New test guarantees squalane origin
IASMA research differentiates between olive and shark origins
While many cosmetic manufacturers are now using squalane sourced from olives rather than shark oil, there is a concern that there is a temptation for some oil suppliers to continue to exploit sharks because of the lower costs due to higher yields and shorter processing times. But a new method is said to be able to show whether an oil originates from olive or shark.
The method, developed by researchers at the IASMA Research and Innovation Centre Fondazione Edmund Mach in San Michele all’Adige, Italy, uses an isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an elemental analyser to measure the ratio of two forms of carbon (carbon-13 and carbon-12). Analysis of a number of authentic samples of both oils from producers in different parts of the world found the carbon-13/carbon-12 ratios to be significantly lower in authentic olive oil than in shark samples.
“Our method will protect both cosmetic firms and consumers from commercial fraud and will make it possible to promote the production of squalene from olive oil,” says Federica Camin of IASMA. “It will also allow the origin of squalane within a finished product to be determined. The new method could be proposed as an official way of detecting whether any batch of squalene or squalane has come from animal or plant sources, allowing manufacturers to make clear claims about the ethical status of their products.”
Squalane is used as an emollient and hydrating agent in cosmetics and squalene is used to increase the power of the vaccines.
This study is published in the Wiley journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry.