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Squalene is an organic compound. It is a triterpene with the formula C 30 H 50. It is a colourless oil, although impure samples appear yellow. It was originally obtained from shark liver oil (hence its name, as Squalus is a genus of sharks). An estimated 12% of bodily squalene in humans is found in sebum. [5]
Squalene was traditionally sourced from the livers of sharks, with approximately 3000 required to produce one ton of squalane. [5] Due to environmental concerns, other sources such as olive oil, rice and sugar cane have been commercialized, and as of 2014 have been supplying about 40% of the industry total.
Sebum is secreted by the sebaceous gland in humans. It is primarily composed of triglycerides (≈41%), wax esters (≈26%), squalene (≈12%), and free fatty acids (≈16%). [7] [14] The composition of sebum varies across species. [14] Wax esters and squalene are unique to sebum and not produced as final products anywhere else in the body. [5]
Squalene and the more widely available squalane can moisturize skin and soothe redness. Find it in products from top brands like Biossance, The Ordinary, Kieh’s and more.
Squalene, a triterpene and universal precursor to natural steroids. Geosmin is a sesquiterpenoid. Terpenes may be classified by the number of isoprene units in the molecule; a prefix in the name indicates the number of isoprene pairs needed to assemble the molecule.
Steroids feature a cucurbitane core, although in practice they are biosynthesised from either lanosterol (animals and fungi) or cycloartenol (plants) via the cyclization of squalene. Steroids have two principal biological functions, being either key components of cell membranes or signaling molecules that activate steroid hormone receptors.
Critics have long argued that while studying the effects of Red Dye No. 3 in humans poses ethical and scientific challenges, its ban in cosmetics should have logically extended to the food supply.
Some bacteria are known to alternatively possess a set of three genes to biosynthesize squalene (HpnCDE). [5] HpnC and HpnD are homologous to each other and seem to have co-evolved in HpnCDE-containing species, together with HpnE. HpnCD are further homologous to SQS and PSY and thus are members of the squalene/phytoene synthase family.