Squalane on your skin: a safety profile

What is squalane?

The IUPAC name is 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyltetracosane.

Also known as: 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyltetracosane, hydrogenated squalene, squalane (plant-derived), perhydrosqualene.

IUPAC name

2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyltetracosane

CAS number

111-01-3

Molecular formula

C30H62

Molecular weight

422.81 g/mol

SMILES

CC1=C(C=CC=[N+]1CC2=CN=C(N=C2N)C)CCO

PubChem CID

10803

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Squalane. The classifications differ — that's the data.

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter squalane

• facial_oil
• moisturizer
• sunscreen
• anti_aging_serum
• luxury_skincare

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Squalane:

• Ceramide-based formulations (biomimetic skin barrier repair)
  Trade-offs: Alternative emollient; skin feel, spreadability, and occlusion properties differ; comedogenicity should be assessed for facial use; stability in final formulation needs verification.
  Relative cost: 1.2-2×
• Glycerin-based humectant systems as partial replacement
  Trade-offs: Direct chemical substitution requires verification that the replacement does not introduce new hazards (regrettable substitution). Conduct full hazard assessment of proposed alternative before adoption.
  Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions