Big cosmetic brands to stop using shark oil in products

BIG cosmetic brands — including L’Oréal, Ponds and Dove — have agreed to stop using shark liver oil as a moisturising base because of concerns for the survival of the deep-sea predators.

Their decision follows a long campaign by the international marine conservation organisation Oceana, which said demands from the beauty industry had led to dramatic population declines of some species.

Many deep-sea sharks are on the World Conservation Union’s threatened species list because of excessive fishing for an organic compound found in their livers, called squalene.