| What is it? |
Cocoa butter is the fat extracted from cocoa beans. |
| INCI |
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter |
| Appearance |
Beige chunks |
| Texture |
Hard and brittle at room temperature—just like a good bar of chocolate. When it melts, the oil is thin and smooth, and absorbs into the skin easily. |
| Scent |
Deliciously chocolatey! You can also buy deodorized stuff that smells like mostly nothing. |
| Absorbency Speed |
Fast |
| Approximate Melting Point |
34°C/93°F |
| Why do we use it in formulations? |
Cocoa butter will help thicken recipes without adding a wax (and even solidify if used in high enough concentrations)—check out this experiment for more information. It’s wonderfully smooth, and brings its delicious chocolatey scent to projects. Yum! |
| Do you need it? |
I’d say so! I use it all the time, and I love just taking the lid off the tub and inhaling the super delicious scent. YUM. |
| Refined or unrefined? |
I say unrefined all the way, but if you don’t like the smell of chocolate then refined is your best bet. |
| Strengths |
Amazing scent, smooth texture, it’s a rare brittle butter. |
| Weaknesses |
Not everybody loves the scent (easily solved by purchasing deodorized cocoa butter (USA / Canada)). |
| Alternatives & Substitutions |
There aren’t a lot of brittle butters out there that make good swaps; kokum butter or tucuma butter would be the best choices. |
| How to Work with It |
Include cocoa butter in the oil phase of your products. Melt it gently in a water bath along with the rest of your ingredients. |
| Storage & Shelf Life |
Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, cocoa butter should last at least two years. |
| Tips, Tricks, and Quirks |
You can also purchase dark cocoa butter (USA / Canada), but I’ve found that to be a bit of a novelty; I wouldn’t bother with it. |
| Recommended starter amount |
100g (3oz) |
| Where to Buy it |
Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon. |
Some Formulations that Use Cocoa Butter
