Kokum Butter

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What is it? Kokum butter is a very firm plant-derived butter from the seeds of the Garcinia Indica fruit. It is primarily comprised of stearic and oleic fatty acids.
INCI Garcinia Indica Seed Butter
Appearance Solid off-white butter
Usage rate Up to 100%
Texture Very solid—firmer than shea and mango butters, but not fully brittle like cocoa or tucuma. While brittle butters will snap, kokum is more inclined to crumble.
Scent The refined version has no noticeable scent.
Absorbency Speed Fast to average
Approximate Melting Point 37–40°C (98.6–104°F)
Solubility Oil
Why do we use it in formulations? Used in large amounts kokum butter can form the backbone of thick body butters, and help harden/stabilize body butter bars, shampoo bars, and other solid products. In lower concentrations it is a beautiful non-greasy emollient.
Do you need it? No
Refined or unrefined? I’ve only worked with refined, and I like it.
Strengths Kokum butter is a beautiful emollient with a non-greasy skin feel that also offers thickening/hardening to our products.
Weaknesses It can be harder to find than more common butters like cocoa and shea.
Alternatives & Substitutions Cocoa butter or tucuma butter would be my top choices, though if you have cupuacu or mango butters you could also try 90% cocoa/tucuma and 10% cupuacu/mango.
How to Work with It Include it in the oil phase of your formulations; you will likely need to melt it to work with it unless you live somewhere quite warm.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, kokum butter should last at least two years.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Because kokum butter melts just above body temperature it is a good choice for body butters—blending with softer oils will slightly lower the melting point, giving you a product that melts on skin contact.
Recommended starter amount 100g (3.5oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon.

Some Formulations that Use Kokum Butter

Skills

Posted on

April 9, 2019