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Kokum Butter is a Solution for:
dry, cracked, rough, damaged and calloused skin.
Kokum Butter is well known for it's emollient and regenerative properties, making it one of the best choices for damaged skin preparations. It is one of the most useful butters for inflamed skin and enhanced barrier formation.
About Kokum Butter
By Sagar.kolte - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13936556
Kokum butter is derived from the seeds of Garcinia indica, a tree indigenous to India. It is similar to cocoa butter in that it has a uniform triglyceride composition. One can be easily substituted for the other in skincare recipes.
Kokum butter has a mild to non-existent fragrance and is often used in skin care products such as lip balms, lotions, and soaps.
Unlike cocoa butter, Kokum butter is non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog your pores; this is very useful for people who are prone to breakouts.
Kokum butter is extremely shelf stable and is one of the hardest butters known. The texture is hard and crumbly, and the color is white. It is ultra moisturizing and melts on contact with the skin. Using Kokum butter in your skin care recipes adds firmness to your preparations.
Kokum butter is considered an astringent butter; it helps to constrict tissues and tighten pores.
- Shelf stable, long self life
- hard and crumbly texture
- adds firmness to skincare recipes
- melts on contact with skin
- white in color
- astringent, helps constrict pores
- non-comedogenic, won't cause breakouts
- very little scent
By Berthe Hoola van Nooten (1817-1892), Pieter De Pannemaeker (lithographer) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Kokum Butter Skin and Hair Benefits
- Works very well as a lip balm to prevent chapped and dry lips.
- One of the best candidates for dry skin treatment.
- Helps heal cracks and dryness in your feet.
- Naturally contains garcinol, which exhibits antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
- Excellent for the lips, nails, hair, and scalp.
- Soothes inflamed skin.
- Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores).
- Quickly absorbed into the skin without leaving a greasy feel.
- Promotes skin elasticity.
- Helps heal ulcerations and fissures of lips, hands, and soles of feet.
- Can be used as a hair conditioner to make your hair soft and more manageable.
- Helps regenerate skin cells.
- Used to treat acne, dry hair, split ends and dandruff.
- Slows TEWL (Trans Epidermal Water Loss).
- Has a long shelf life of 1 - 2 years.
- Melting point of approximately 34 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Replenishing moisture in dry or sensitive skin
What makes kokum butter special is that it’s incredibly lightweight. Compared to other hydrating plant-based butters, kokum butter isn’t heavy or greasy, and it absorbs into skin quickly.
It’s also high in essential fatty acids and it has strong emollient properties, which makes it particularly beneficial when it comes to replenishing moisture and nourishing dry or sensitive skin.
Anti-aging benefits on skin
When skin is hydrated, it tends to appear more youthful and radiant. Kokum butter is known for its ability to enhance moisture content. It has deeply moisturizing effects on skin which can promote elasticity and firmness, improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and strengthen the skin’s natural barrier.
Improving acne
Although there isn’t much evidence to back up the beauty benefits, it’s believed that kokum butter can be helpful for treating oily or acne-prone skin. It’s non-comedogenic, which means that it will not clog your pores. It’s also rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, which helps repair and protect skin. Along with its anti-inflammatory properties, kokum butter works great for hydrating skin without aggravating or contributing to breakouts.
Promoting healthy hair growth
Loaded with essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6, kokum butter can be useful for promoting healthy hair growth. You can stimulate the hair follicles to encourage new hair growth by using kokum butter in a scalp massage or you can apply kokum butter to your hair strands to improve elasticity.
Kokum Butter Omega Fatty Acid Content
Kokum butter is high in stearic acid content which lends firming properties to your skin care recipes. A high oleic acid content gives this butter incredible moisturizing and regenerating effects, it also makes it absorb well into your skin.
Fatty Acid Composition of Kokum Butter:
- Stearic Acid (C18:0): 40 to 45%
- Palmitic Acid (C16:1): 5 to 8%
- Oleic Acid (C18:1): 40 to 50%
- Linoleic Acid (C18:3): 2 to 4%
Kokum Butter vs. Shea and Cocoa Butter
Shea butter
Shea butter and kokum butter are similar in terms of their nourishing qualities and their ability to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Both butters are deeply moisturizing and they do not clog pores. They also share a nutty aroma, although kokum butter has a milder scent.
Cocoa butter
Both butters share a similar solid and crumbly texture. Known for their ultra-nourishing properties, they’re commonly used in DIY soaps, lotions, and body butters. Cocoa butter has a delicious chocolate aroma, whereas kokum butter doesn’t have much of a scent. Despite their similarities, cocoa butter is incredibly rich and creamy – which also means that it’s a lot heavier and highly comedogenic.
Kokum Butter Omega Fatty Acids Compared to Shea and Cocoa butter
Kokum Butter
- Stearic Acid: 40 to 45%
- Palmitic Acid: 5 to 8%
- Oleic Acid: 40 to 50%
- Linoleic Acid: 2 to 4%
Cocoa Butter
- Stearic acid: 31 to 35%
- Palmitic acid: 25 to 30%
- Oleic acid: 34 to 36%
- Linoleic acid: 3%
Shea Butter
- Stearic Acid: 35 to 45%
- Palmitic Acid: 3 to 7%
- Oleic Acid: 40 to 55%
- Linoleic Acid: 3 to 8%
How to Use Kokum Butter
- Apply a pea sized amount on your dry skin and rub in.
- Apply to cracks on your feet every night and cover with socks.
- Use as a lip balm to heal cracked lips.
- Use it as a substitute for cocoa butter in skin care recipes.
- Massage onto hair and scalp before shampooing.
- Melt in hands and run through hair to make it soft and manageable.
Kokum butter works just as great as shea and cocoa butter for most DIY recipes. You can use kokum butter as a moisturizing agent in a ton of recipes to make your own homemade lotions, creams, soap bars, shampoo, or bath bombs. As a moisturizer, kokum butter hydrates really well without leaving a sticky feeling and there isn’t much of a scent to it.
DIY body butter
You can make your own kokum butter body butter to achieve smooth and silky skin. Compared to commercial lotions or creams, you get peace of mind from knowing that your kokum body butter doesn’t contain any harmful or toxic substances.
However, kokum butter can also be used on its own to hydrate skin, including your lips, feet, and scalp. As a moisturizer, kokum butter hydrates really well without leaving behind a sticky feeling and it doesn’t have much of a scent to it.
Recipe for rose infused body butter
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry rose petals
- 8 oz. of almond oil
- 1 cup of kokum butter
- 20 drops rose essential oil (optional)
Directions:
- In a glass Pyrex cup, combine the rose petals and almond oil.
- On low heat, leave the glass container in a double boiler system for 2-4 hours.
- Use a strainer to separate the rose petals from the mixture.
- On low heat, combine the rose-infused almond oil and kokum butter in a double boiler system.
- After the butter has completely melted, mix the ingredients together and place it in the freezer. Keep the mixture in the freezer for about 30 minutes or so, or until it becomes firm.
- Use a spoon to stir the mixture, and then whip it up with an electric blender until it becomes fluffy.
- Place your whipped body butter into a small container.
Scalp treatment
Kokum butter can be used on the hair and scalp to support healthy hair growth. It nourishes your roots, while enhancing moisture content in strands to improve elasticity and prevent breakage.
What’s great about kokum butter is that it doesn’t weigh your hair down at all since it isn’t as heavy as the oils and butters that are commonly used. For a very basic moisturizing scalp treatment, blend equal parts of coconut oil and kokum butter in a blender and massage the mixture into your scalp at night.
Where to Buy Kokum Butter
I buy my Kokum butter on Amazon because they offer exceptional selection and free shipping. Here are my recommended products:
Conclusion
Kokum butter offers us skin and hair hydration and is an excellent remedy for dry skin conditions. Kokum butter is a good substitute for cocoa butter for people who are looking for a non-pore-clogging butter or those who want to use a butter that has no scent.
Try Kokum Butter today!
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I’ve never heard about Kokum butter before. But after reading your article, I think, I should try it.
Usually, I like to use Coconut oil for my skin
It is a really interesting butter 🙂
I recently tried to use Kokum butter to replace beeswax in a lotion bar since the butter is so hard. However, I experienced Kokum “bloom” which is when the smooth melted butter creates a cauliflower-like surface when it hardens.
Is there something that can be done to combat this? Will this Kokum bloom in a lotion bar still happen if I include beeswax?
I was really just trying to find a natural lotion bar recipe that didnt include wax since I dont 100% love that feeling on my skin.
I would love to make a natural cream without beeswax as well (I have recently become sensitive to beeswax). I don’t have any experience making my own lotions bars, so I am not sure how much help I will be. I know that you can temper butters to help prevent bloom. Make sure to cool your lotion bars really fast by putting them in the freezer. An option would be to try a small batch with beeswax to see if you get a different result.
I did a little research and found someone who said, “The big problem with kokum is the fact that it blooms, and will actually fall apart. Illipe or one of the other hard butters would work best. When kokum blooms it becomes fluffy” . Maybe you will need to try a different butter.
I have a Neem Butter I purchased on Amazon which uses Kokum butter and I’m wondering if it is really ok to use on my hair. This article says it tightens the pores but it doesn’t clog the pores. Is it actively beneficial for my hair follicles and hair growth in general? It is recommended for use for hair plus skin, nails, etc. It seems like it should be fine but I don’t want to do anything that opposes hair condition and growth. Thanks!
Hi KD, yes kokum butter can be used on the hair 🙂 Kokum butter helps cell oxygenation, making nutrients more readily available for use by scalp tissues, which helps promote hair growth. It is also really good at supporting and enhancing hair elasticity and preventing breakage. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Andrea, I will give it a try and let you know. Thanks so much!
Hi Andrea, I have used the Neem butter twice now and absolutely love it. The right combo in ingredients, really wakes up the hair follicles. Seems to have a lasting shine and softness from one shampoo to the next. Thanks for your help!
That is so great to hear 🙂 Thanks for stopping in!