Why cocoa butter

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. If we had to guess, the word "cocoa" makes you think of chocolate initially.

Hopefully, though, by now you know that while it's related in a roundabout way to the chocolate we eat, cocoa butter is a vastly different product. We're not saying it's inedible—cocoa butter is sometimes actually used as a food product. Still, it's more often regarded as a topical because of how great it is for your skin. MacGregor, M. Meet the Expert. Cocoa Butter. Who should use it: In general, anyone who is in need of a body moisturizer—however, if you easily get body acne, you might want to skip this one.

Works well with: Vitamin E oil, shea butter. A little background: Cocoa butter comes from the cacao bean, which is found inside the cocoa pod, which grows on the cacao tree. The cocoa pod is a large, gourd-shaped fruit; inside the pod are 30 to 40 cocoa seeds. After these seeds are dried, roasted, and pressed, the vegetable fat is extracted from the beans; you can even do it at home if you want. That fat is what we know as cocoa "butter," and what's left over can be ground down to become cocoa powder.

Solid at room temperature, cocoa butter has a low melting point and a super long shelf life of around two to five years. It's also rich in antioxidants!

Don't believe us? Cocoa butter is widely available and inexpensive, in tubs and convenient, easy-to-use sticks. You also can buy raw cocoa butter in large batches online if you prefer the DIY skincare route. If you're out searching, you'll find cocoa butter in two forms: refined or unrefined.

Creamy yellow, unrefined cocoa butter is simply cocoa butter in its rawest form. The remnants are processed into cocoa powder, which means the whole cacao pod is utilised. Organic cacao butter is a pure, natural oil that is free from dairy, gluten and sugar, and is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. Cacao Butter is one of the most stable fats known, containing natural antioxidants that prevent rancidity and allow a long storage life of two to five years.

Cacao butter melts at 35 o C and can be used in so many different ways. Cacao butter imparts a rich flavour and silky-smooth consistency, making it the perfect base for chocolate making without the need for dairy or cream. It can be used it in cakes, bliss balls, tarts, 'nicecream', smoothies and basically anything you want to add creamy cacao goodness to. Cacao butter can also be used in natural beauty remedies such as a body butter, as it's a great natural and delicious moisturiser for the whole family.

Cocoa butter may also have healthful benefits. Cocoa butter is also a primary ingredient in chocolate. Chocolate is made up of cocoa butter and cocoa powder, often with milk and sugar. Many skin care products contain cocoa butter, including moisturizers and anti-aging creams. These products claim to have several benefits for skin health, such as alleviating dry skin and improving skin elasticity.

Cocoa contains several antioxidants called polyphenols, which are a group of plant-derived chemicals with a range of potential health benefits. These polyphenols may have benefits for good skin health, such as reducing inflammation and protecting the skin from sun damage.

Despite being an active ingredient in many skin care products, there is little direct evidence that cocoa butter effectively improves skin health. One cell study suggests that cocoa polyphenols improved skin elasticity and skin aging and suggested that cocoa butter may enhance these effects. However, this was a small-scale study, and scientists need to carry out more research before they know the exact effects of cocoa butter on the skin.

Cocoa butter is a core ingredient in many skin moisturizers. Some people use pure cocoa butter to help relieve dry skin. Like other natural moisturizers, such as coconut oil , cocoa butter is mostly made up of fatty acids. These fats may help form a protective layer on the skin, preventing moisture from escaping, and therefore stopping the skin from drying out.

Some people also use cocoa butter to relieve skin dryness from common skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis. While this works for some people, there is no scientific evidence that it will work for everyone.

Many people believe that cocoa butter can prevent stretch marks from developing, especially during pregnancy. Some doctors and midwives may advise the use of cocoa butter during pregnancy to reduce the risk of stretch marks, but there is no evidence that using cocoa butter will achieve this.

One review reports that several studies failed to find any evidence that cocoa butter prevents stretch marks during pregnancy. They add that there is also no evidence that any topical cream prevents stretch marks. Pure cocoa butter is edible. However, it contains a mixture of monounsaturated and saturated fats and few nutrients. Cocoa butter also contains small amounts of vitamin E and vitamin K. Cocoa butter is safe for use on the skin. Pure cocoa butter does not contain any ingredients that are likely to cause problems in most people.

People can eat pure cocoa butter but should not ingest cocoa butter products designed for the skin. As with many skin care products, cocoa butter formulations may contain other ingredients that could irritate the skin.