Cocoa Butter

Cocoa Butter is a solid, off-white butter that is extracted from the beans of the Theobroma Cacao plant.

A few of Cocoa Butter's qualities are as follows:

• this oil is known to cause irritation in some individuals.


• produces a hard bar with a stable lather.


• is very conditioning making it good for eczema, dermatitiis, stretch marks.


• creates a barrier between your skin and the sometimes harsh environment, keeping the moisture in your skin where it belongs.


• isn't easily absorbed by the skin so a soap formula requires the use of an unsaturated fat like olive oil.

You can use from 5 - 15% cocoa butter in a soap recipe but try not to use more or the bar may be too hard and brittle.

The chart below shows the approximate percentages of fatty acids present in Cocoa Butter. This oil is great to add to soap since not only does it lend hardness to your bar but it also provides a stable, conditioning lather.

This information is provided for reference use only and is not meant to substitute the advice of a licensed health care professional.