What’s the difference between cocoa butter and shea butter?
Dry skin is no match for the creamy and moisturizing properties that both shea butter and cocoa butter deliver.
Although both types of butter can soften and heal dry or damaged skin, each one has unique features and benefits.
Let’s look at the differences between shea butter and cocoa butter, how to use them, and which one may be better for your skin.
Many skin care products contain shea butter, cocoa butter, or both. Although both butters are good ingredients to add to your beauty routine, it’s worth noting the different properties of each and how to identify them.
According to Cynthia Bailey, MD, a board certified dermatologist, both butters are excellent skin moisturizers, but there are differences in the plant oils.
Cocoa butter origins and properties
Cocoa butter comes from Theobroma cacao L tree, which is found in the tropical regions of Central and South America.
Bailey explains that cocoa butter is w
hat you get from the whole cocoa bean after the part that’s made into a cocoa powder has been removed.
Cocoa butter consists primarily of saturated fats, including:
oleic acid
palmitic acid
stearic acid
Unlike shea butter, cocoa butter has a distinct smell, similar to chocolate. It’s also firm in texture and doesn’t melt at room temperature.
Shea butter origins and prop
erties
Shea butter, on the other hand, comes from the African shea tree, Vitellaria paradoxa. The kernels of the shea tree’s fruit contain fats that are extracted and made into shea butter.
The texture of shea butter is soft with a spreadable consistency. According to Bailey, shea butter is high in several saturated fatty acids, mostly oleic and stearic. It also has:
linoleic acid
arachidic acid
palmitic acid
Shea butter has significant levels of vitamins E and A, which add to the antioxidant properties of this butter.
When it comes to fragrance, shea butter has a mild scent, often described as nutty. However, you can add essential oils to shea butter to enhance the smell.
Is one better than the other for your skin?
Choosing one butter over the other really d
epends on your skin care needs. Both shea and cocoa butter contain fatty acids that allow your skin to retain moisture. They also provide immediate relief for dry and irritated skin.
But each butter does offer unique benefits worth considering.
The benefits of cocoa butter
The fats in cocoa butter can provide an excellent source of moisture to your skin. These same fats can also help replenish your skin stratum corneum lipids, many of which are similar to palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid.
“Skin stratum corneum is our skin’s barrier. It’s made of a brick (protein) and mortar (lipid) structure,” explains Bailey. “The lipids
are essential for skin barrier health.”
Additionally, cocoa butter contains cocoa mass polyphenol (CMP), which, according to researchTrusted Source, may help protect your skin from premature damage and aging. It may help promote the overall health of your skin.
The benefits of shea butter
“Shea butter contains linoleic acid, which has
benefits when applied topically, especially since skin cells can’t make this acid on their own,” says Bailey.
Shea butter also contains potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, which Bailey explains are responsible for this butter’s medicinal properties.
In addition to the moisturizing benefits of the fatty acids, shea butter also contains vitamins that may help repair damaged skin. Among its many benefits, Bailey says shea butter may help:
reduce skin redness from sunburn
boost collagen production in skin
reduce collagen loss
That said, Bailey does point out that shea butter co
mposition varies considerably depending on where the tree was grown. And unfortunately, there’s no way to know that without chemical analysis.
Overall, Bailey says shea butter makes an excellent moisturizer for your skin, scalp, and hair.
“It’s rapidly absorbed into your skin, is superior to mineral oil in reducing trans-epidermal water loss. It helps dry skin to recover and works to calm atopic dermatitis,” she explains.
Plus, unlike cocoa butter, which may clog your pores, shea butt
er is noncomedogenic.
Both cocoa butter and shea butter blend nicely into skin care products, but Bailey’s preference is shea butter.
The bottom line Using products that contain shea butter, cocoa butter, or both may help reduce skin dryness, seal in moisture, boost skin health, and possibly even protect against aging. If you have questions about which type of butter is best for you, talk to a dermatologist or skin care specialist who can help match a product to your needs.
These information can be found with links to Healthline.com
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