Let's talk about one of my all-time favorite ingredients: cocoa butter! I absolutely adore the rich, natural aroma of raw cocoa butter and the way it enhances some of my most cherished formulations. However, I've always had a bit of a challenge with fragrances—working with them often leaves me with migraines. That's why you’ll find that many of my facial products are fragrance-free. For those of us who love the scent of raw cocoa, it's a treat, but I know that not everyone feels the same. Some prefer refined cocoa butter to avoid its strong natural fragrance.
But let’s face it—cocoa butter has become incredibly expensive lately. The price has skyrocketed everywhere, and here in Canada, it's now $93.99 per pound! Yikes! For the past ten years, I’ve sourced most of my carrier oils, butters, and essential oils from New Directions Aromatics, and I’ve always been impressed with the quality of their raw materials and their fair pricing. Unfortunately, even they have had to raise prices due to market conditions.
So, why has the cost of cocoa butter increased so dramatically? The answer is multifaceted, but a significant factor is that the majority of the world’s cocoa butter supply comes from West Africa. Recently, extreme weather conditions have led to failing crops, resulting in shortages and, consequently, higher prices.
In these times, with small businesses operating on tighter profit margins, it's crucial to explore alternative options for cocoa butter. In this post, I’ll delve into some research on this issue, discuss the impact on businesses like ours, and suggest potential substitutions that can help you maintain the quality of your products without breaking the bank.
First, let's cover some details about Cocoa Butter!
Name: Cocoa ButterDescription:Cocoa butter, extracted from the seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), is a rich and luxurious botanical butter, highly valued in cosmetic formulations for its moisturizing and nourishing properties. It is obtained from cocoa beans through pressing and refining processes.
Celebrated for its emollient and skin-softening qualities, cocoa butter is a natural source of healthy fats, including oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid. These fatty acids create a protective barrier on the skin, locking in moisture and preventing water loss, which helps maintain hydrated and supple skin.
Cocoa butter also contains antioxidants like flavonoids and polyphenols, which protect the skin from oxidative damage caused by free radicals. This protection can help delay the signs of aging, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and promote a more youthful complexion.
Beyond its moisturizing and antioxidant benefits, cocoa butter has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, making it effective for calming irritated or inflamed skin. It can alleviate dryness, itchiness, and redness associated with conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.
Comedogenic Rating: 4 (this isn't major, despite what a lot of misinformation online leads DIYers to believe. I will cover this in-depth in future Patreon posts)
Skin Types Best Suited For: Body Products, Mature Skin, Eczema, Psoriasis
Absorption: Medium-Slow Melting Point: 34-38cFatty Acid Profile: Palmitic Acid 25%, Stearic Acid 37%, Oleic Acid 34%, Linoleic Acid 3%
Now let's go over some Cosmetic Butter substitutes, I will then provide other forms of substitutes for everyone to consider!
Cosmetic Butter Substitutes:
Kokum Butter is a great Cocoa Butter substitute. It is a harder butter with similar properties. It can be substituted at an equal %. Melting Point: 37-40c
Illipe Butter has similar properties to Cocoa Butter but has a higher melting point. If you are making anhydrous products, higher melting point butters can help to slightly prolong the melting time of your product. Melting Point: 37-42c
Cupuacu Butter is a softer butter but is rich in stearic and oleic acids making it another substitute for Cocoa Butter. If you are making an emulsified product, you could substitute at equal % however with an anhydrous product you will notice quite a difference in the overall texture of your finished product. I will get into options you have to create firmness in your anhydrous products later in the post. Melting Point: 30-35c
Note: While there are a few other butter options, all of them are more expensive than cocoa butter currently is which defeats the purpose of substituting.
Now let's go over ways to thicken or harden your anhydrous products:
Definition of an Anhydrous Product: An anhydrous cosmetic product is a type of formulation that does not contain any water. These products are made up of oils, butters, waxes, and other oil soluble raw materials.
Anhydrous Product Capabilities: Anhydrous products, while excellent for protecting the skin and locking in moisture, do not hydrate the skin on their own. This is because they lack water, which is essential for directly adding moisture to the skin. Instead, anhydrous products are composed of oils, butters, and waxes, which form a protective barrier on the skin's surface.
When used on their own, especially over an extended period, anhydrous products can actually lead to dryness. This happens because, although they seal the skin, they don't provide any water to replenish moisture levels. Without adequate hydration from water or water-based products, the skin can become dehydrated, leading to dryness and a compromised skin barrier.
However, anhydrous products are highly effective when used in combination with water-based products. When applied over a hydrating product like a toner, serum, or moisturizer, they help to lock in the moisture provided by those products. By forming a barrier on the skin, anhydrous products help prevent Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL), which is the evaporation of water from the skin's surface. This barrier effect helps to maintain the skin's hydration levels, keeping it soft, supple, and protected.
Common Uses of Cocoa Butter in Anhydrous Products: Cocoa Butter is commonly used in anhydrous products to thicken or harden a formulation, while providing fantastic skin benefits.
What You Can Use Instead: There are plenty of options available (Yay!). Many of the alternatives I’ll list are not only more affordable but also offer substantial prolonged melting times for your anhydrous products, along with some fantastic skin benefits. These options are often overlooked by homecrafters, so I’m excited to share them with you.
Substitutions Based On Product Type:
Anhydrous Body Butters: Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Non-Ionic Emulsifiers (Emulsifying Wax NF, Polawax, OliveM1000), Cationic Emulsifer (BTMS50), Cetyl Esters, Jojoba Esters, Oliwax, Montanov L.
Emulsifiers in Anhydrous Body Butters:
When making an anhydrous butter you can opt to use a softer more affordable butter, like Refined Shea Butter, with a combination of carrier oils and use a thickener or emulsifier to give it some added texture, skin benefits and prolong it's melting time! You do not need to add water to a product to use an emulsifier. The above mentioned emulsifiers are oil-soluble and will work perfectly in your anhydrous body butters. You would use them at a much lower rate than you would a hard butter. Depending on your formulation and finished product desire, you would generally use an emulsifier at anywhere from 1-10%
Thickeners in Anhydrous Body Butters: Thickeners (Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol) work well in anhydrous body butter formulations. Providing similar benefits as emulsifers do (in anhydrous formulas only, this is not a general rule! Things change once water is added). Again, depending on your formulation and desired outcome, you could use a thickener anywhere from 1 - 6%.
Esters in cosmetic formulations are synthetic or naturally-derived compounds formed by the reaction of an alcohol and a fatty acid. They are used to enhance the texture, stability, and performance of various cosmetic products.
Cetyl Esters, for example, is a waxy mixture primarily composed of esters of saturated fatty alcohols and saturated fatty acids. It is used in both emulsions and anhydrous products to provide a lubricious feel and a soft gloss. In formulations such as creams, lotions, and ointments, cetyl esters act as a stiffening agent and emollient, contributing to increased viscosity and improved stability. These esters help to achieve a desirable texture and enhance the overall sensory experience of the product.
Substituting Cocoa Butter in Emulsions: You can substitute cocoa butter for another butter of your choice, at the same % in an emulsion. Hard butters like cocoa butter should never be used to thicken an emulsion ( I have explained in depth the reason why in previous posts).
Substituting Cocoa Butter in Balms: When substituting cocoa butter in balms, you can opt for another cosmetic butter, such as kokum butter. The percentage of the substitute will depend on the specific butter you choose and the desired characteristics of your final product. You may need to experiment with different amounts to achieve the right texture and consistency. Additionally, depending on your overall formulation, you might need to adjust the quantity of waxes to ensure that the final product matches the original cocoa butter formulation in terms of texture and performance.
I am looking forward to creating other educational posts for FREE Patreon members. In the fall I will upload some new educational information the the Your Cosmetic Chemist website along with some DIY formulas.
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