Squalane
How rock-steady consistency and high performance of Amyris Squalane enabled us to overcome barriers to global market adoption and become the most broadly-accepted alternative to shark-derived squalane in the cosmetic ingredient sector.
Complete lot-to-lot product consistency
across three fermentation sites, two continents, and over 1.5 decades of production.
20x lower volatile impurities than typical botanically-derived material
ensuring low odor and global market acceptance.
The preferred choice of global beauty brands
powering thousands of global SKUs from luxury to mass market.
For decades, Squalane—a highly effective emollient prized for its stability and skin feel—was primarily sourced from shark livers, a practice that raised sustainability and ethical concerns.
Even after botanically-derived squalane became available, shark-based squalane remained dominant in numerous markets due to its higher purity, more consistent product сharacteristics, and superior oxidative stability. In regions where shark material was banned, formulators and manufacturers struggled with botanical material which had issues with odor, lot-to-lot variation in sensorial profile and product performance, and year-to-year variation in availability and pricing.
Amyris developed a revolutionary process for the production of Squalane from sugarcane through a combination of fermentation and green chemistry.
Using engineered yeast strains, Amyris converts renewable plant sugars into high-purity squalane at industrial scale, eliminating dependence on animals and inconsistent botanical feedstocks. Reproducible and robust, Amyris’ Squalane has a completely stable product profile and performance in formulation equivalent to traditional squalane sourced from shark liver oil.
Over hundreds of lots spanning over a decade of production, our process delivers the same product composition every time – regardless of season, year, and across multiple fermentation sites on two continents. With exceptionally low volatile impurities, our material has inherently low odor and enables our Squalane to meet the needs of the most sensitive customers.
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Performance and consistency
Performance and consistency equivalent to shark material were critical factors in enabling Amyris Squalane to break through the adoption barrier of markets that were historically resistant to plant-based squalane.
Global market adoption
Amyris Squalane is now featured in thousands of global beauty products, ranging from luxury skincare to mass market products produced by the largest beauty companies in the world.
Innovation, sustainability and scalability
Its consistent quality and ethical sourcing have made it a preferred choice for formulators seeking high-performance ingredients with a sustainability story. Amyris Squalane revolutionized the Biotech Beauty space, proving that innovation can create true solutions to sourcing challenges.