VEGETABLE BUTTERS IN COSMETICS

So what exactly is vegetable butter?

Very simplistically, it's basically an extract from fruits such as seeds, kernels, beans or nuts that have a "fatty" base.

The butter melts on contact with the skin and is an emollient and moisturizing ingredient. They can be used alone or as part of formulations to make creams, body milks and other skin and hair care products.

In addition to moisturizing and nourishing, they often contribute stability, viscosity, or even hardness in your products.

pohľad na misku s bambuckým maslom bledo béžovej farby a s orechami bambuckého masla hneď pri miske. Miska aj orechy sú na bledošedom nekonečnom podklade.

What all can butter contain?

Most butters contain the following ingredients in varying proportions and combinations, which also determine how or where a particular butter is used:

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

- create and maintain the skin's natural oil barrier

- moisturises the skin, preventing premature ageing and maintaining its youthful appearance

- nourishes the cells and protects the skin by forming an antimicrobial barrier

- prevents or eliminates water loss through the skin

VITAMINS

- prevents skin ageing, improves skin condition, minimises the appearance of wrinkles and age spots or pigment spots

- protects against the adverse effects of UV rays

- nourish hair and skin, while also effectively counteracting hair loss and dandruff formation

- reduce swelling, redness and sensitive skin manifestations

PROTEINS

- repairs and builds new cells and tissues

- contribute to hair and skin immunity

MINERALS

- protects skin and hair from external destructive influences

- regulate sebum production and moisture

- promote the growth of thicker hair

- exfoliate the skin

ANTIOXIDANTS

- improve blood circulation and metabolism

- improves skin condition and health

- strengthens hair and prevents hair loss

POLYPHENOLS

- exhibit photoprotective properties (protect skin and hair from the degenerative effects of UV rays)

- have antioxidant effects

- prevent collagen breakdown, thus restoring skin elasticity

- increase the moisture level of both skin and hair

PHYTOSTEROLS

- their main role is to maintain the structure of cells, thus helping the healing of various skin disorders such as dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, burns, scars, wounds, thus having both regenerative and anti-inflammatory effects

TOKOFEROL

- has natural preservative properties

- has anti-inflammatory effects

- accelerates wound healing and tissue regeneration

Before we get into the characteristics of the extraction processes of butters, there is some "technical" and qualitative information you should know about butters.

CONSISTENCY

Not all vegetable butters have the solid consistency that we naturally imagine butter to have. This does not mean they are spoiled. Avocado butter, for example, has a mushy texture at room temperature. A bit like hummus. Cocoa butter, on the other hand, is so hard that you could grate it on a grater like Parmesan cheese.

It is the consistency that can make a big difference to the final product, and if you want to swap ingredients in a proven recipe, this is the aspect to bear in mind.

COLOUR/FINISH

Colour and smell are undoubtedly the first aspects that we intuitively evaluate when choosing butter. However, butters are either odourless or have only a very slight aroma, usually sweet, nutty or characteristic of the plant material from which they come.

They vary greatly in colour depending on the natural colour of the nuts, seeds or kernels from which they are extracted. Shea butter has a natural ivory colour, avocado butter has subtle greenish tones and vegan butters such as bacuri or combo are almost cocoa dark, while paradoxically cocoa butter is yellowish.

ABSORPCION

The absorption of butter into the skin is similar. Not all butters leave a greasy effect and need to be massaged in for several minutes to ensure complete absorption.

There are butters that are light, soft and quickly absorbed into the skin but leave a smooth, silky finish (e.g. kokum, cupuacu, cocoa butter). On the other hand, there are also butters that leave a strong moisturizing barrier on the skin. These are not recommended for hypersensitive skin that is acneic.

Because of the above criteria, it is also important to realise that butters are the result of the extraction of purely natural ingredients, so their consistency, colour or scent may vary from batch to batch, of course only to a certain permitted extent. For each butter in our shop, you will also find an attached certificate, which contains the measured values of the batch in question.

Which butter you choose for your recipe is, of course, a matter of personal preference, but it is also important to understand in advance the intention, i.e. the final effect of the product.

For example, a light butter with quick absorption and no greasy residue would be an excellent choice for oily skin or hair, as it would quickly penetrate the skin and hair without clogging the pores. On the other hand, a thick, deeply moisturizing butter has a better effect for treating dry and damaged skin or hair.

RECOMMENDATION

In order for the butter to retain its original properties for as long as possible (within its stated shelf life), it should also be stored at home in the right conditions. These are in a cool dark place and the butter should be stored in an airtight container.

If you use butters for your personal use or work with them in the manufacture of skin care products, you will be familiar with these attributes:

- organic/BIO

- refined butter

- unrefined butter

- deodorised

Unrefined butter

Created by extraction from the fruit without the use of chemicals and preservatives. It can be extracted by a combination of traditional handmade methods and mechanical pressing. In this case, we can say that it is raw butter. This is the highest quality stage of processing, where all the original vitamins, substances and fatty acids remain in the butter.

The butter also retains its natural flavour and has a comparatively shorter minimum shelf-life than other forms of processing, which, as we have already mentioned, can be maintained by the recommended method of storage. After the minimum shelf-life (when stored correctly), the process of change in physical properties is much faster than for chemically processed butters.

Refined butter

Usually prepared with hexane or other petroleum solvents and usually preserved. It loses much of its original nutritional value, and its consistency and texture, as well as its colour and smell, are also altered.

Shea butter is an excellent example for comparison , where you can already see the difference with the naked eye. Although nowadays there is a growing interest in unrefined and organic versions of vegetable butters, refined butters also have their advantages. They may be less nutritious, but they still contain valuable substances, just to a lesser degree, and they have a longer shelf life, so that even after that time, the butters can still be used without worry.

If you need to add a moisturizing ingredient to your product just in the form of shea refined butter, it will guarantee you an effective ingredient, the product will not discolor or smell unwanted for someone and due to the longer warranty it will not shorten the shelf life of your final product.

Dodorized

In the case of cocoa butter, you may also come across the adjective deodorized. As this is a butter that has a stronger scent, the demand for a less fragrant version has necessitated this treatment. Unfortunately, in this case too, the deodorisation process has not only removed the smell, but has also changed the colour and nutritional value due to the heat treatment. As with refined shea butter, deodorised cocoa butter has similar processing advantages.

Article prepared for you by

Martina Oboňová

Sources:
https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/products/all-about-butters.html