Shea butter is an emollient: a rich fat that softens and smooths dry skin and leaves a fine layer on the surface that helps hold moisture in. That is why it sits at the heart of so many body butters, balms and lotions. How much it does for you depends on how much of it a formula contains and what it is paired with, so it is worth knowing how to find it on a label, and which texture suits which part of the body.
What Is Shea Butter?
Shea butter is the fat pressed from the nuts of the shea tree. On an ingredient list it appears under its INCI name, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, an older botanical name for the tree that cosmetic labelling has kept. It is made up mostly of stearic and oleic acids, which is why it is firm in the jar yet softens as soon as it meets the warmth of your skin. It also carries a larger share than most plant butters of what chemists call the unsaponifiable fraction, part of what gives it its dense, cushioning feel.
In cosmetic terms, shea does two jobs. As an emollient, it fills the small gaps between the dry cells at the skin's surface, so skin looks and feels smoother. As an occlusive, it forms a light film that helps slow the loss of water from the skin. What it does not do is draw water in. That is the work of humectants such as glycerin, urea and hyaluronic acid, which is why so many body formulas pair the two. We explain humectants more fully in Hyaluronic Acid: What It Does for Skin and How to Use It.
How Do You Find Shea on a Label?
In the EU, ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration, down to those present at 1% or less, which may follow in any order. The closer Butyrospermum Parkii Butter sits to the top, the more of the formula it makes up. You will also see related names. Butyrospermum Parkii Oil is the softer, liquid part of the butter, used where a lighter texture is wanted, and shea butter extract appears in some formulas too. Every product in this piece lists one of these names in its ingredients.
Pure Butter, Body Butter, Balm or Lotion?
Pure shea butter is the butter alone. It is firm, so warm a small amount between your palms until it turns to oil, then press it into the skin. It is the richest form and the slowest to absorb, best kept for small, very dry areas. A body butter is a rich cream, a blend of water and oils in which shea is a leading ingredient, so it spreads easily over large areas and sinks in more quickly. Balms are usually denser than a cream, and some contain little or no water. Lotions and milks carry shea in a lighter base, made for every day.
Body Butters
When shea leads a formula, the texture is rich and the finish cushioning. Tree Hut Coco Colada Whipped Shea Body Butter has shea butter at its heart, with pineapple extract and coconut oil, in a whipped soufflé texture designed to absorb quickly. Naturalium Coconut Body Butter is made for normal to dry skin, with shea butter second only to water on its list, alongside coconut oil and vitamins E and B5. IDC Institute Soothing Body Butter With Aloe Vera pairs aloe vera with shea butter extract in a rich, cocooning texture for dry skin.
Rich Creams and Balms for Very Dry Skin
For skin that feels tight all over, a richer cream or balm used daily is often all a body routine needs. Sisley Restorative Body Cream lists shea butter directly after water, in a rich texture made to leave skin soft and supple. La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP+M is a lightweight balm for very dry skin, again with shea butter second on its list, with niacinamide; it is fragrance-free and presented for the whole family. Jeanne Piaubert Nourilys Soothing Ultra-Nourishing Body Balm is made for dry skin and is best massaged in with slow, upward movements. Avène Moisturising Melt-in Balm uses the liquid side of the ingredient, shea oil, with camelina and safflower oils, glycerin and Avène thermal spring water, in a melt-in texture for dry, sensitive skin.
- Restorative Body Cream
- Lipikar Baume AP+M Body Lotion
- Nourilys Soothing Ultra-Nourishing Body Balm
- Moisturising Melt-in Balm Body Lotion
Dry Areas: Elbows, Knees and Feet
Some parts of the body are drier than the rest: elbows, knees, heels and the skin around the nails. This is where a dense, shea-rich balm earns its place. Lierac Body-Nutri The SOS Repair Balm has a balm-in-oil texture that melts on contact, with shea butter and botanical oils, and is made for lips, cuticles, hands, elbows and heels. Matarrania's Elbow & Heel Treatment is the closest this selection comes to pure shea: shea butter is its first ingredient, followed by olive oil, with herbal extracts and lavender oil. Instituto Español Shea Extra Hydrating Body Lotion is a shea-based cream in a compact 30 ml format, easy to keep close at hand.
For rough, thickened skin on the feet, Svr Laboratoire Dermatologique Xerial 50 Extreme Foot Cream pairs 50% urea with shea butter and salicylic acid, and is made for heels, corns and calluses as part of an evening routine. Because of that strength, keep it to the rough areas it is made for and away from broken skin.
- Body-Nutri The SOS Repair Balm
- 100% Organic Elbow & Heel Treatment
- Shea Extra Hydrating Body Lotion
- Xerial 50 Extreme Foot Cream
Body Lotions for After the Shower
The moment for body care is straight after a bath or shower. Pat your skin lightly with a towel so it stays a little damp, then smooth on your lotion within a few minutes: shea's light film helps hold that surface water in, and the lotion spreads further on damp skin. For all-over use every day, a lotion or milk is easier to live with than a butter.
Caudalie Vinotherapist™ Hyaluronic Nourishing Body Lotion pairs hyaluronic acid with shea butter and antioxidant polyphenols in a lightweight texture. Rilastil Xerolact Fluid Emulsion Body Lotion combines sodium lactate, sodium DNA and shea butter in a fast-absorbing fluid for sensitive skin that feels dry or tight. Anne Möller 24H Hydration Body Milk is an ultra-light milk with shea, almond and rice bran oils, made for all skin types. Ecoderma Intense Nourishment Body Lotion is built around tsubaki oil, from the seed of camellia japonica, with shea butter alongside and a velvety feel.
- Vinotherapist™ Hyaluronic Nourishing Body Lotion
- Xerolact Fluid Emulsion Body Lotion
- 24H Hydration Body Milk
- Intense Nourishment Body Lotion
How to Use Shea Butter
- Apply body butters and lotions to skin that is still slightly damp after bathing.
- Keep pure butters and dense balms for small, dry areas; a little goes a long way.
- Warm firm textures between your palms before you apply them.
- For skin that feels both dry and tight, look for a humectant such as glycerin, urea or hyaluronic acid alongside shea.
Shea comes from a nut. If you have a nut allergy, ask your pharmacist or doctor before using a shea-rich product, and patch test any new body care on a small area first.
If you are choosing one product, choose for the area: a body lotion for the whole body after the shower, and a small, dense balm kept for elbows and heels.
