Cacao Butter

Cacao Butter: Health Benefits & Uses

Did you know that despite its name, cacao butter (also often called cocoa butter) is 100% vegan and contains absolutely no dairy products? Indeed, it (theobroma oil) comes from the cacao bean, a seed that grows on the Theobroma cacao L. plant, a member of the Sterculiaceae plant family. Making cacao butter entails roasting whole cacao beans, stripping them, and pressing them to separate the fat. 

It's also a stable vegetable fat widely used in face and body care products (skin lotions, lip glosses, lip balm, hair conditioners, and face creams). It is a common ingredient used in chocolate making. From a composition standpoint, cacao butter is between 57 and 64% saturated fat and contains high amounts of fatty acids, including stearic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, arachidic acid, and lauric acid.

An interesting thing about cacao butter is that its melting point is slightly below human body temperature, around 34–38 °C (93–100 °F). Like chocolate, it is solid at room temperature but readily melts once inside the mouth. It can be rubbed into the skin (topical use) as well as used in cooking and baking. It is, however, important to distinguish between food-grade cacao butter and cosmetic-grade, which can have a lot of added ingredients that are not fit for consumption.

The Many Uses of Cacao Butter in Cooking and Wellness

Cacao In Cooking

Cacao butter is mildly sweet and has an aroma reminiscent of chocolate, though it doesn’t taste strongly of chocolate. It can make a wonderful addition to sweet and savoury recipes and add a bit of creaminess and a smooth, silky mouthfeel to all sorts of beverages and desserts. It makes an excellent substitute for butter in vegan or dairy-free recipes.

Because of its high antioxidant content, adding cacao butter to your diet can also naturally bolster the body's defences against free radicals, help temper inflammation, and promote cardiovascular health. Moreover, cacao butter feeds brain cells and helps promote healthy cognitive function and balanced moods because of its high fatty acid content.

Cacao Butter for Skin Care: Nourishing and Healing

Cacao butter is an excellent moisturizer that helps heal and hydrate the skin deeply. It's especially effective for chapped lips as an aftershave balm and makes a wonderful hair mask or pre-shower treatment. The fat in it creates a protective barrier that locks in moisture and prevents skin from drying. It can relieve, treat, or prevent dryness, peeling, and chafing and is ideally suited to reducing dry, itchy skin, eczema, and other inflammatory skin conditions. Cacao butter also contains compounds that have been shown to help diminish the signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin elasticity and tone, and stimulate collagen retention and production.

Choosing the Best Quality Cacao Butter: A Buyer's Guide

You can find cocoa butter in a variety of venues, including health food stores, pharmacies, grocery stores, and online. If you’re concerned about the quality of the cacao butter you purchase, select one that is 100% pure and certified organic with no additives of any kind. That way, you can use it in cooking and make your own DIY skincare and body care products with the ingredients you choose, such as coconut oil, vitamin E, and all sorts of essential oils, according to your skincare needs and preferences.