100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane — Reddit Reviews
by The Ordinary
Updated November 10, 2026
C13-16 Isoparaffin dry oil absorbs fast, tames frizz, and leaves oily skin shine-free.
What the community says
This single-ingredient dry oil sinks into oily skin and smooths fine hair without shine or weight. It suits acne-prone users and frizz-prone hair, but dry or rosacea-prone skin may need cream underneath.
What this means for you
Backed by 5 threads from r/HaircareScience, r/scacjdiscussion and 2 more.
Read the threads ↓What people love
- Fast-absorbing dry-oil finish; no greasy shine
- Fine-hair detangler that cuts frizz and adds slip
- Oily, acne-prone skin can use plenty without heaviness
Watch out for
- Can dry out rosacea-prone skin badly
- Dry skin often needs it mixed into cream
- Availability may be poor if discontinued
Product details
Skin Type
Product Traits
Based on limited Reddit discussion so far
Where to buy
Full ingredient list · 1
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane ingredients
C13-16 Isoparaffin
Listed in label order, highest concentration first.
Real Reddit threads — 9 mentions across 5 threads
The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane on Reddit, in one place — 5 threads from r/HaircareScience, r/scacjdiscussion and 2 more, summarized.
“The Ordinary Hemisqualane on damp hair”
Positive
“I often mix hemisqualane with an oil (e.g. MCT, Jojoba, grapeseed) and then iron my hair, works well.”
Positive
“The Ordinary Hemi-Squalane — fastest absorbing “oil” I’ve ever used that leaves no greasy finish, which allows me to add a lot.”
Positive
“It also helps that since Squalane is naturally found in human sebum, so using a ton of this is not likely to mess with the pH of the skin barrier”
Positive
“leaves no greasy finish”
Positive
“100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane... my favourite product”
Positive
“Because it’s a very dry oil it absorbs extremely well”
Positive
“5 drops to damp hair to reduce frizz”
Positive
“I loved the ordinary hemisqualane because it was super light.”
Positive
“Don’t know if it’s easily available from elsewhere, I think it was discontinued”
Positive
“It's absurdly lightweight, so it's great for fine hair, and it does a great job of reducing frizz & tangles and adding shine and slip to dry hair.”
Positive
“It's the closest thing to a miracle hair product I've found, and it's also super cheap.”
Positive
“I really like hemi-squalane, both on it's own and mixed with hair oils.”
Positive
Other variants in this line
Same formula family — here’s what changes between them.
- HemiYou’re here
100% Plant-Derived Hemi-Squalane
9 mentions
Original100% Plant-Derived Squalane
147 mentions
8 of 8 traits shared
