Cosmetic Butter

What is a cosmetic butter?

A cosmetic butter is one of the many ingredients in a cosmetic that:

creates a solid or semi-solid oil base
provides moisture to the skin, lips and hair
has anti-inflammatory properties
has anti-aging properties
helps calm irritated, itchy skin
restores skin elasticity
contains Vitamins A, D, E and F

Examples of cosmetic butters

There are so many butters that you can use to make cosmetic. Let's take a look:

Shea butter
Cocoa butter
Mango butter
Avocado butter
Bacuri butter
Cupuacu butter
Murumuru butter
Tucuma butter
Ucuuba butter

Different butters also have different:

smell
color
melting point
fatty acid contents
different saponification values

If you are a bar soap crafter, the saponification value and color is the most important to you!

If you are a skincare and makeup formulator like me, we tend to focus more on the rest of the properties.

How does fatty acid contents in butter affect me?

In a butter, there are many acids content such as:

Oleic acid
Linoleic acid
Linolenic acid
Lauric acid
Myristic acid
Alpha-linolenic acid
Gamma-linolenic acid
Stearic acid

But as a cosmetic formulator, I usually focus on 2 of them:

Oleic acid and Linoleic acid

Fatty Acid Guide

Oily skin do best with oils/butters high in Linoleic acid.
Dry skin do best with oils/butters high in Oleic acid.
Normal skin do best with oils/butters with a balanced Oleic and Linoleic acid.
Sun-sensitive skin do best with oils/butters high in Alpha-Linolenic acid.

Are butters safe for acne-prone and oily skin?

My answer is, yes it is!

All types of skin can use cosmetic butter in different ways. You can use butters directly on your skin like a balm or make it into cleanser, emulsion or serum!

Anyway, people with acne-prone and oily skin must moisturize their skin on a daily basis. Oil cleansers and oil serums are also good for acne-prone and oily skin.

You just need to know which one to choose and how to make it non-greasy!

Which butter do I use to make cosmetics?

Only you can answer this question! But not to worry, I will help you narrow down your choices of butter.

You can use these questions to start off your thinking process:

What are you making - skincare or makeup?
Who is your target customer - people with oily skin or dry skin?
Are you going to add color, fragrance and actives?
Is your end product washable or leave-on?
Do your customers prefer oil-base or water-base?
Do your customers have eczema, acne or psoriasis?

Next, you will need to look into its Comedogenic Rating.

This is a scale from 0 to 5 and it shows how much the cosmetic butter can clog your pores.

Comedogenic list of cosmetic butter

0 being non-comedogenic (non-clog)
5 being the most comedogenic (most clog)

Comedogenic list of cosmetic butter:

Shea butter: 0-2
Cocoa butter: 4
Mango butter: 2
Avocado butter: 3
Bacuri butter: 4
Cupuacu butter: 4
Murumuru butter: 2-3
Tucuma butter: 2-3
Ucuuba butter: 4

Now you know why you always see Shea butter in cosmetics? It is considered the most non-clogging butter and suitable for all skin types.

If you are formulating for a severely dry skin, you can use Cocoa butter, Bacuri butter, Cupuacu butter and Ucuuba butter.

Add your favorite essential oils for a more therapeutic experience!

Tips and tricks when using butter

Don't like the oily feeling when applying butter? Here's what you can do!

Add some cosmetic clay or cosmetic-grade rice starch
Make a lotion or emulsion instead because the emulsifier will bond the oils and water together, making it less greasy