KNOW YOUR BUTTERS – top 8 butters for DIY skincare
I will be entirely honest – the reason why I have managed to put together this quite eclectic collection of butters is the opposite to what you would expect. It is actually not my love for them, it is the pursuit of finding a butter that ticks all my boxes: smell, texture and ease of spreading.
When I got my first delivery of unrefined shea butter (which in cosmetic world is pure gold – “0” on comedogenic scale!) I could not wait until I could put it all over myself. I expected the smell of summer, similar to bronzing body lotions. Slightly nutty, sweet. However, raw shea butter smells nothing like that! I tried to mix it with all essential oils – only May Chang has a chance to cover the smell whilst still keeping within a safe range of up to 0.5% of the total product weight. Everything else just gets overwhelmed by the natural fragrance of shea.
I was committed to not let the first impression cloud my judgment for all the body butters out there – there must be a butter that does not need a ton of other ingredients to make it work.
My top 8 body butters
1. Refined shea butter
It is not surprising that shea butter tops the list. You will not find a butter as universal as shea. The texture is just lovely and provides a natural glow to your skin. If not for the scent, the unrefined version would be drawing here with its refined cousin! The refined version, however, due to the process of refining, loses some of its properties so I would recommend to use the unrefined version for the heavy duty moisturisers. There will be a separate blog about this.
INCI: Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter
Comedogenic rating: 0
Melting point: 34 – 38°C
Texture: solid but soft chunks
Smell: none
Spreadability: It is solid but needs little pressure to spread evenly
2. Kokum butter
There is just something amazing about kokum butter. The way it spreads on skin is probably the closest experience of all butter to spreading a finished lotion. It is white and slowly melts into the skin. I call it the little brother of queen shea as it also benefits from a neutral comedogenic rating and a similar scent that needs some essential oils to work with.
INCI: Garcinia indica Seed Butter
Comedogenic rating: 0
Melting point: 34 – 40°C
Texture: soft chunks
Smell: nutty, similar to unrefined shea but not as pungent
Spreadability: It is very soft and does need much to spread evenly
3. Unrefined shea butter
Raw shea butter is the closest you can get to real gold in cosmetics industry. It fights eczema, dermatitis, itchy skin, sunburn, rashes. You name it. By reducing a transepidermal water loss, it locks in the moisture and with comedogenic rating of “0” fights any breakouts.
INCI: Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter
Comedogenic rating: 0
Melting point: 34 – 38°C
Texture: solid but soft chunks
Smell: Nutty, earthy – pungent! Love it or leave it – it is intense – not my cup of tea
Spreadability: It is solid but needs little pressure to spread evenly
4. Uccuba butter
Its smell is probably something you either love or hate. I belong to the former group and absolutely adore the colour of creams that this butter contributes to. It is extremely moisturising, and at the same time I find it much less greasy than shea. It has anti-aging properties and would do well in reparative concoctions.
INCI: Virola sebifera seed butter
Comedogenic rating: 2-3
Melting point: 53oC
Texture: solid, brittle chunks
Smell: none
Spreadability: It is solid and needs a lot of pressure to make it warm and spread evenly
5. Mango butter
Thanks to almost zero fragrance and being non-comedogenic it makes for a perfect base for any cream, lotion or soap. I have recently made a face mask and my hair loved it. It is a tad grainy so I prefer to use it in ingredients that call for heating.
INCI: Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Comedogenic rating: 2
Melting point: 36°C
Texture: soft chunks
Smell: very mild, close to none
Spreadability: It is solid but needs little pressure to spread evenly
6. Murumuru butter
Beautiful butter with a glossy finish – probably why it works so well with hair products – especially for those in need of solid repair, like after bleaching. If you usually struggle with dry hair you will love this butter. It works great for curly locks too! It also has zero natural fragrance so you can add even a tiniest bit of a favourite essential oil to turn every use into a spa treatment. It is rich in polyphenols which fight free radicals in the tissues to offer anti-oxidant protection.
Comedogenic rating: 2
Melting point: 30-35oC
Texture: Almost like oil – it is closer with texture to coconut oil than to any other butter
Smell: none
Spreadability: It is solid but needs little pressure to spread evenly
7. Cocoa butter
This is one of those butters that I have not got my head around yet. Its naturally great for lip balms due to its moisturising properties, yet there are studies showing that for some part of population cocoa butter can have the opposite effect. Makes for a great addition to a Christmas body butter mix – imagine the sweet scent of cocoa and gingerbread – love at first smell. Due to its comedogenic rating of “4” I would strongly discourage from using it in face creams unless you suffer from zero breakouts.
Comedogenic rating: 4
Melting point: 34 – 38°C
Texture: the most solid of the butters, you won’t work with it unless melted (I would not risk my immersion blender on it)
Smell: It genuinely smells like an instant cocoa – and yes – I know it sounds like explaining the smell of lemon by comparing to Lemon Sherbet!
Spreadability: It is solid but needs little pressure to spread evenly
8. Tucuma butter
Loved for its rich content of polyphenols which fight free radicals in the tissues. It has healing and rejuvenating properties benefits as well as offers anti-oxidant activity and protection. It has very similar properties to Murumuru butter so if you decide between the two – I would go with Murumuru, simply because of the lack of the pungent fragrance
INCI: Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter
Comedogenic rating: 2-3
Melting point: 30-32oC
Texture: solid, very hard
Smell: Very pungent, nutty – some would even call it slightly mouldy
Spreadability: It is solid but needs little pressure to spread evenly
What is the best butter for face cream?
Shea butter, regardless if refined or unrefined, is a natural go to due to its zero comedogenic rating. If you want to try something different, check out Kukum butter. For anti-aging relief – go with Uccuba.
What is the best butter for body lotion?
Did I already say how much I love shea butter? For body butters I also like to use Mango butter since it works great with essential oils and I simply want my body lotion to smell like heaven!
What is the best butter for body lotion?
Murumuru, an absolute legend! Tames curly locks, provides moisture to brittle hair. Use either as a hair mask or apply minute amount to your ends when half-dried.
What is the best butter for lip balms?
Cocoa butter is one that works great due to its solid texture but because of the unclear science behind the surprising drying effect on the part of population, I would try to work with shea butter, adding coconut oil and waxes.
I hope this has been helpful and feel fry to ask questions if you are planning to purchase any of the above. I happened to have bought a 1-kg bag of Tucuma which is now my least favourite butter so the more you can read about a butter before a purchase, the better!
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ABOUT ME
I am Natalia James, an Intellectual Property lawyer by day and Organic Skincare Formulator by night. I am obsessed with data and believe that a simple (and solid) formula can be applied to most of what we do to live a happy and wholesome life. In my spare time I roller skate and count days to another Formula 1 race. I love mentoring new businesses and helping startups who work towards a better tomorrow.
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