What is it?
The fat obtained from the seeds of cupuaçu (also spelled cupuacu or cupuassu), Theobroma grandiflorum, an Amazonian fruit tree in the same genus as cacao. Like cocoa butter, it is made mostly of oleic and stearic acids, but it has less saturated fat and about ten times as much arachidic acid. In cosmetics and personal care products it softens and conditions skin and hair, in lip balms, lipsticks, foundations, lotions, hair conditioners and soaps.
Key information
- The CIR Expert Panel concluded that cupuaçu butter is safe in the present practices of use and concentration in cosmetics.
- Its main fatty acids are oleic acid (about 36 to 42 percent) and stearic acid (about 29 to 33 percent).
- A lip balm containing 5 percent cupuaçu butter caused no irritation or allergic reactions in a repeated patch test on 106 people.
- In 2010 use data it appeared in 153 cosmetic products, at up to 7 percent in lipstick.
More information
Cupuaçu and cacao are both Amazonian trees of the genus Theobroma, and the pulp and seeds of both are used in foods and cosmetics. A 2022 review of the two species reports that cupuaçu seed fat is about 49 percent saturated and 51 percent unsaturated, compared with about 69 and 31 percent for cocoa beans. Its main fatty acids are oleic acid (36.3 to 42.2 percent), stearic acid (29.2 to 32.9 percent), arachidic acid (9.8 to 11.2 percent) and palmitic acid (7.3 to 7.8 percent).
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel included Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter in its assessment of 244 plant-derived fatty acid oils and concluded that it is safe in the present practices of use and concentration. In the 2010 use data the Panel reviewed, cupuaçu butter was reported in 153 products, most of them left on the skin, at up to 7 percent in lipstick. A lip balm containing 5 percent was not irritating or sensitizing in a repeated insult patch test on 106 people. As for all botanical ingredients, the Panel asked suppliers to keep limiting pesticide residues and heavy metals.
The CIR report cites the observation that, apart from a possible tendency to clog pores, there is no documentation that high-quality edible fats and oils cause adverse reactions in people with normal skin. On labels, look for Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter. It is a different ingredient from cocoa butter, which is listed as Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter.
Sources: Cosmetic Ingredient Review: Plant-derived fatty acid oils, final report for Expert Panel review (March 2011); Molecules (2022): Theobroma cacao and Theobroma grandiflorum, botany, composition and pharmacological activities of pods and seeds
