Is Squalane Oil Good for Your Skin?

Is Squalane Oil Good for Your Skin?

Squalane oil should not be confused with the popular squalene health capsules. As a food supplement, squalene may prevent cancer and promote heart health. In certain flu vaccines, it is used as an adjuvant to boost immune system.

In the beginning, the primary source of squalene is shark liver oil from deep ocean sharks. Environmental concerns over shark hunting have motivated its extraction from vegetable oils such as olive, rice bran and wheat germ. These plant sources contain much less than 1% squalene oil, making the extraction process expensive and wasteful.

Recently a patent was issued for biofermentation of molasses,which produce high purity squalene oil. This augurs well for having a renewablesource of organic squalene oil. 

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Squalene is the most common oil found in our sebum. This makes squalene a natural candidate for skin care preparations. However, it is so unstable when exposed to air. Through hydrogenation, squalene is transformed to the more stable form called squalane, which is now widely used in luxury cosmetics.

Squalane oil is prized as an organic moisturizing ingredient. It is used sparingly at 1% to 4% in many high-end skin care products in Japan, Europe and the USA.

Some would rather use the pure squalane oil. Easily absorbed, the odorless non-greasy oil is an excellent skin moisturizer with silky feel. It helps condition skin, nails and hair. Instant relief has been reported for sensitive skin conditions such as skin cracks, rashes, eczema, and psoriasis. During pregnancy, it is applied on the belly to help improve skin elasticity and avoid stretch marks.

If you don’t mind the price, pure squalane oil can be an enjoyable pure indulgence for your skin.

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This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on March 20, 2012. The author is the CEO of SkinStation and Chemworld Fragrance Factory. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulations Commission for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry. Skin Smart will clarify facts and myths on skin care. Questions sent to info@skinstation.ph maybe featured in future issues.

Top Causes Of Dark Underarms

Top Causes of Dark Underarms

How many times have you been embarrassed by dark underarms? Know the causes and learn what you can do to finally say goodbye to dark underarms. Here are the most common causes:

Shaving. When you shave, you cut most of the hairs off at just below the surface of the skin.  This can give the appearance that your skin has a dark stain when it`s really just sub-surface hair.

Scratching. The hairs grow back after shaving, or plucking, or waxing. They can cause itchiness that results in “pleasurable” scratching. The constant friction from scratching can cause skin discoloration.

Skin cells build up. Dark spots can be the result of dead skin cells that are trapped in microscopic “hills and valleys” on your skin.

Antiperspirants. The aluminum salts and the fragrance ingredients in antiperspirants  could be reacting with skin to cause discoloration. Many claim that when they stop using their antiperspirant, the darkness goes away.

Overweight.  Fat people tend to have light-brown-to-black markings not only in their underarms, but also on the neck and in the groin. Friction is an obvious cause, but there is the more serious issue related to insulin production.

Pregnancy. A number of physical, chemical and physiological factors can induce your skin to produce excess melanin pigment during pregnancy. 

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What To Do: 

1. Stop shaving, waxing, and plucking. Once the hairs start growing back, scratching can be a problem.  
2. Go for the more permanent solution: laser hair removal (LHR). Prices of LHR have gone down tremendously. Check the very affordable packages offered by SkinStation, the leader in painless diode laser, the gold standard in laser hair removal.  
3. Exfoliate and apply underarm whitening cream such as DERMAX NanoWhite UA cream with retinol to prevent formation of excess melanin.
4. Use a deodorant like DERMAX deowhite natural deodorant instead of an antiperspirant. You may get wet in some adverse conditions, but that is probably less embarrassing than having perpetually dark armpits!
5. If you have weight problem, go on diet and exercise, and monitor your insulin level.  ____________________________________________________________________________________________This column was published in the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle Section on March 13, 2012. The author is the CEO of SkinStation. He received the 2011 Outstanding Chemist Award from Professional Regulations Commission for his achievements in the field of cosmetic chemistry.  (Updated on April 24, 2013.)