Although cocoa butter is related to chocolate in a roundabout way, it is a very different product from the chocolate we eat. I hope you know by now that while cocoa butter is related to chocolate in a roundabout way, crema de cacao is quite a different product. Cocoa butter has been used as a food product, but it is often used as a topical due to its amazing skin benefits. We spoke to dermatologists about this delicious ingredient.
Several hundred to forty cocoa seeds are found inside the cocoa pod, a large, gourd-shaped fruit that grows on the cacao tree. Cocoa butter is made by grinding down the remaining cocoa bean, which is found inside the crema de cacao, the cocoa bean. After these beans are dried, roasted, and pressed, the vegetable fat is extracted from them; you can even do this at home. The leftover fat is cocoa “butter,” and what’s left can be ground into cocoa powder.
Cocoa butter has a long shelf life with a melting point of just below room temperature and a shelf life of around two to five years. Cocoa butter is widely available and inexpensive in tubs and convenient, easy-to-use sticks. Raw cocoa butter can also be purchased online in large quantities if you prefer DIY skincare. When searching for cocoa butter, you’ll find it in two forms: refined or unrefined. Creamy yellow, unrefined cocoa butter is cocoa butter in its purest form.
Aside from the crude product naturally providing all of the above skincare benefits, it is also easy to find. It smells strongly of chocolate, which can cause some controversy. Cosmetic manufacturers avoid using it because it masks the scents of their fragrances. In either case, you should apply it generously once or twice daily to the trunk and extremities. Applying it on damp skin helps it retain moisture, Greenfield suggests.
A premade cocoa butter product usually contains refined cocoa butter, which is easier to incorporate into cosmetic recipes without standing out due to its stripped scent and color. A purist claims that processing dilutes cocoa butter’s beneficial properties, but we think it’s more of a personal preference.
In addition to being gentle on the skin, cocoa butter products should also be thick and moisturizing, says Greenfield. Although cocoa butter is relatively hard at lower temperatures, it melts immediately when pressed into your palm, making it a great addition to lip balm. While it keeps products thick, it melts once they come into contact with the skin.
