New Roots Herbal - Squalene

Product Notes:

Nutrition for Healthy Skin

If your skin is a lot drier than it used to be (even in warmer months), it may be because the glands are producing less of their natural protective oil due to a lack of one of its constituents: squalene. Supplementing may help rectify that deficiency, which can also impact the skin's temperature-regulating abilities.

When we're younger and/or prone to acne, a 'shiny' forehead or face, gummed up or clogged hair follicles, or oily hair, we may tend to curse rather than appreciate sebum – that waxy substance secreted by our sebaceous glands. But it's there for a reason (several, actually): to protect the skin and/or hair from dehydration, sun damage, age-related wrinkling, and toxins. Sebum is partly made from squalene, which is supplied by our liver, but as we age, the liver's ability to synthesize it may fall off, leaving the skin more vulnerable without a supplementary form like this.

Please note, although this compound is named after the substance it was originally isolated and identified in (shark liver oil – Squalus is the Latin name for dogfish sharks), this type is actually sourced from olive oil, from non-GMO European olives.

These plant-based squalenes (which also go by the name squalane when derived from plants) are chemically identical to the types produced naturally by our livers, and will be readily digested and taken up by the body quickly. Squalenes have potent antioxidant properties which can protect tissues throughout the body from free radical damage. And when they make their way to and get secreted through the skin, they function as a skin-surface lipid (SSL), forming a protective film which retains moisture and repels environmental toxins.