BIOSSANCE: clean, green beauty

The secret ingredient is squalane and it’s a game-changer.

Clean beauty brand, Biossance, launched its entire skincare line in Canada via Sephora earlier this year and I’m obsessed with it. I tend to gravitate to green beauty brands (a la L’Occitane, LUSH, The Body Shop, etc.) for their amazing products, but it also feels good to support brands and companies whose values surrounding environmental sustainability align with mine. So it only made sense to add Biossance to my roster of beauty go-tos, especially when I learned that they banned over 2000 ingredients from their skincare line.

The clean beauty bus

Biossance recently visited Toronto with a pop-up clean beauty bus, so obviously I had to check it out. After a short wait outside, we were invited inside where a group of skincare experts introduced us to the power of squalane and the entire BIOSSANCE line. The swag bag was awesome and I was so excited to try out some new products!

What is squalane?

Squalane is the main ingredient that Biossance uses ,and it’s basically the next best thing since hyaluronic acid. It’s a special molecule that we’re born with, and that our bodies naturally produce (hello, baby skin!) But like many other components in the body (mainly collagen, elastin, etc.), the body slows down its production of squalane in our early to mid thirties and never actually recovers. Enter squalane-infused skincare!

Sources and sustainability

Squalane can be found in a lot of skincare products, but I didn’t know about this powerhouse ingredient until I discovered Biossance. Squalene can and was once sourced from shark livers, despite the finite resources and harm it caused for the shark population.

Four PhD students based in Berkley, California discovered an alternative to squalene using yeast and sugar cane, which led to the creation of Biossance as we know it today. Olives are also a really good source of squalane but sugar cane is known to be a better, more sustainable alternative because it is an easily renewable resource.

Squalane helps hydrate and protect the skin, and it’s super gentle on skin. And unlike coconut oil, it’s not super greasy, and won’t clog your pores. Biossance uses it in all of their products along with a collection of other high-performing ingredients. Personally, I really liked that each product is named after the ingredients that are in it. It’s simple and transparent.

Serum with a retinol alternative

One of the banned ingredients Biossance refused to put in its products is the well-known retinol. At first, it seems unfathomable. We know the wonders vitamin A, commonly called retinol, can work on our skin, but we also know how it can irritate and dry out our skin as a result.

But in response, Biossance created its Phyto Retinol Serum, which is a more expensive alternative (it’s a key ingredient in Omorovicza Miracle Facial Oil), but doesn’t have the same negative side effects that many retinol-based products have. This is largely because the Phyto Retinol is sourced from the Bakuchiol seed found in the babchi trees of eastern Asia instead of vitamin A. It acts in the same way retinol and retinoids do in terms of the efficacy but doesn’t require our skin to build up a tolerance over time.

A game-changing eye gel

One of my absolute new favourites from the Biossance line is the Peptide Eye Gel. It actually works wonders. I’ve always had dark circles around my eyes, (thank you pigmentation) and I can honestly say that this eye gel has vastly improved the complexion of my skin. It’s definitely brighter and I find that I’m not reaching for my concealer as much to cover up my under-eye situation.

The facial oil

I was really excited to try the Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil when I saw it during one of my many visits to the Sephora websites. I wasn’t a huge fan of face oil but I’ve been liking my Lise Watier Sublimessence Nuit Face Oil so I decided to give this a try. After using the Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil I noticed my skin was infinitely more glowy, soft, and hydrated.

The cleansing oil

The Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil was one of the first things I tried from the line and I’m almost finished it. I never really used cleansing oils before because I thought my oily skin wouldn’t appreciate my using more oil. Completely untrue. My skin loves it. Not only does my makeup melt off with little rubbing but it also cleanses my skin without leaving it feeling tight or dry. It’s part of my double cleansing ritual and I probably won’t use anything else ever again.