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A rich care butter from Africa
Shea butter is obtained from the seed kernels of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). It has a firm, creamy texture, softens with skin warmth and consists mainly of stearic and oleic acid, along with triterpene alcohols and tocopherols (vitamin E). In solid creams, balms and lip care, it adds body and makes wax-and-oil blends smoother.
Shea butter is in our top sellers
How does shea butter feel on different skin types?
Shea butter is a solid plant butter. How it feels depends on your skin type, the amount and where you apply it.
How does shea butter work on the skin?
Three mechanisms that make shea butter a classic care ingredient.
Film of fat
As a fat, shea butter settles on the stratum corneum; the film slows the evaporation of water from the skin.
Triterpenes
Triterpene alcohols such as lupeol and α-amyrin make up 22–72% of the unsaponifiable fraction (Akihisa et al. 2010); their effect on the skin has been little studied.
Tocopherols
Tocopherols (vitamin E) protect the butter’s unsaturated fatty acids from oxidation and so help it keep longer.
What can you use shea butter for?
As night care or a booster for dry skin
Pure or in sticks for chapped lips
Rich care for stressed hands
For cracked heels and hard calluses
For rough, dry areas on the body
In the Solid Body Butter with cocoa butter and beeswax
Smooths dry, frizzy ends
The first ingredient in our Solid Sunscreen SPF50
Shea butter pairs especially well with …
These ingredients complement shea butter in solid formulas.
A liquid wax that makes butter blends softer and easier to spread.
Learn moreLavender essential oil adds scent; it contains fragrance allergens such as linalool.
Learn moreStabilises the texture of balms and sticks.
Learn moreA liquid oil rich in linoleic and linolenic acid that makes butter blends softer.
Learn moreGlossary
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