What Sharks and Olives Have in Common?
There is Squalene and then there is Squalane. There’s a difference.
Squalene is maybe the cosmetic industry’s most controversial ingredient at the moment and that’s because it’s possibly one of the deadly as well.
Squalene is an oil that comes from the liver of a shark. There are roughly 2.7 million sharks killed per year solely for this ingredient and it’s contributing to the endangerment of an entire species.
Why it’s so coveted?
It has high moisturizing and restorative properties and allows the texture of creams and serums to be spreadable and able to be absorbed. It has also been proven to reduce fine lines and wrinkles which makes it imperative to skin care products. Besides skins care it’s made it’s way into a variety of products from sunscreen, tanning oils, moisturizers, conditioners, lipsticks, etc.
Fact Check?
The UN has released reports about Squalene and shark fishing. In their report it is stated that over 50 species of sharks are hunted for their livers with many being on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List. The yearly demand is roughly 2,200 tons, it takes about 3,000 sharks to produce one ton. Even with this high of a number of sharks to produce just one ton, it is still the most abundant source if Squalene in nature.
However if you’re willing to work a little harder, and we are for the ecosystem of the ocean, there are other natural ways to get this oil.
Olives produce Squalane. It’s the same ingredient backed up to have the same properties since it’s just a saturated form of Squalene, found in much lower potency in olives but much higher morality and sustainability. Squalane bonds are eliminated by hydrogenation resulting in olive squalene. It’s also less susceptible to oxidization, odorless, and possesses a longer efficiency.
We decided to be transparent with our products so we posted our entire ingredients list and the functions of each in a neat little table on our website.
Check it out, you’ll find Squalane on it. We decided to go the vegan route and harvest ours from olives to do our part in keeping the ocean’s ecosystems in tact while still providing the best conditioner bar to our customers. You’ll get all the hair moisturizing benefits without any of the sustainability guilt.