BUTTER-C
Signature ingredients
Shea body butter OEM/ODM manufacturing
Shea Body Butter · Signature Ingredients · OEM/ODM
Shea butter is the fat obtained from the kernels of the shea tree, Vitellaria paradoxa (formerly Butyrospermum parkii), which grows across sub-Saharan Africa; on cosmetic labels it carries the INCI name Butyrospermum Parkii Butter. A jar of body butter named after shea promises users exactly what this ingredient can do: a layer of fat that softens the skin and eases the feeling of roughness — evidence for shea on its own in human skin is still limited, so claims stop there. The difficulty lies in the raw material itself: stearic acid ranges from 28 to 56% and oleic acid from 34 to 61% across kernel samples from seven African countries, West African shea carries more high-melting triglycerides than East African shea, and refining changes the minor components too — so two lots can differ in hardness, odor, color and tendency to turn grainy. The general body butter page covers blending several butters and oils and whipping; this page focuses on choosing the form of shea, lot-by-lot COAs, controlling recrystallization and rancidity, and accurate allergy wording. Butter-C offers full-service OEM/ODM manufacturing, from raw material selection to a labeled finished product with its cosmetic product notification.
Formula base
Shea is the backbone; everything else serves it
In a body butter named after shea, shea makes up most of the oil phase; liquid oils, waxes and dry-feel agents only adjust hardness, spreadability and skin feel. The first decision is therefore choosing the right form of shea.
Shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter)
Mostly triglycerides — on average SOS (stearic–oleic–stearic) 31.2%, SOO 27.7%, OOO 10.8% — plus an unsaponifiable fraction of 2–12% of the fat, of which triterpene alcohols (α-amyrin, β-amyrin, lupeol, butyrospermol) make up 22–72% (Akihisa 2010, 2011). Not listed in ASEAN Annexes II, III or VI (June 2026 release). The CIR 2024 abstract gives no concentration range; the share of shea in an anhydrous butter is chosen by hardness and skin feel (formulation experience).
Raw or refined, butter or fraction
Compared with raw butter, refined stearin (the solid fraction) has lower peroxide value, free fatty acids, unsaponifiables, tocopherols and sterols; refined olein (the liquid fraction) has lower peroxide value and free fatty acids but keeps its unsaponifiables, tocopherols and sterols (Abdel-Razek 2023). Choosing raw or refined changes the minor components, not just odor and color. Shea fractions and shea butter extract are different raw materials — INCI follows the COA, and data are not interchanged.
Liquid oils and waxes alongside
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, jojoba oil (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil) and squalane soften the butter and make it easier to spread; a small amount of beeswax or carnauba wax helps it hold its shape in hot weather (formulation experience). Tapioca starch reduces greasiness. Base oils are chosen for oxidative stability so they do not shorten the life of the whole jar.
Antioxidants and fragrance
Shea contains unsaturated oleic acid and can still go rancid: Tocopherol, optionally with rosemary extract, goes into the oil phase from the start. Fragrance is optional — raw shea already has its own scent; a fragrance-free refined version suits users with easily irritated skin.
Key technical points
Four things specific to a jar named after shea
The points below come from shea itself: natural variation between lots, crystallization behavior, oxidative stability and the microbiology of an agricultural raw material.
Variation by growing region and by lot
In a survey of kernels from seven African countries, West African shea generally had more stearic acid, triterpene alcohols and high-melting triglycerides such as SOS than East African shea (Akihisa 2010, 2011). Changing supplier or source region can change the hardness and crystallization tendency of the finished product — so every lot needs a COA (origin, form, peroxide value, acid value, microbiology), and a change of source means repeating stability testing.
Graininess and how it is cooled
Shea is rich in high-melting triglycerides; when the oil phase is not fully melted, cooling is uncontrolled or the product goes through heat–cold cycles in transit, the butter can recrystallize into small grains. Crystal polymorphism is well described for cocoa butter (food data); for shea we have not found a peer-reviewed study in a cosmetic base. Butter-C fully melts the oil phase (internal guideline: about 70–75 °C, not held long above 80 °C — no peer-reviewed source, to be checked against the supplier’s TDS), while cooling rate and holding temperature are set by freeze–thaw cycling on the actual formula (formulation experience).
Rancidity and peroxide value
We have no verified data on the oxidative stability of shea in cosmetics, so Butter-C tracks odor, peroxide value and acid value of the raw material and of the oil phase after accelerated aging. Iron and copper ions catalyze rancidity; the water-containing cream version adds a chelating agent to the water phase. Packaging is sealed, with as little headspace air in the jar as practical.
Microbiology, bathrooms and Vietnamese temperatures
An anhydrous butter has no water, so it usually needs no preservative for a water phase, but an agricultural raw material — raw shea especially — is still tested for microbiology lot by lot; wet fingers can bring water into the jar, so Butter-C prepares a microbiological risk assessment to ISO 29621. Butter left in a delivery vehicle in summer can soften: the melting behavior of the blend is adjusted with wax and oil ratio. Oil and butter dropped on a bathroom floor make it slippery — the label advises applying after leaving the shower area (good practice).
Three formulation directions
Three ways for shea to carry the name on the jar
Raw shea anhydrous butter, high share
Unrefined shea makes up most of the formula, with a little liquid oil and tocopherol; the scent and ivory color of raw shea are part of the story (they vary by lot — formulation experience). “Unrefined” is written only when the supplier confirms it; microbiology and odor are checked more tightly on every lot.
Refined, odorless shea butter
Refined shea blended with jojoba oil and caprylic/capric triglyceride, optionally lightly whipped; neutral color and odor, suited to a fragrance-free version or to a brand fragrance. Refining lowers peroxide value and free fatty acids but can also lower tocopherols and sterols — antioxidant is topped up according to stability testing.
Shea body cream with water
A rich emulsion with a high share of shea, an emulsifier and glycerin; absorbs faster than an anhydrous butter and suits hot, humid weather. With water present it needs a preservative system and a preservative efficacy test like any body cream.
Packaging must be planned with the formula
Wide-mouth plastic or glass jars with tight screw caps; aluminum tins suit firm anhydrous butters. For bathroom use, plastic jars are preferable (oily hands easily drop and break glass). Oil migration through the jar wall and the lid liner is monitored.
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
Below are the parameters Butter-C tracks during formula development and scale-up. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product’s in-house specification.
- Shea raw material COA
- Origin, form (raw, refined, fraction), peroxide value, acid value and microbiology per lot; a retained sample of each lot for comparing color and odor.
- Texture & smoothness
- Surface and cross-section inspection; graininess assessed after freeze–thaw cycles and after any change of raw material lot.
- Melting behavior & hardness
- Samples held at high temperature, checked for shape retention and oil separation; hardness compared with the approved sample.
- Oxidation indices
- Odor, peroxide value and acid value of the oil phase after accelerated aging; Butter-C does not apply one general peroxide limit but builds it from the formula’s own stability data.
- Microbiology
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; anhydrous butters get a microbiological risk assessment to ISO 29621, water-containing versions a preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930.
- Skin feel
- Spreadability, greasiness, dry-down time, feel after a few hours — the basis for the claim “eases the feeling of roughness”.
- Packaging compatibility
- Oil migration through the jar wall, lid discoloration, liner tightness.
- Net weight
- Checked by weight on every lot; whipped versions are declared by weight, not by volume.
Claims
Writing claims within the cosmetic scope
Only one small human experiment used shea on its own: in 21 healthy people, a single application of shea butter or its unsaponifiable fraction did not change the degree of skin irritation caused by sodium lauryl sulphate (Loden 1996). Other trials used multi-ingredient products — a diaper with a shea-based emollient, or creams (some with shea butter extract rather than the butter itself) in a medical setting — so the results belong to the whole formula; the triterpene data come from purified compounds in mice. Claims for a shea butter jar therefore stop at softening and moisturizing.
Softens the skin and eases the feeling of roughness
Instead of: claims of an effect on eczema, atopic dermatitis, diaper rash, bleeding cracks.
Moisturizes dry skin
Instead of: rebuilds the skin barrier, calms inflammation, “shea triterpenes reduce irritation”.
Moisturizes and helps keep skin soft on the belly, thighs and hips
Instead of: fades stretch marks, prevents stretch marks in pregnancy.
Contains shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter)
The INCI name follows the form actually used; “unrefined shea butter” only when the supplier confirms it; place of origin only when documented. Instead of: “completely pure shea”, “shea as a natural sunscreen”.
Directions and label notes
Take a small amount, warm it between the hands, then apply; apply after leaving the shower area, as an oily floor is slippery; do not apply to open wounds or a newborn’s umbilical stump; people with a history of severe allergy should ask an allergist before trying a new product; store in a cool place, tightly closed. Instead of: safe for people with nut or latex allergy; hypoallergenic.
Allergy: say only what the data support
A case of contact allergy to Butyrospermum parkii butter has been reported (Castelain 2024). A 2011 research letter is titled as finding no IgE-binding soluble proteins in shea butter, but it has no abstract; there are no data on shea – latex cross-reactivity. Pregnancy: not enough data, ask a doctor. Instead of: “natural, so gentle for every skin”.
Manufacturing specifications
Capabilities
- Texture
- Firm anhydrous butter, lightly whipped anhydrous butter, body cream with water.
- Formats
- Wide-mouth plastic jars, glass jars, aluminum tins. Net weight agreed when packaging is selected.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order — depends on the form of shea, the formula direction and the chosen format.
- Testing
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; certificate of analysis supplied with every lot.
- Documentation
- Product Information File (PIF) and cosmetic product notification prepared by Butter-C, including the per-lot shea COA and the form of raw material actually used.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development.
Suggested product concept
Fragrance-free refined shea body butter for dry skin
One product direction to help you picture the result — not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is built around your brand positioning and price range.
Refined shea butter
Most of the oil phase; neutral color and odor so no fragrance is needed; per-lot COA and retained samples.
Jojoba oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Soften the texture and spread more easily than solid butter; oxidatively stable oils chosen.
Carnauba wax, tapioca starch, Tocopherol
Hold the shape in hot weather, reduce greasiness, protect the oil phase from rancidity.
200 g plastic jar with tight screw cap
Will not break in the bathroom; the label gives a small dose, apply after leaving the shower area, store in a cool place.
Customization options
What you can specify
Within the same product type, every brand targets a different customer. Tell us your requirements in the areas below and our pharmacists will build the formula to match.
Form of shea
Raw or refined — determines odor, color, microbiological specification, label wording and price.
Share of shea and hardness
Firm for very dry skin or soft and easy to spread; year-round hot markets need a higher melting behavior.
Anhydrous or with water
Anhydrous butters are microbiologically robust and rich; creams with water absorb faster but need a preservative system.
Companion oils
Jojoba, squalane, caprylic/capric triglyceride, coconut oil — each changes spreadability, oxidative stability and price.
Fragrance
Fragrance-free, the natural scent of raw shea, or vanilla or citrus; fragrance is a source of contact allergy, so a fragrance-free version is made in parallel. The ASEAN annexes have no list of fragrance allergens that must be named; for export to the EU, they are named when above 0.001% (leave-on) under EU rules, based on the fragrance supplier’s composition sheet.
Ingredient preferences
Vegan (plant wax instead of beeswax), silicone-free, mineral-oil-free — please state these at the outset.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Shea butter in cosmetics
Fatty acids, triterpenes, current evidence, nut and latex allergy, formulation notes (in Vietnamese).
Body butter manufacturing
The general page: blending several butters, oils and waxes, whipped butters and body creams with water.
Cocoa butter in cosmetics
Six crystal forms and why butters can turn grainy or show a white bloom after heat–cold cycles (in Vietnamese).
Choosing oils for formulation
Oxidative stability, peroxide value and how to choose oils to pair with shea (in Vietnamese).
Dry skin and dehydrated skin
Why dry skin needs both humectants and emollients such as shea butter (in Vietnamese).
Body lotion manufacturing
A lighter lotion for daily use over large areas.
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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