PRODUCT REVIEW: THE ORDINARY 100% PLANT-DERIVED HEMI-SQUALANE – ONE OF THE BEST FACIAL OILS FOR DRY SKIN
THE ORDINARY | 100% PLANT-DERIVED HEMI-SQUALANE
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Three Hot Facial Serums from The Ordinary That I'm Crushing On, Too! You can catch the full piece here.
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One of my favorite non-fragrant plant oils is Squalane. I love its rich, emollient texture, making it ideal for treating dry or very dry skin — and just about all skin types in winter.
What makes Squalane such a remarkably effective oil is the fact that it’s bio-compatible; the skin recognizes it as a friendly substance, allowing it to work to its full potential.
IMO, it’s one of the better plant oils — along with Argan Oil, Almond Oil and Jojoba Oil — with excellent moisturizing and replenishing benefits for the skin.
Classified as one of the “best” ingredients for the skin by Paula Begoun and her team, Squalane is “the saturated portion of emollient ingredient squalene, which is a natural component of human skin sebum (oil). It is a wonderfully moisturizing ingredient as well as being a source of replenishing fatty acids and antioxidants.”
The one drawback to Squalane is that it can feel too rich on the skin — and isn’t an ideal oil for oilier skin types, or on warmer days. Which is why I love The Ordinary’s 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane.
Hemi-Squalane is similar to Squalane but with a lower molecular weight so the oil is not as heavy or greasy on the skin. In fact, it’s much lighter than standard Squalane with a consistency that’s barely thicker that water.
The 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane is what’s termed a “dry oil,” meaning it doesn’t leave a greasy feel and is absorbed almost immediately by the skin.
In terms of texture, think of a dry oil as somewhere between an oily serum and a conventional facial oil. There’s an excellent piece on dry oils entitled, What Is A Dry Oil And Are You Using It Properly? here.
In classic Ordinary fashion, the brand’s 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane literally contains just a single ingredient — C13-16 Isoparaffin, or Hemi-Squalane.
It’s defined by Deciem as a “non-polar hydrocarbon that is produced from the fermentation of sugar-based feedstock” — such as sugar cane and sugar beets. And, you know I love a good fermented active!
The Hemi-Squalane facial oil is one of the best face oils for dry skin. It’s superbly spreadable on the skin, leaves no oily film, and is even an excellent treatment for frizzy hair.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane for $3.95 here.
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