Shea\ ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a rich emollient and skin-conditioning lipid that softens skin, reduces transepidermal water loss, and adds body to balms, creams, and hair conditioners.
What does Shea\ do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a rich emollient and skin-conditioning lipid that softens skin, reduces transepidermal water loss, and adds body to balms, creams, and hair conditioners.
Is Shea\ clean?
It is broadly accepted in clean-beauty standards, with low irritation and sensitization rates for most users. The main quality considerations are freshness, refining level, and oxidation control, not restricted-list concerns.
Is Shea\ sustainable?
It is a renewable, plant-derived lipid and is expected to biodegrade readily. Sustainability depends on traceable sourcing, fair payment for kernel collectors and processors, and responsible harvesting from savanna agroforestry systems.
Is Shea\ COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic standards when sourced and processed according to the standard, with organic certification required for organic claims. It fits Green Chemistry well because it is renewable, biodegradable, and can be produced by mechanical extraction and simple refining, though solvent extraction or intensive deodorization can reduce alignment.
How does Shea\ work chemically?
This material is a semi-solid triglyceride-rich plant lipid, with high stearic and oleic acid content plus an unsaponifiable fraction that can include triterpene esters, tocopherols, and sterols. Typical use levels range from 1 to 5% in lotions and hair conditioners, 5 to 20% in creams and body butters, and higher in anhydrous balms; it is oil-phase soluble, pH-independent, and benefits from antioxidants such as tocopherol to slow rancidity.
Last updated 2026-05-13