These Squalane Skincare Products Will Seriously Up Your Glow Factor

Move over, matte complexions: Dewy skin is officially in, and the radiant skin trend doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Beauty lovers across the globe are trying to create a glowing finish on their faces through a variety of skincare and makeup techniques like TikTok-famous skin care "slugging" and by using hydrating, sheer foundation formulas. But we’re here to fill you in on a little secret — there’s actually a pretty simple way to create the luminous look.

Squalane, a popular, intensely hydrating ingredient, is one of the best skincare ingredients for creating a radiant finish on your complexion. This skin-fortifying ingredient also makes your skin look and feel its best with anti-aging properties, antioxidant boosts, skin barrier repair, and more.

We're sure you get it by now — using squalane skincare products is imperative to achieve dewy skin. But before we dive into our top picks, we spoke to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Malini Fowler, M.D., for some expert insight on this miracle beauty ingredient.

The Best Squalane Skincare Products

What Is Squalane?

In order to fully understand the benefits of squalane, we need to fill you in on squalene, a skin-nourishing oil that our bodies produce that helps keep our complexions moisturized and our skin barriers in tip-top shape. Fowler notes that our squalene levels deplete starting in our early 30s, which can cause issues like dryness and irritation — which brings us to squalane.

The Skincare Benefits of Squalane

According to Fowler, squalane is one of the top hydrating skincare ingredients on the market because it works as an emollient, smoothes, and moisturizes skin by filling in the holes in your skin barrier retaining water. Fowler promises that squalane is “safe for any patient to use regardless of skin condition or sensitivity, since it’s not a known allergy or irritant.” It can even help patients with eczema, psoriasis, and sensitive skin.

How to Shop

Your Skin Type

Squalane isn't a known irritant and is non-comedogenic, making it a great option for people with skin sensitivities. Oily and acne-prone skin types can still use the ingredient — but proceed with caution to make sure your skin can tolerate it.

We recommend patch testing on your wrist before putting a new skincare product of any kind on your face — Remember, it's better to be safe than to have an unfortunate allergic reaction all over your face.

Other Ingredients

Even if there’s squalane on a product’s front label, you should still always read the ingredient list. Here are a few Fowler-approved skincare ingredients that are okay to use with your squalane products.

• Sensitive and dry skin: Pair squalane-infused products with other hydrating heavy-hitters like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, instead of products infused with harsh actives like vitamin C and glycolic acid.
• Oily and acne-prone skin: They can tolerate acids easier, but try avoiding ingredients that can clog your pores or over-strip your skin of its natural oils, such as coconut oil, alcohol, and petroleum jelly.

How to Use

Although squalane doesn’t replace your usual moisturizer, Fowler suggests using it in conjunction with the rest of your hydrating skincare daily to give your pores a quenching, softening, and anti-aging treatment. “Squalane helps promote moisturization and serves as an antioxidant, so it can also help to reduce fine lines and wrinkles,” she says.

Since squalane itself is gentle, you can feel free and use it in your morning and night routine without worrying about upsetting your complexion. However, if your favorite squalane product is paired with more active skincare ingredients, like retinol, you may want to limit usage to two or three times per week, depending on skin sensitivity.

Now that you've gotten the full scoop on this moisturizing skincare hero, we bet you're thirsty for some squalane skincare. Check out some of the best squalane oils, serums, and more. Our squalane recommendations were all carefully researched by our beauty editor, Nicole Saunders, to ensure they’re aligned with who evaluated their ingredient list, and combed through thousands of reviews to ensure reviewer feedback is aligned with brand claims.