Let’s know if squalene clog pores or not and what are its benefits further in this article for a well-informed skin care regime.
Skincare is a vital care routine that is important for not only just our appearance but our general health as well. Our skin indicates what our body is going through and is a constant reminder of our general habits. It can show early signs of stress, too much screen time, polluting environment. Hence, making skincare a vital part of our daily routine is essential. Saying this, there are a lot of products, practices, and ingredients that are becoming popular. This makes it even more difficult to find what your skin needs. If you have acne-prone or sensitive skin, it is even more important to know what ingredients can help with the skin problems and what can further trigger them.
One of the most common causes of acne is excessive oil production, called the sebum in the face. This, along with dirt, can clog the skin’s pores, which restricts the shedding of dead skin cells. This can lead to blackheads, whiteheads, and acne, as the oil and sweat cannot release out of the skin. Even people without acne can suffer from excessive blackheads and whiteheads due to clogged pores. Hence, it is essential to ensure that you use skincare products with ingredients that do not clog them. This is generally signified by the comedogenic rating of the products. It is a scale of 1-5 used to identify the ability of the product to clog pores. A rating of 5 indicates highly prone to clogging pores, and 1 shows the least ability to clog pores. Let’s know if squalene clog pores or not and what are its benefits further in this article.
What Is Squalene?
Squalene is a lipid that our skin naturally produces, which helps keep it soft and moisturized. It can also be extracted from some plant-based sources, such as olives, rice bran, and sugarcane, and or from an animal-based source, more popular shark liver. With age, the production of Squalene reduces, making it essential to use products that have it to moisturize your skin.
After harvesting, it is in an unstable form and can spoil almost instantly if exposed to oxygen. This makes it an impractical choice for skincare products. Squalene is hydrogenated to create its stable form, called squalane, to avoid it from getting spoiled. It changes the oil from an unsaturated to a saturated state, increasing its shelf life for moisturizers and face creams.
Does Squalene Clog Pores?
Since Squalene is an oil, it is essential to understand whether it can clog pores or not before you start using it for your skincare. Any oil-based product increases the possibility of clogging pores, but using the appropriate oils can prevent it from happening and provide multiple skin benefits.
Squalene is lightweight and non-comedogenic oil that does not feel heavy or greasy on the skin. It does not clog pores and can be safely used by most skin types.
Benefits Of Squalene
1. Moisturizer
Squalene helps in keeping the skin soft and supple. It helps to hydrate the skin and moisturize it, preventing it from turning flaky or dry.
2. Anti-Aging
Using Squalene can promote collagen production and prevent sagging of the skin. It helps reduce the early signs of aging and lower the occurrence of wrinkles.
3. Protects From Damage
The ingredient helps fight off the free radicals from the skin preventing damage due to external environmental factors such as the damaging UV rays from the sun or pollution.
4. Anti-Inflammatory
It has anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce redness and swelling. If applied topically, it may reduce the inflammation around the acne. It may also provide relief from skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Precautions
Squalene is generally considered a safe product for most skin types. It may cause redness and itching for susceptible skin. Perform a patch test before you start using a product with reasonable quantities of Squalene in it.
The animal-based source of Squalene is not a sustainable way of harvesting and is hence quite controversial as it affects the ecosystem. Plant-based sources are thus becoming popular, although they come in a higher price range.
