Cocoa Butter, American Refined

Cocoa Butter is a non-toxic, natural, plant-based lipid.  It is solid at room temperature and melts at body temperature making it an ideal companion for personal care products. Koster Keunen Cocoa Butter is National Formulary (N.F.) grade and can be used in personal care, nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. Refined cocoa butter can be used as an emollient or excipient and is one of the most stable solid lipid ingredients available. The butter is a fat that is removed from the roasted seeds of the Theobroma Cacao. The Cacao tree is found in central and south America and grows commercially throughout the tropics with a high percentage now growing in Africa. Cocoa butter is high in fatty acids including Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, and Stearic Acid. It is used to soften skin and has nourishing and hydrating abilities. Using cocoa butter in cosmetic applications over other lipids will provide a richer, more moisturized feeling. Cocoa butter is also widely used in balms, ointments, salves, and lip products for the same reasons. In the hair, cocoa butter can moisturize it and make it more manageable. It is used as a deep conditioner and pre-shampoo depending on hair type. The amount of cocoa butter one will use in the hair is determined by the thickness. For people with thin hair, use sparingly. As hair becomes thicker and more coarse, more can be used to tame frizz, or as a natural pomade. Pharmaceuticals use cocoa butter as an ideal base for medicinal suppositories as it is non-toxic, solid at room temperature, and melts at body temperature. In the food industry, it is found in chocolate and other food products. 

To use cocoa butter in anhydrous cosmetic applications, add it to the oil phase and melt completely.  The temperature and cooling rate the finished product is poured at will determine the overall structure of the system. In emulsions, consider using refined cocoa butter instead or in conjunction with the oils in the system, making sure to melt before emulsification. 

The Koster Keunen formulation team has created many personal care formulas including skin care, color cosmetics, and hair care products using cocoa butter.