balm
- Why We Love It: While many people use pure petrolatum for their slugging practice, we propose slathering on the SkinCeuticals Hydra Balm instead, which combines petrolatum with squalane, rice bran oil, and aloe to soothe dry, flaking, and itchy skin. “This balm is great for post-procedure skin in office or atopic conditions such as psoriasis and eczema,” Shamban details.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, petrolatum, aloe
- Best For: Dry skin, sensitive skin
- Size: 1.7 oz.
Best Vitamin C: BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner
- Why We Love It: Vitamin C is a notoriously unstable ingredient, but BeautyStat’s carefully-formulated product keeps the antioxidant active and effective for a noticeably brighter complexion. In addition to helping to fade dark spots and firm skin, the creamy serum (the texture feels similar to a makeup primer) helps minimize pores—both instantly and over time. Though the dose of vitamin C is quite high at 20%, it’s unlikely to be irritating thanks to the inclusion of nourishing squalane and soothing green tea.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, vitamin C, green tea
- Best For: Dull skin, mature skin, oily skin
- Size: 1 oz.
Best Retinoid: Medik8 Crystal Retinal Serum
- Why We Love It: Squalane isn’t the star in this formula, but rather a revered supporting player. “With strong, fast-acting retinal targeting pigmentation and wrinkles, humectants hyaluronic acid and glycerin drawing in moisture, and vitamin E nourishing, squalane is the finishing touch to help seal in the goodness,” explains Shamban, who adds that squalane is a great addition to any retinoid product to mitigate potential irritation. Retinal is stronger than retinol—it’s one step down from prescription retinoids—but no need to be wary. This formula comes in six different strengths so you can tailor your treatment to your skin’s exact needs.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, retinal, hyaluronic acid
- Best For: Mature skin, dull skin, blemish-prone skin
- Size: 1 oz.
Best Lip Treatment: PCA Skin Overnight Lip Mask
- Why We Love It: “The importance of retaining and maintaining moisture levels applies to the lips as well as the rest of our dermis,” says Shamban. “This leave-on mask will seal moisture overnight—as repair is underway—to help your lips look more luscious by morning.” Vogue’s senior beauty shopping writer Kiana Murden is also a fan—keeping it stocked at her bedside for pre-slumber application or in her toiletry bag for lip repair on the go.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, shea butter, vitamin E
- Best For: Dry skin, mature skin
- Size: 0.46 oz.
Best Face Mask: Shani Darden Skin Care Signature Nourishing Facial Mask
- Why We Love It: When skin is inflamed, angry, and breaking out more than usual, grab Shani Darden’s mask. The clay base is fantastic at drawing out dirt and grime, but what makes the treatment truly special is the blend of colloidal oatmeal with white, green, and chamomile tea. These four ingredients work to comfort irritated skin, quelling redness, and preventing dehydration—the squalane included in the formula adds an extra dose of moisture for good measure.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, colloidal oatmeal, tea extracts
- Best For: Blemish-prone skin, sensitive skin
- Size: 2.1 oz.
Best Serum: Fresh Rose & Squalane Deep Hydration Oil-Infused Serum
- Why We Love It: It’s not just the heady natural aroma of Fresh’s serum that has us hooked, though the multiple forms of rose certainly deliver on that—it’s also the dewy glow it gives our skin. The water layer of the biphase formula helps to boost hyaluronic acid levels while the oil layer seals in lasting nourishment with squalane. Just shake the bottle and apply to get the benefits of both at once. Follow with your favorite moisturizer to lock in the hydration.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, rosewater, rosehip oil
- Best For: Dry skin, combination skin
- Size: 3.3 oz.
Best Overnight Mask: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask
- Why We Love It: Consider Laneige’s cushy Sleeping Mask your secret weapon against dry, dull skin, especially in the colder months. “I love using this mask in the winter to deeply hydrate my skin and rejuvenate my skin barrier overnight,” says Rubin. In addition to softening squalane, the formula contains a blend of probiotic extracts to promote balanced, more luminous skin. Murden’s advice: layer it over a rich face cream to amplify its hydrating benefits.
- Key Ingredients: Squalane, niacinamide, probiotics
- Best For: Normal skin, dry skin, dull skin
- Size: 2.3 oz.
What does squalane do for your skin?
Squalane is the ultimate moisturizer—it mimics your natural sebum, Rabach explains. “This helps restore the natural skin barrier, reducie hydration from leaving the skin, and allow for more balanced oil production,” she says. When the skin barrier is strong, your complexion tends to appear brighter, clearer, and healthier—with a more even texture and an innate glow.
What’s the difference between squalane and squalene?
That one letter makes a big difference in terms of a product’s performance and stability, according to Shamban. “Squalene is a polyunsaturated fat found within our sebum,” she says. This lightweight, nutrient-rich lipid offers many valuable benefits to the skin, including fighting acne, soothing itching and inflammation, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and strengthening the skin barrier. In addition to being produced by our own bodies, it’s made by other organisms. “Olives, rice bran, wheat germ, and sugarcane are solid sources; it is also commonly found in the liver of deep-sea sharks,” Dr. Shamban adds.
Though squalene is plentiful, it can’t simply be added into skin-care formulas as is. “Squalene is unstable and not suitable for cosmetic formulation,” explains Rubin. “As an alternative, skin-care products can be formulated with squalane, which is a stabilized version of squalene.” Squalane is the saturated, or hydrogenated, version of squalene. Unlike squalene, squalane skincare is far less susceptible to oxidation and degradation.
Is squalane better than hyaluronic acid?
One isn’t better than the other, as they serve completely different purposes. “Squalane is an emollient that conditions the skin barrier and helps prevent transepidermal water loss, while hyaluronic acid is a humectant that binds to water and hydrates the surface of the skin,” Rubin explains. A well-crafted routine should have both humectants and emollients to maintain a healthy complexion—so try using these two ingredients together. Apply a hyaluronic acid serum first, then smooth on your favorite squalane skin-care formula to seal in the moisture.
Who should incorporate squalane into their routine?
According to our experts, anyone with skin can use squalane, as it’s a very well-tolerated ingredient—and if you’ve never used it before, consider this the perfect time to start. “Seasonally, fall and winter are seasons where squalane is a great skin-care ingredient [to incorporate] as most people experience some skin barrier dysfunction during the cooler months,” says Rubin. Squalane’s ability to bolster the skin barrier is what makes it especially beneficial to skin that’s very dry, sensitive, reactive, or frequently stripped of its natural oils. But it shouldn’t be discounted by those with oily or acne-prone skin, either, notes Shamban. “It can help balance sebum production,” she says.