If you are madly in love coffee and chocolate you might not want to make this lotion or you may end up on the receiving end of some rather peculiar looks as you lick yourself at your desk at work. Assuming you can resist the urge to like yourself, though, this lotion is definitely on the must-make list.
The chocolatey scent comes from one of my all-time favourite ingredients—raw, deliciously cocoa scented cocoa butter (USA / Canada). I get mine from New Directions Aromatics, and I haven’t found anything that compares in the scent department. I’ve also added a bit of cocoa absolute to really get this chocolatey party started.
The coffee scent comes from a wee bottle of utterly intoxicating coffee essential oil from Saffire Blue. If you don’t have coffee essential oil, feel free to use a coffee bean infused liquid carrier oil instead of the avocado oil I’ve called for.
The cocoa and the coffee pair to form a decadent pair, and I’ve accentuated them with a hint of vanilla-like benzoin.
The water part of the lotion is plain old water. I considered coffee, but all my coffee based lotion experiments have resulted in lotions that give one the appearance of having been on the receiving end of a particularly low-grade spray tan, so I thought not.
The final lotion is light and absorbs quickly, leaving behind a rich, slightly smokey coffee-chocolate smell that’s downright decadent. Yum!
Mocha Body Lotion
5g | 0.17oz emulsimulse/ritamulse (or other complete emulsifying wax—not beeswax!)
10g | 0.35oz cocoa butter (USA / Canada)
10g | 0.35oz avocado oil70g | 2.5oz distilled water
3g | 0.1oz vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada)
2g | 0.07oz honey5 drops coffee essential oil
3 drops cocoa absolute
1 blob benzoin essential oilBroad spectrum preservative of choice (why?)
Weigh out the emulsifying wax, cocoa butter (USA / Canada), and avocado oil in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat.
While the waxes and oils are melting, combine the water, honey, and vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada) in a small glass measuring cup and gently warm.
Once the oils have melted, add the water mixture. Heat through to ensure everything is melted before removing the pan from the heat.
Whisk the mixture as it cools—it will thicken into a nice white cream (the thickening may take a few days if you are using a different emulsifying wax than emulsimulse/ritamulse).
Whisk in the essential oils and preservative, and decant the mixture to a 120mL/4oz pump-top bottle. Enjoy!
Hmmm…love this for a Valentines day treat/gift!
Thanks Marie again for all your research and blending skills.
Thanks, Jess! Enjoy 🙂
what is cocoa absolute? Is it cocoa vodka?
No—cocoa absolute is basically the essential oil of the cocoa bean, though the extraction method is a bit different, which is why it’s called an absolute.
Which Cocoa butter from New Direction? Organic or 100% natural.
also, I was a little disappointed to find out that you have to spend $100 at New Direction or pay a $20 surcharge 🙁
Yeah. Oh well. The options here in Canada are either pay more from another supplier online, or pay WAY more locally 🙁
I’ve found the 100% natural smells the best 🙂
I’ve always wanted to make something, like a body oil or butter, with this scent combination – chocolate, coffee, and vanilla. Yum! Maybe now I’ll be more motivated.
Yum! It sounds like great minds think alike 🙂
Love the sound of this, and who doesn’t like chocolate!
Saw advertised yesterday (a link was sent to me) of a new preservative Biogro certified called Totarol K7. Broad spectrum effect on bacteria, yeasts and mould, especially useful in skincare products and developed here in NZ from the totara tree. Maybe a good one to add to your list?
Oooh, that preservative looks very cool! It hits all the right marks in terms of pH and usage… but darn, is it PRICEY! I’ll keep an eye out for it in Canada and cross my fingers that I can try it for less that $15.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you are able to purchase cheaper than us. Because we are a small country often we end up paying more than North America/Canada/Europe etc for imports as we are so far away from anywhere. But even though it is manufactured here I think the retail price is quite high.
I’ll be sure to keep an eye out… for it, or a seat sale to NZ 😉
Have you ever considered making body butter as opposed to lotion so there’s no water involved and thus no worry of bacteria forming?
Like this? 😉
Arrrggghhh I made the hemp lotion – great!!
Made this one with two changes and…. a big sad flop.
Help??
I didn’t have coffee EO so made fresh brewed strong coffee with the water. Would that have caused it to not set up and thicken?
Hi Victoria! My guess is that the pH of the coffee broke or compromised the emulsion :/
Marie, do you ever have problems with the water and oils separating after a few days? I made a lotion, mixed with a hand mixer, and it looked nice and fluffy when done. But, after a few days, it separated and started to look pretty icky. I still use it, and it works fine, but aesthetically not so nice. I did note as I was making it that the final bit of water I added didn’t seem to absorb as well….could too much water be an issue? (in the interest of full disclosure, it wasn’t one of your recipes.)
Hi Judi! I’ve had this happen perhaps once, and that was with a beeswax/borax emulsion that wasn’t mixed vigorously enough. It does sound like whatever recipe you are using isn’t quite balanced in the emulsion department. If it calls for ewax, you likely just need more, but if it’s a combination of natural emulsifiers it’s really hard to say.
So, coffee bean infused carrier oil…just plop a couple beans in a jar with some sweet almond oil or olive oil?
This sounds so very yummy. I love the smell of cocoa butter…and coffee.
Yup! I roughly ground about 1/3 cup of beans, put them in a 500mL mason jar, and topped that jar off with olive oil. Capped it, put it on a windowsill for a couple weeks, and then moved it to a dark cupboard 🙂
This sounds divine! I made a mocha sugar scrub recently using cocoa butter and coffee grounds to give it to a friend. I bet they’re a bit similar. Thanks for sharing, Marie. I always love your posts.
.. Laura ..
Thanks, Laura!
Do you think I could substitute unrefined shea for the cocoa butter?
No, and for several reasons. Here’s a whole article on it 🙂
Great read. We love this lotion, but my 7 yr old hates the smell (Crazy, I know right). I left the EO’s out, so its just the cocoa butter fragrance. I know I could use refined, but.. I won’t. I normally use the recipe for your manly lotion, and add other EO’s for scent, but this one seems so much thicker, and creamier for the winter. Thanks again for responding.
Enjoy the creamy goodness! The thickness of cocoa butter makes for a decadent lotion 🙂
Hope you had a great weekend Marie!
Quick question about process/ equipment (unrelated to your lovely recipe here, sorry!). I see in your image(s) that you’re melting your oils in a heat-proof measuring cup, in a water filled pan. Do you have your measuring cup directly in the pan, or is it resting on a double boiler maker (usually a metal ring). Right now I’m using reg double boiler insert pots, but I’m looking for a simple way to run very small test batches.
Any insight here would be mucho-appreciated! You rock btw.
Hi Elle! That glass cup is just sitting on the bottom of the pan 😛 Perhaps I should get a metal ring, but it’s been nearly 4 years and so far, so good.
Thanks Marie, I’ll give it a whirl!
Amazon has ‘double boiler maker’ advertised for…$80!!! Come on, it’s a metal ring! Not making that splurge..
I feel like one could achieve roughly the same thing with a wire coat hanger and a pair of pliers … o_O