Squalane for Hair: What It Is and What the Research Shows

Squalane is a saturated oil used as a moisturizer in skin and hair products. We found no study showing it grows hair, thickens it or treats the scalp. What the research does show is that squalane is a good emollient and a good carrier for other ingredients in skin.

Here's what squalane is, what the research shows, and what to expect from squalane in a hair product.

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Key Takeaways

• Squalane is the saturated form of squalene. Human sebum contains about 13% squalene.
• Squalane has been reported to have skin-hydrating and emollient activity in animal models and in the lab.
• In ex vivo skin, a squalane-based emulsion increased how long polyphenols were retained in the skin.
• We found no study of squalane for hair growth or hair thickness.

What Is Squalane?

Squalane is a saturated derivative of squalene. Squalene is found in shark liver oil and, in smaller amounts, some vegetable oils, and it's a constituent of human sebum.

Does Squalane Help Hair?

Squalane is best understood as a conditioning and carrier ingredient. It can make a product feel better and may help other ingredients stay on the skin, but it isn't a hair-growth active.

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Using Squalane

• As a moisturizer. It's a common emollient for skin and hair products.
• As a carrier. It's used to help deliver other ingredients in skin.
• For hair loss. Don't expect it to change thinning. See a dermatologist to find the cause.

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What The Research Shows

What Squalane Is And Does

Squalene occurs in shark liver oil and some vegetable oils, and human sebum contains 13% squalene as a major constituent. Squalane is its saturated derivative. Reported activities in animal models and the lab include antioxidant, drug-carrier, skin-hydrating and emollient effects (Kim & Karadeniz, 2012).

Squalane On The Hair Surface

In a study of human hair using atomic force microscopy, squalane was used as the test liquid to probe wetting. Removing fatty acids from the cuticle surface changed hair wettability at the nanometre scale (Dupres et al., 2007). This was a surface physics study using squalane as a probe, not a test of squalane as a treatment.

Squalane As A Carrier In Skin

In ex vivo skin, adding squalane to a water-in-oil emulsion of phenolic compounds decreased their permeability coefficients, meaning squalane increased the retention of the polyphenols in the skin. The authors suggested it as an efficient vehicle for increasing dermal availability (Oliveira et al., 2022).

See also: Wheat Germ Oil for Hair: What the Research Shows · Lecithin for Hair: What the Research Shows

Frequently Asked Questions

Does squalane help hair growth?

We found no study showing that it does.

What does squalane do for hair?

It's used as an emollient. Studies of its hair effects are not available.

Is squalane safe?

Patch test any new product and stop if you notice irritation. Talk to your doctor if you have a skin condition.

References

1. Kim SK, Karadeniz F. Biological importance and applications of squalene and squalane. Adv Food Nutr Res. 2012. PubMed
2. Dupres V, Langevin D, Guenoun P, et al. Wetting and electrical properties of the human hair surface: delipidation observed at the nanoscale. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2007. PubMed
3. Oliveira ALS, Valente D, Moreira HR, et al. Effect of squalane-based emulsion on polyphenols skin penetration: Ex vivo skin study. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2022. PubMed