INCI name

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Also listed as: Shea butter

Butyrospermum parkii butter is shea butter, the fat from the nuts of the shea tree, which grows in the Sahel region of West Africa. It is rich in stearic and oleic acids and is used as an emollient in creams, balms and hair products. A refined grade has little odour; an unrefined grade can smell nutty and look more yellow.

The older INCI name used the botanical name Butyrospermum parkii. You may also see Vitellaria paradoxa butter on newer documents, which is the same plant under a later botanical name. On packs, the older INCI name is still very common.

Where it turns up

Body butters, lip balms, hair conditioners and rich face creams.

Sensitivities

Allergy is uncommon but possible, as with other nut-derived fats. People with a known shea or sapotaceae allergy should read labels.

Vegan or animal-derived

Vegan. It is a plant fat. Much shea is still collected by women's cooperatives in West Africa; that is a trade fact, not an ingredient-safety fact.

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