The Truth About Shark Derived Squalene & Squalane

Humans have ulized sharks for thousands of years, but in the last three decades, shark populaons have declined by as much as 90% globally. This is largely due to the shark fin trade, that claims 100 million sharks every year, a conservave esmate. The cosmec and supplement industry is fueling this demise as well by relying on shark-derived squalene for their products. Plain and simple, squalene extracted from shark livers is not sustainable. A shi from shark-derived squalene to the sources described below is extremely important in protecng the health of our oceans. Using these alternaves, squalene of the same or similar quality can be obtained, but in more sustainable terms. With a shi in squalene source, you should not only be able to maintain your current consumer base, but also add to it by including consumers who prefer to use products containing alternaves to shark-derived squalene.

-Bloom Associaon conducted a survey to find that the cosmec industry is the largest (90%) user of shark squalene. An astonishing 7 out of 8 creams surveyed have animal squalene. This equals roughly 2.7 million shark lives taken a year for our cosmecs.

-It is esmated that 1 ton of shark liver oil is produced from 2,500 to 3,000 sharks.

-“It has been esmated that more than 350,000 sharks are illegally slaughtered each year in the Atlanc and the Pacific Oceans, purely for the producon of squalene.”

-Squalene is oen harvested from deep sea sharks due to their high concentraons of this compound in their liver oil. Many alternave squalene sources exist that are much less invasive and harmful.

-Deep sea sharks are primary targets for the liver oil industry as they tend to have higher concentraons of compounds such as squalene. However, other sharks are sll targeted.

-Some shark species that fall vicm to the liver oil industry include the basking shark, gulper shark, the kitefin shark, salmon shark, thresher shark, ger shark, and the lantern shark.

-Heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, which accumulate in the fat of large marine predators, have been found in squalene and shark liver oil capsules in Japan (Bloom, 2012).

-According to Axiology.com, the UN released a report stang that more than 50 shark species are fished for their liver oil. Several of these sharks are listed on the IUCN Red List. Addionally, over 3 million deep-sea sharks are hunted and killed for their livers each year (Bloom, 2012), with 3,000 sharks needed to produce a single ton of squalene (Sharks-World, 2017).

-There are many alternaves to shark-derived squalene as described in the sources on page 2, that are more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and potenally more cost-effecve.

-The alternave that produces the highest quanty of squalene was from the Pseudozyma species of yeasts (70.32 mg/g dry cell weight). However, the yeast species Kluyveromyces lacs was shown to be able to produce squalene at approximately 12 mg/g, but was grown in a cheap lactose containing industry waste, demonstrang the potenal for this alternave to be cost effecve, allowing for the manufacture of more squalene at a beer cost.

-Squalene produced in some of the studies on page 2 were proven to demonstrate anoxidant and anmicrobial acvies, and having a high purity. Sources

Bakes MJ, Nichols PD. 1995. Lipid, fay acid and squalene composion of liver oil from six species of deep-sea sharks collected in southern australian waters. Comparave Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 110(1):267–275.Â

Beltrán G, Bucheli ME, Aguilera MP, Belaj A, Jimenez A. 2016. Squalene in virgin olive oil: Screening of variability in olive culvars. European Journal of Lipid Science & Technology. 118(8):1250–1253.Â

Biswas SM, Chakraborty N. 2013. Shedded Artocarpus leaves -- Good plant sources of natural squalene with potent anoxidant and anmicrobial acvity -- Alternave to marine animals. Journal of Natural Pharmaceucals. 4(1):21–27.Â

Budge SM, Barry C. 2019. Determinaon of squalene in edible oils by transmethylaon and GC analysis. MethodsX. 6:15–21.Â

DrozdÃková E, Garaiová M, Csáky Z, Obernauerová M, Hapala I. 2015. Producon of squalene by lactose-fermenng yeast Kluyveromyces lacs with reduced squalene epoxidase acvity. Le Appl Microbiol. 61(1):77–84.Â

Englund E, Paanaik B, Ubhayasekera SJK, Stensjö K, Bergquist J, Lindberg P. 2014. Producon of Squalene in Synechocyss sp. PCC 6803. PLoS ONE. 9(3):1–8.Â

Garaiová M, Zambojová V, Å imová Z, GriaÄ P, Hapala I. 2014. Squalene epoxidase as a target for manipulaon of squalene levels in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEMS Yeast Res. 14(2):310–323.Â

Ghimire GP, Lee HC, Sohng JK. 2009. Improved Squalene Producon via Modulaon of the Methylerythritol 4-Phosphate Pathway and Heterologous Expression of Genes from Streptomyces peuceus ATCC 27952 in Escherichia coli. Appl Environ Microbiol. 75(22):7291–7293. doi:10.1128/ AEM.01402-09.

Han JY, Seo SH, Song JM, Lee H, Choi E-S. 2018. High-level recombinant producon of squalene using selected Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology. 45(4):239–251.Â

Huang M-H, Huang C-Y, Lin S-C, Chen J-H, Ku C-C, Chou A-H, Liu S-J, Chen H-W, Chong P, Leng C-H. 2009. Enhancement of potent anbody and T-cell responses by a single-dose, novel nanoemulsion-formulated pandemic influenza vaccine. Microbes and Infecon. 11(6–7):654–660.Â

Kajikawa M, Kinohira S, Ando A, Shimoyama M, Kato M, Fukuzawa H. 2015. Accumulaon of Squalene in a Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardi by Genec Modificaon of Squalene Synthase and Squalene Epoxidase Genes. PLoS ONE. 10(3):1–21.Â

Kaya K, Nakazawa A, Matsuura H, Honda D, Inouye I, Watanabe MM. 2011. Thraustochytrid Auranochytriumsp. 18W-13a Accummulates High Amounts of Squalene. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry. Mi-Hee Chang, Hyeon-Jin Kim, Kwang-Yeop Jahng, Seong-Chool Hong. 2008. The isolaon and characterizaon of Pseudozyma sp. JCC 207, a novel producer of squalene. Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology. 78(6):963–972.Â

Pokkanta P, Sookwong P, Tanang M, Setchaiyan S, Boontakham P, Mahatheeranont S. 2019. Simultaneous determinaon of tocols, γ-oryzanols, phytosterols, squalene, cholecalciferol and phylloquinone in rice bran and vegetable oil samples. Food Chemistry. 271:630–638.Â

Rameshkumar R, Sash L, Pandian S, Rathinapriya P, Rency AS, Shanmugaraj G, Pandian SK, Leung DWM, Ramesh M. 2018. Producon of squalene with promising anoxidant properes in callus cultures of Nilgirianthus ciliatus. Industrial Crops and Products. 126:357–367.Â

Wetherbee BM, Nichols PD. 2000. Lipid composion of the liver oil of deep-sea sharks from the Chatham Rise, New Zealand. Comparave Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 125(4):511–521.Â

Links hp://www.bloomassociaon.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ENG_Squalene_4-pager.pdf hps://www.fiormarkets.com/report/squalene-market-by-source-type-vegetable-animal- synthec-407140.html hps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/01/17/1971994/0/en/Global-Squalene-Market-is- Expected-to-Reach-USD-382-72-Million-by-2026-Fior-Markets.html hps://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/squalene-market hps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/squalene-market-542345.html hps://www.sharks-world.com/shark_hunng/ hps://axiologybeauty.com/blogs/our-blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-one-of-the-cosmec- industrys-deadliest-ingredients-squalene