Choose Plant-Based Squalane (beauty, supplements, medicines)
They may be scary, but sharks form an important part of the ecosystem (toasters kill more people, and usually shark attacks are due to the creatures mistaking people or surfboards for fish).
They bite legs (which can of course lead to tragic death from blood loss). But they don’t eat people, we are not their natural diet.
Sharks are now endangered, and not least due to people killing them to make shark fin soup (leaving them to die, the fins are then used to decorate soup).
But also for the beauty, supplement and medicine industry. Squalane (also called squalene) is widely used for:
- Beauty products (mostly in Asia as UK brands are changing over due to consumer pressure). Mostly used for anti-wrinkle creams, deodorants, lip balms, lip sticks and sun protection.
- Supplements (this is the main use in the UK, in shark liver oil supplements). Most high street chains no longer sell them, but they are still legal to sell online, so boycott.
- Vaccines (it’s a main ingredient in many medical vaccines, so if you have a choice of ingredients, then ask your GP)
Killing sharks is not just cruel, but plays havoc with ecosystems (in nature, sharks are predators of fish, and everything is kept in balance).
It takes 3000 sharks to make just one ton of squalene, meaning almost 3 million sharks are killed each year. Just to take oil from their livers, to use in the beauty and pharmaceutical industries.
The number of sharks being slaughtered every day is shocking, and it’s got to stop. It’s time the public learned to regard sharks as the lions and leopards of the oceans, and get right behind shark conservation campaigns, before it’s too late. Steve Backshall
If you sail a boat and spot a shark (or any marine wildlife), keep at least 100 feet away (or further away if possible for large creatures). If the creature approaches your boat, switch the engine off and slow your speed to 4 knots.
Never use jet skis or flash photography. If you dive or snorkel, enter the water gently, to avoid splashing, and again keep your distance – it’s their territory, not yours.
