Whether you realize it or not, you’ve probably eaten cocoa butter many times in your life — plus smeared it onto your skin. It’s the fat source used to make chocolate, giving it its alluring, melt-in-your-mouth, silky feel. It can be found in basically all types of chocolate, including dark, milk or white. It has a melting point of around 93–101 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it becomes liquid once ingested or sometimes when applied topically. It’s ability to melt gives it an attractive “mouth feel” when added to chocolate or when used in creamy lotions. You can use cocoa butter in your tub to shave and hydrate skin at the same time. It melts easily in warm water and won’t clog your drain. It is also rich in phytochemicals. These are natural plant compounds that improve blood flow to the skin and slow skin aging by protecting the skin against damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Research shows that its polyphenols have several positive indicators for skin health, including reducing photoaging, improved skin elasticity and skin tone, better collagen retention/production, and better hydration.

Our cocoa butter is unrefined, and has been lightly deodourised (a process where the cocoa butter is steamed). The remaining scent is quite understated, but still detectable. However this won't influence the scent of the finished product. Ingredients

What Is Cocoa Butter?

In terms of your diet, as explained more below, cocoa butter benefits include providing healthy fatty acids that support the immune system, cardiovascular system, cognitive function and appetite control. What Is Cocoa Butter? In addition, cocoa and chocolate products are common allergens, so be aware of any signs of a food allergy when using cocoa products. Coconut oil contains fatty acids that keep skin healthy and clean, including capric acid, lauric acid and caprylic acid. It melts when rubbed into the skin or heated, and it has a smooth feel and pleasant smell/taste. Since they have similar uses and benefits for the skin, it might really come down to preference when it comes to using shea butter versus cocoa butter on your skin. Both are hydrating, time-old ways to treat chapped lips and prevent dryness. You can also use both together to boost their effects, especially if you have eczema or psoriasis.

Desserts might be its most popular use, but raw cocoa butter also makes a great butter or dairy substitute and can be used in various ways, just like coconut oil.

To make chocolate, cocoa butter is then further pressed to release “chocolate liquor,” which holds most of the chocolate taste and smell.

Unrefined cocoa butter is often used for its moisturising properties, as it is high in fatty acids which can help add hydration. It is believed to help prevent and reduce stretch marks, but there is no scientific evidence to support this. Around the internet, one of the most popular uses for cocoa butter is preventing or treating stretch marks, especially during pregnancy. Does this method actually work? Overall, study results have been mixed regarding its efficacy for getting rid of stretch marks. What else is cocoa butter good for? Just like other skin-loving fats — such as raw shea butter and coconut oil — cocoa butter is great for naturally healing dry, sensitive skin. Another common use of cocoa butter is to soothe skin irritation and smooth dry skin, wrinkles, scars, and other marks on the skin. Also, it helps heal rashes from conditions like dermatitis and eczema.While saturated fats used to be frowned upon and blamed for contributing to heart problems, today many researchers believe that plant-derived saturated fats can actually be beneficial for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cocoa butter remains solid at room temperature but melts at higher temps, such as those within the human body. This is what allows it to be rubbed into the skin and what makes it a good fat to cook or bake with.

To make cocoa butter, cocoa beans are first fermented and then roasted. At this point, the cocoa “butter” (which isn’t actually the kind of butter made from any type of milk at all) is able to be separated from the rest of the beans, leaving behind solids that are used for other purposes, like making cocoa powder.Raw cocoa butter, sometimes labeled as “pure cocoa butter,” isn’t heated to very high temperatures during manufacturing processes, which means it usually retains more of the healthy fats and other compounds found naturally in cocoa beans. Similarly, raw cacao powder is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans. To be considered raw, temperatures usually don’t exceed about 115 Fahrenheit. When purchasing cocoa butter, try to avoid kinds that are sold as white, silky lotions and come in pump bottles or squeezable bottles. Products like this might contain some cocoa butter, but they’re far from pure and likely contain many other additives, which is exactly how they stay one uniform texture and color (which real cocoa butter doesn’t do). Some antioxidants remain in cocoa butter even after it’s separated from the beans’ solids, which means it may be beneficial for lowering inflammation. Organic raw cocoa butter can be used on the face, however it has a high comedogenic rating of 4. This means it will clog pores and is not recommended for acne prone skin. Does cocoa butter darken skin?