Shea butter: good for the skin – and for local producers

From scars to dry skin to a pet’s worn-out paws, shea butter’s good for anything – and anyone. The beauty industry often adds it to care products and cosmetics, including face creams, bath products and lipstick. But that’s not all – you’ll also find it in chocolate and chocolate products as a substitute for or as a supplement to cocoa butter. You can, however, buy shea butter as a pure, unrefined, natural product too. Here’s what you should know before you clear a space for it in your bathroom.

Unique origins

The shea tree’s fruits are the size of peaches, but botanically they’re classed as berries – and its seeds are the nuts that shea butter is extracted from. It’s native to a region in the tropical part of Africa known as the shea belt, a some 16-million-square-metre area spanning from Senegal in the east to Uganda in the west. It’s the only place where the wild tree grows – and it still refuses to be artificially planted and cultivated.

Back-breaking work carried out by women

The trees bear fruit for the first time after 20-30 years. Traditionally, it’s women who harvest and process the nuts and make a living from the income. That’s why shea butter’s also known as «women’s gold». Technically speaking, shea butter is oil, not butter. As described here (in German), it consists of up to 60 per cent fats. Shea butter production is still a laborious, largely manual process. «Shea ladies» remove the green flesh from the nuts, boil, dry and crush them. After adding water to make a paste, they knead the mixture over and over again, then wash it to separate the butter oils from the oil-free residue. At the very end of the process, the fats are skimmed off, usually heated and filtered. Once they’ve cooled down, the oil hardens, creating a stiff, creamy butter.

Refined or unrefined?

The process I’ve just described refers to unrefined shea butter, which, in Africa, is used for cooking as well as skincare. In refined shea butter production, machines extract the butter, which is then purified and chemically processed. This removes its odour and colour, resulting in a white, fragrance-free product. By contrast, unrefined shea butter is yellowish, with a nutty, buttery or smoky smell. However, refining shea butter doesn’t just take away its colour – it also strips away or reduces the quantity of important ingredients. On the other hand, it makes the product last longer. The final difference between the two? While unrefined shea butter is quickly absorbed by the skin without leaving an oily film, refined butter takes longer to absorb and can feel slightly greasy on the skin.

These ingredients make shea butter so valuable

Shea butter’s packed with skin-friendly ingredients:

• soothing linoleic acid

• anti-inflammatory and wound-healing allantoin

• moisturising palmitic acid

• moisturising stearic acid

• oleic acid, which is rich in vitamins and makes it easier for ingredients to penetrate the skin barrier

• secondary anti-ageing plant substances such as phytosterols, vitamin E and beta carotene, which act as antioxidants to combat oxidative cell stress (from UV light, environmental influences and stress)

It’s ideal for dry, flaky or cracked skin, and when caring for tattoos, scars and beards. Not only that, it can even aid skin-healing and relieve itching in cases of eczema and neurodermatitis. It’s usually enough to treat only the areas of damaged skin with shea butter – you don’t need to rub it all over your face, for instance. It’s generally well tolerated, doesn’t block pores and doesn’t trigger allergic reactions. That being said, dermatologists often advise against using the product if you have acne or oily skin, or they decide on a case-by-case basis. A series of studies (page in German) have confirmed shea butter’s effectiveness.

Buying shea butter

The first decision you’re faced with when shopping for shea butter is whether to go for refined or unrefined. The advantage of unrefined shea butter is that none of its valuable ingredients are stripped away by the manufacturing process. It’s also a purely natural product with no unnecessary added fragrances or other extras. Shea is one of the most important exported goods from the shea belt, including in Ghana. It’s also crucial to the livelihoods of women in rural Africa. According to the Global Shea Alliance, around 16 million women make their living from the shea tree. And it’s a growing market. A piece by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says, «According to recent reports, the global market for shea butter is estimated at USD 2.75 billion, with projections indicating a growth to USD 5.58 billion by the year 2033.» This means shea butter is a powerful tool in the economic empowerment of women.

It’s possible for unrefined shea butter to be contaminated, for example with insects, microorganisms or pesticide residues. According to this article (in German), it may also contain high levels of peroxide, indicating the butter is rancid. Samples analysed in 2016 by the University of Vienna (page in German), contained diesel oil residue. With this in mind, look out for organic quality and Fair Trade certifications when you’re buying shea butter. Ecocert has a list of reputable ones on its website. A higher price tag is a sure sign of quality and lab testing. If you’re buying shea butter directly from traders in Africa or from other manufacturers, be mindful of traceability and transparency, paying attention to information on its origin and production process.