In the scorching Sahel zone of central Africa, which stretches from Senegal to Uganda, grows the gnarled shea tree, which reaches a height of up to 12 m. This zone is therefore also known as the ‘shea belt’. Two different subspecies (abbreviated ssp.) are distinguished: Vitellaria paradoxa ssp. paradoxa grows mainly in West Africa; the second subspecies, Vitellaria paradoxa ssp. nilotica, mainly in East Africa. The latter has a more delicate scent and is more expensive.
The name shea is probably derived from the African Bambara language, in which ‘si’ means sacred. The tree is revered as a sacred tree of life by the extremely poor population, who live in the most difficult climatic conditions. It must not be felled, as it provides people with food and with material for traditional remedies and skin care. The tree is called the ‘saint of the savannah’ or the ‘tree of life’. Such symbolic names.
The shea tree can live for more than 100 years, and its fruit can be harvested up to that age. However, it takes 20 to 30 years before it bears its first fruit. The apricot-sized berries contain a chestnut-sized kernel. Shea butter is obtained from these seeds – a yellowish, crumbly, butter-like fat with a distinctive odour. For this reason, it is often deodorised. In its hot native region, the fat is oily.
Traditionally, shea butter, also known as karité butter, is produced by women. Its caring properties are impressive. Among the local population, it was and still is regarded as a proven skin care product used by children and adults alike, and the fat is also eaten there. Shea butter is traditionally valued for caring for stressed skin, and it smooths and soothes irritated, reddened and dry skin.
Research on plant oils and fats still focuses primarily on fatty acids. However, the properties of the fatty acids alone cannot explain the remarkable effects of shea butter on the skin, as the fat is characterised mainly by the unspectacular saturated stearic acid (approx. 45%) and the monounsaturated oleic acid (approx. 49%).
The trees are survival artists that have to endure intense periods of heat and humid warmth. As a result, they have formed increased amounts of protective and defensive substances (the unsaponifiables or accompanying substances) to protect the precious fat as well as possible and to give the small seedling a good start in life. These same substances are excellent protective substances for our skin.
Shea butter is therefore a valuable highlight in skin care. Compared with other plant fats and oils, it has a very high proportion of valuable accompanying substances such as phytosterols, polyphenols, the vitamin E complex, triterpene alcohols and many volatile, odour-active compounds. They help to protect the cells and are well integrated into the skin barrier together with the fatty acids. In this way, they help to protect the skin from moisture loss.
It is often claimed that shea butter contains allantoin. However, allantoin has never been detected in the butter, and this is not to be expected given that allantoin is not fat-soluble.
Shea butter has a positive effect on the skin’s connective tissue in the dermis, as certain triterpenols can inhibit protein-degrading enzymes that break down collagen and elastic fibres. In this way, shea butter can help to reduce the visible signs of premature skin ageing and wrinkles.
But that is not all. Together with the many volatile, odour-active substances, shea butter helps to protect the skin from environmental stress. The unsaponifiables act as antioxidants and are described as blocking and suppressing agents.
The phytosterols make the skin soft and smooth. Sensitive skin that is prone to irritation also benefits. Studies show that a triterpene alcohol (lupeol) has a skin-soothing effect.
Suitable for the following applications
Quoted from Ruth von Braunschweig: Plant oils. Über 50 starke Helfer für Genuss und Hautpflege!. Stadelmann Verlag, 2025. ISBN 978-3-943793-68-0 – By kind permission of Stadelmann Verlag.
