Nothing beats a good body butter. The problem? Sometimes they’re not good for you, and the wrong body butter or body oil can be thick, comedogenic (pore-clogging), and greasy.
That’s why we only stick to these MVPs - and you should too.
Mango Seed Butter
Mango seed butter is a body butter made from the seed - aka the pit - of a mango. Like shea and cocoa butter, the great thing about mango seed butter is that it’s light and ultra-moisturizing without being comedogenic or greasy.
Specifically, mango seed butter is:
Nutrient-Dense
Mangoes are rich in a ton of nutrients like:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Zinc
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Antioxidants and phytochemicals
These ingredients make the mango fruit an ultra-nutritious option to add to your diet. That said, they also make mango seed butter a great skincare ingredient. The antioxidants, in particular, can help fight free radical damage and prevent future damage on the skin, while vitamin A can effectively address fine lines and wrinkles.
Minimally Fragrant
While fresh mango smells great, the prospect of having that smell slathered all over your body can seem overwhelming to the senses.
Fortunately, mango butter actually has a subtle, fresh scent, so it shouldn’t irritate even the most fragrant-sensitive of users.
Non-Comedogenic
Mango butter is non-comedogenic, meaning that it won’t irritate skin or clog pores. This makes it a great moisturizer for those with acne-prone or combination skin who might be more sensitive to other body butters.
Suitable for Sensitive Skin
It has remarkable anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe dry patches while also providing skin with essential nutrients it needs in order to heal.
Great For Fine Lines and Wrinkles
As you age, your skin naturally produces less oil. This is a contributing factor to the development of fine lines and wrinkles.
Mango butter can effectively address these concerns. Packed with fatty acids, minerals, and vitamin A, mango butter can soften fine lines and restore your natural sebum production if your skin is too dry or too oily.
Find it in: Bright Side
Shea Butter
Shea butter is a fat, or lipid, that is extracted from African shea tree nuts. It’s ultra-rich in fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins, all of which make it a game-changing skincare ingredient. Specifically, shea butter can:
Reduce Lines and Wrinkles
Shea butter can help with fine lines and wrinkles for a number of reasons. First, it contains five essential fatty acids - phytosterols, vitamin E, vitamin D, allantoin, and vitamin A - all of which can help hydrate, stimulate collagen, fight free radical damage, and battle fine lines and wrinkles.
It also contains triterpenes, a chemical that is shown to slow the breakdown of existing collagen in the skin.
Soothe Eczema and Psoriasis
Conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis often cause dry, irritated, flaky skin.
Shea butter has anti-inflammatory and emollient properties that can help soothe these conditions and provide relief for any flares. In fact, one study of 34 children found that a cream containing shea butter was just as effective at soothing their symptoms as a medicated cream.
Provide Antioxidant Protection
Shea butter is also rich in antioxidants, which can protect against the free radical damage that causes lines, wrinkles, dark spots, and other skin concerns. In particular, shea butter contains polyphenols, the same anti-aging antioxidant powerhouses found in green tea that are known to provide photoprotective effects against UV-induced skin inflammation, immunosuppression, DNA damage, and more.
Deeply Hydrate
As an emollient, shea butter can soak deeply into the skin and create a moisture-sealing barrier that can last for several hours. It also contains fatty acids like stearic, palmitic, and linoleic acids, all of which can help strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and further lock in moisture.
Linoleic acid, in particular, can boost hydration and provide anti-inflammatory properties for deeply hydrated, nourished skin.
One place shea butter can make a huge impact on is the hands. Using a natural hand cream loaded with shea butter will soothe irritated, cracked hands on the spot.
Soothe Sunburns
Finally, shea butter’s anti-inflammatory properties also make it really effective at soothing sunburns. In fact, studies have shown that the oils in shea butter can effectively help treat first degree burns (and the emollient properties don’t hurt, either).
Find it in: Daydreamer, Bright Side, Soulmate
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter comes from the cacao tree, the same place we get chocolate from. To obtain cocoa butter, cocoa seeds (found inside large, gourd-shaped pods that each contain 30-40 seeds) are dried, roasted, and pressed. Then the naturally-stabilized vegetable fat is extracted from the beans, and that is the cocoa butter.
Like mango butter and shea butter, cocoa butter has many beneficial ingredients and skin benefits. Specifically, cocoa butter:
Is Antioxidant-Rich
Cocoa butter is high in antioxidants that help fight off free radical damage. Like shea butter, it is particularly rich in polyphenols, plant-derived chemicals that are known to reduce inflammation and protect the skin from sun damage and other environmental stressors.
Cocoa butter’s anti-inflammatory properties can also help guard against long-term cell damage and age-related skin concerns.
Provides Rich Moisture
Cocoa butter is also a rich emollient high in fatty acids like oleic, palmitic, and stearic acid.
These fatty acids restore the skin’s natural barrier, heal redness and inflammation, and provide deep, lasting moisture. They can also help soothe skin irritation from conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
Reduces Stretch Marks and Scars
Cocoa butter has also been used for generations to minimize the appearance of stretch marks both during and after pregnancy. Though there isn’t hard evidence to back this up, the claims do make some sense. On one hand, the butter’s high fatty acid content can provide skin-soothing moisture and anti-inflammatory benefits. Similarly, the phytochemicals in cocoa butter help improve blood flow, which can bring nutrients to the skin and encourage healthy cell turnover.
Find it in: Cloud Whip, All In, Daydreamer, Cocoa Cocoa Creme Body Butter