How We Choose

This is the page a skeptical reader should land on to decide whether to trust us. Good — that's exactly what it's for. Here is the complete, reproducible method we use to evaluate every squalane product on the site. Every number we publish comes from a product's own listing, its manufacturer's published specs, or a cited source. You can re-run any of it.

What we evaluate

Every squalane product is judged on the same five things:

1. Purity / INCI transparency.Is it 100% squalane or a blend? We read the actual ingredient list and publish what's in it. A single-ingredient oil is treated differently from a formula with added actives or fragrance.
2. Source of the squalane.Plant-derived (sugarcane, olive, rice bran, amaranth) versus shark-derived. We flag the source whenever it's disclosed and prefer transparently plant-derived options — shark-liver squalene in cosmetics is an ongoing conservation concern.
3. Comedogenic & skin-type fit.Squalane's commonly cited 0–1 comedogenic rating, and who each formula suits — acne-prone, dry, sensitive, and fungal-acne considerations.
4. Cost per ounce. A computed, apples-to-apples value comparison from the listed size and the current price. This is the number almost no competitor publishes, and it changes which product is actually the smart buy.
5. Formulation extras. Added actives (vitamin C, peptides, rosehip), fragrance, and packaging — airless or opaque bottles protect oils from oxidizing.

What we did — and didn't — do

Here's the honest part. We did not lab-test these products, and we don't own a test lab or a shelf of units we're pretending to have tried.Every publisher in this category says they tested twenty oils; we haven't tested any, and we'd rather say so than fake it.

What we diddo: read every ingredient list, compile the published specs, compute the cost per ounce, and cite a dermatology or medical source for every ingredient and safety claim. Where one of us has genuine hands-on experience as a user, we say so and present it as a personal impression — never as clinical testing. That's Experience earned honestly.

The reproducibility promise

Every figure on this site — a price, a size, a cost per ounce, a comedogenic rating — traces back to a product listing, a manufacturer spec, or a cited source. If you think we got something wrong, tell us on the contact pageand we'll check it and correct it. That's verifiable authority; a borrowed credential isn't.

How prices work

Prices are pulled live from Amazon and stamped with an "as of" date. If a current price can't be verified, we show "Check price" rather than a stale or guessed number. We never publish a fabricated price, discount, rating, or review count.