Kokum butter is a naturally occurring butter. It is naturally high in fatty acids and antioxidants, particularly vitamin E, which makes it one of the most stable vegetable butters, It’s also one of the most protective with natural regenerative and emollient Butters available with amazing skin softening qualities.
This unique butter is non-comedogenic (meaning it doesn’t block your pores). But, it’s also a natural humectant - which means it attracts and retains the moisture in the air nearby by drawing water vapor to the surface of the skin making it also ideal to use directly on the skin.
Common Uses: With its relatively high melt point, Kokum Butter liquefies slowly at skin temperature making it ideal for use in lipsticks and lip balms. It is also used in bar soaps, body butters, Lotions, creams and conditioners / hair products or direct.
Kokum butter is also one of the most stable vegetable butters with a shelf life of about 1-2 years. As an added bonus, kokum butter has little to no scent. That means it won’t compete with fragrance or essential oil in your handmade products.
Cold Process Soap
Kokum butter can be used in soap up to 10%. Because of that high stearic acid content, a larger amount can cause the soap to trace fairly quickly.
Lotion / Cream / Conditioner
The stearic acid content of kokum butter is important to consider in emulsified products like lotion and conditioner. In higher concentrations, the butter can make the formula too thick. Using about 1-3% in your recipe will work nicely. You may also want to decrease the amount of stearic acid. It is usually recommended at 3-5%. You can drop that to 2-3%. That will give you a lotion or conditioner that’s thick and luxurious.
Balms
Kokum butter can be used on its own in body and lip balms, although it will be very firm. If you prefer a softer texture, you can use it at 5% and up. A traditional balm formula is 1:1:1 wax, butter and oil. Kokum butter pairs nicely with beeswax, cera bellina wax or candelilla wax. As for oil, the sky is the limit! Sweet almond, avocado or chia seed oil feel super moisturizing.
Body Butter
The texture of kokum butter is perfect for a hydrating body butter. Because kokum butter is firm, you’ll want to melt it before whipping. On its own it will be too stiff, so you can use it at 5% or more in combination with a softer butter like\argan / avocado to make the recipe more balanced. Liquid oils like argan or meadowfoam feel nice in body butter recipes as well. They add a silky, spreadable feeling.
