Shea butter

What does shea butter do for skin?

Think of the patch on your shin or the side of your heel that turns white and papery in winter, or hands that feel tight again an hour after washing. Shea butter is a rich, solid fat that creams and balms use for exactly that kind of dryness.

On an ingredient list it appears as Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter. A US safety panel that reviewed 13 shea ingredients found they are “most frequently reported to function in cosmetics as skin and hair conditioning agents,” which is the regulatory way of saying they soften and smooth.

What is shea butter made of?

Mostly two fatty acids, in proportions that change with where the trees grow. A study of 36 shea nut samples from seven African countries found that “Fatty acid composition is dominated by stearic (28-56%) and oleic (34-61%) acids.”

A larger study of 150 samples from four countries found the balance tips by region: oleic acid dominates in shea from Uganda, stearic acid in shea from West Africa.

The rest is a small fraction, 2% to 12% of the fat, that does not turn into soap. In the seven-country study, plant compounds called triterpene alcohols made up 22% to 72% of that fraction. There is little human research on what they do in a cream.

Does shea butter help very dry skin?

It helps as part of a moisturizer, which is how it has been tested. In a 14-day double-blind trial at a hospital in Indonesia, adults with mild to moderate eczema-prone skin used either a moisturizer containing shea butter along with several other soothing ingredients, or a moisturizer without them. Skin hydration readings rose from 35.97 to 66.06 in the first group and from 40.74 to 56.12 in the second, a significant difference. Because shea butter was one of several added ingredients, the study cannot say how much of that came from shea alone.

A 4-week study of 34 children with eczema-prone skin in Hong Kong found a cream with a shea butter extract was rated very good or good by 74% of the patients. Its authors noted that it “did not differ in acceptability or efficacy from a ceramide-precursor product,” so shea performed about as well as a comparable barrier cream, not better.

Rich fats like shea are usually paired with ingredients that draw water into the skin; we explain how the two kinds work together in humectant vs occlusive skincare.

How long until you notice a difference?

In the trials above, changes in hydration and comfort were measured after 2 to 4 weeks of daily use. For cracked heels or very dry hands, give a shea-rich cream 2 weeks of nightly use before deciding; our guides to cracked heels and dry, cracked hands in winter explain how to get more from it.

How do you use shea butter in a routine?

Use it as the last step, over damp skin or over a water-based product. A plain shea balm is thick, so it suits elbows, knees, heels, hands and very dry body skin better than an oily face. On the face, a lotion or cream with shea further down the ingredient list usually feels more comfortable than a balm built on it.

It pairs well with glycerin or urea, which pull water into the skin, and with ceramides, which support the skin’s own barrier fats.

Who should be careful with shea butter?

Shea comes from a tree nut, so people with nut allergies often ask about it. A 2011 laboratory report was titled “Shea butter contains no IgE-binding soluble proteins,” meaning it did not find the type of protein that allergy antibodies react to. That is reassuring, but it is one lab study; if you have a severe nut allergy, ask your allergist before using a shea product.

The US safety panel concluded shea ingredients “are safe in the present practices of use and concentration when formulated to be non-sensitizing.” If your face is prone to clogged pores or small bumps, rich balms of any kind are worth testing on a small area first; we did not find a study rating shea itself as pore-clogging or not. As with any new product, patch test first if your skin reacts easily.