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Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) oil
AKA “shea oil”
Oil
Ingredient Facts
Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) oil
AKA: Shea oil
Oil · Emollient · EWG: 1
Plant-Derived
Emollient
Skin Conditioner
Not Clean
Butyrospermum parkii (shea) oil is a cosmetic ingredient used as emollient, skin conditioning. Assessed as safe by the CIR.
Family
Sapotaceae
Plant Part
Nut
Lifeform
Hemiparasitic epiphyte
Climate
Seasonally dry tropical
CAS #
91080-23-8
Form
Oil
See origin →
Functions
Emollient
Fills in the tiny cracks between skin cells to make everything feel smooth and soft. The "silky finish" ingredient.
Skin Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Locks In Moisture
Traditional Use
Used for centuries by West African cultures for skin conditioning, wound healing, and protection against sun and dry climate. Shea butter was traditionally applied as a daily moisturizer and anti-inflammatory treatment.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
Dryness
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
Allergen Warning
⚠️ Tree Nut (Shea)
EWG
1
CIR
Safe as used
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
Not a Sensitizer
medical-approval
all-shades-safe
Regulatory Status
USA✔ permitted
EU⚠ restricted
JAPAN⚠ restricted
CANADA⚠ restricted
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
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Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2024
→
Safety Assessment of <I>Butyrospermum parkii</P> (Shea)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Oil
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Unsaponifiables
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Nut Extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Nut Shell Powder
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum parkii (shea) oil
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Seedcake Extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Hydrogenated Shea Butter
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Hydrogenated Shea Oil
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Hydrolyzed Shea Seedcake Extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
PEG-60 Shea Butter Glycerides
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Polyglyceryl-3 Soyate/Shea Butterate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
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Polyglyceryl-4 Almondate/Shea Butterate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butter Glyceride
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butter Glycerides
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butter Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butter Polyglyceryl-4 Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butter Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butteramide/Castoramide DEA
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Shea Butteramidopropyl Betaine
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Oil
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Unsaponifiables
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Hydrogenated Shea Butter
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Isopropyl Shea Butterate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Shea Butter Glycerides
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Shea Butter Polyglyceryl-4 Esters
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Shea Butteramidopropyl Betaine
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
→
Nutritional composition of shea products and chemical properties of shea butter: a review.
Honfo FG, Akissoe N, Linnemann AR, Soumanou M, Van Boekel MA
Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 2014
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Effects of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 and calcipotriol on organotypic cultures of outer root sheath cells: a potential model to evaluate antipsor
Limat A, Hunziker T, Braathen LR
Archives of dermatological research, 1993
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Efficacy and safety of combination cream of stimu-tex AS™ (spent grain wax, Argania Spinosa Kernel oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter) extract), a
Sitohang IBS, Arimuko A, Norawati L, Maria R, Yulyana C et al.
Lasers in medical science, 2025
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[Inflammatory ointment from shea butter and hydro-alcoholic extract of Khaya senegalensis barks (Cailcederat)].
Thioune O, Ahodikpe D, Dieng M, Diop AB, Ngom S et al.
Dakar medical, 2000
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A review of ethnomedicinal uses of shea butter for dermat...
Pearl Ugwu-Dike, Vinod E Nambudiri
Dermatologic therapy, 2022
→
A review of ethnomedicinal uses of shea butter for dermat...
Pearl Ugwu-Dike, Vinod E Nambudiri
Dermatologic therapy, 2022
→
A review of ethnomedicinal uses of shea butter for dermatoses in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ugwu-Dike P, Nambudiri VE
Dermatologic therapy, 2022
→
Verified Jun 2026
Data: Kew POWO · CosIng · EWG · CIR