Cold-pressed (oils)
NaturalObtained by pressing without external heat, then filtered – neither refined nor deodorised.
Item number 10514
Shea Butter
for cosmetic use
even without B2B registration
Samples can be ordered directly. For bulk containers, custom quantities, or B2B terms, we would be happy to advise you personally.
Technical Product Data
- INCI
- Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
- CAS number
- 194043-92-0 – 91080-23-8
- Range
- Cosmetics
Documents & Downloads
Product description
Organic unrefined shea butter is shea butter in its natural, unrefined form. The light beige to beige butter has a characteristic, slightly tangy and nutty natural odour and is notable for its natural accompanying lipid substances. Its characteristic sensory profile clearly sets it apart from refined shea butter.
Our organic unrefined shea butter is obtained from shea nuts from West Africa, where the nuts are traditionally collected and processed. In the regions of origin, the production and processing of shea is closely linked to local cooperatives and income opportunities for the communities involved.
From a formulation perspective, unrefined shea butter is characterised by a balanced ratio of stearic and oleic acid and by its proportion of unsaponifiable matter. Its natural accompanying substances include phytosterols, tocopherols and catechins. As a solid plant-based butter, it is suitable for providing consistency and structure in emulsions and anhydrous formulations. Its characteristic natural odour should be taken into account when developing the fragrance concept.
The product is suitable for body butters, balms, creams and lotions, lip care, hair care and other cosmetic formulations. For formulations with a more neutral sensory profile, shea butter is also available as a refined organic grade.
Additional qualities
Manufacturing process
Vegetable Oil Portrait by Ruth von Braunschweig
Shea butter – skin care from the ‘sacred tree of life’
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.
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In stock
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Product weight: 0.03 kg
€5,00
(plus shipping)
Applications
Suitable for the following applications
Typical areas of application and formulation approaches for this raw material.
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