What is it?
The yellowish-white fat pressed from roasted cocoa beans, the seeds of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. It is firm at room temperature and is made mostly of stearic, oleic and palmitic acids. In cosmetics it softens and protects the skin in lip balms, lipsticks, creams, lotions and soaps. It is also a main ingredient of chocolate and is used in some pharmaceuticals.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel included cocoa butter in a review of 244 plant oils and butters and concluded that they are safe as used in cosmetics.
- A lip balm containing 50.1 percent cocoa butter caused no irritation or allergy in a patch test on 106 people.
- In a randomized trial of 175 pregnant women, a cocoa butter lotion did not reduce stretch marks compared with a placebo lotion.
- Cocoa butter can carry more PAH contaminants than other fats, and EU food law sets limits for cocoa products.
More information
Figures compiled by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) show cocoa butter is mostly stearic acid (34 to 36 percent), oleic acid (30 to 40 percent) and palmitic acid (24 to 29 percent), with only about 2 percent linoleic acid.
The CIR Expert Panel reviewed 244 plant-derived oils and butters, including cocoa butter, and concluded that they are safe as used in cosmetics; its final report was published in 2017. Cocoa butter was reported in lipsticks at up to 37 percent and in many other products, from body lotions to baby lotions. A lip balm containing 50.1 percent cocoa butter was neither an irritant nor a sensitizer in a patch test on 106 people.
Whether cocoa butter prevents stretch marks has been tested. In a double-blind, randomized trial in Lebanon, 175 first-time pregnant women applied either a cocoa butter lotion or a placebo lotion daily until delivery. Stretch marks developed in 45.1 percent of the cocoa butter group and 48.8 percent of the placebo group, a difference that was not significant, and severity was similar.
Cocoa butter contains higher levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), contaminants that include carcinogens, than other oils and fats, according to the European Commission, mainly because of poor drying practices for cocoa beans and because cocoa butter cannot be refined the way other vegetable oils are. In 2011 the EU set maximum PAH levels for cocoa beans and derived products, including cocoa butter, which took effect in 2013. On labels, look for Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter.
Sources: CIR: Final Report on Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils as Used in Cosmetics (Expert Panel meeting, March 2011); International Journal of Toxicology (2017): Safety Assessment of Plant-Derived Fatty Acid Oils; BJOG (2008): Cocoa butter lotion for prevention of striae gravidarum, a randomised placebo-controlled trial; EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EU) No 835/2011 on maximum levels for PAHs in foodstuffs
