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Data: Limited

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter

Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low)

SYNONYMS

● BUTTER, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII
● BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII
● BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA BUTTER)
● BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA BUTTER) FRUIT
● BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER
● BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER
● BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII FRUIT
● KARITE BUTTER
● SHEA BUTTER
● SHEA BUTTER FRUIT
● SHEA BUTTER- FROM THE KARITE TREE
● VITELLARIA NILOTICA (SHEA) FRUIT BUTTER
● VITELLARIA PARADOXA (SHEA BUTTER)

This ingredient is not currently on EWG's Skin Deep Restricted or Unacceptable Lists.


Shea butter is a vegetable fat obtained from the fruit of a tree native to Africa, Butyrospermum parkii. Shea butter is primarily composed of fatty acids such as stearic and oleic acids.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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moisturizer1265 products
lipstick670 products
lip balm547 products
facial moisturizer/treatment534 products
bar soap513 products
conditioner509 products
exfoliant/scrub356 products
antiperspirant/deodorant334 products
lip gloss309 products
shampoo284 products
hand cream276 products
foundation243 products
hair treatment/serum241 products
mask236 products
body wash/cleanser227 products
recreational sunscreen224 products
concealer174 products
blush160 products
hair styling aide157 products
around-eye cream148 products
baby lotion110 products
facial cleanser108 products
bath oil/salts/soak98 products
beard care93 products
daily use with SPF72 products
lip liner70 products
liquid hand soap69 products
eye shadow68 products
bronzer/highlighter67 products
serums & essences64 products
styling gel/lotion60 products
body firming lotion60 products
brow liner59 products
lip balm with SPF58 products
shaving cream56 products
baby sunscreen44 products
foot moisturizer43 products
anti-aging42 products
eye liner40 products
mascara39 products
baby soap35 products
makeup primer34 products
lip plumper29 products
baby shampoo29 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)29 products
damaged skin treatment27 products
diaper cream25 products
fragrance for women25 products
hair color and bleaching25 products
sunless tanning23 products
detangler20 products
body oil20 products
after sun product19 products
shaving cream (men's)15 products
after shave14 products
hand sanitizer13 products
13 products
makeup remover10 products
muscle/joint soreness10 products
hair spray10 products
bubble bath10 products
styling mousse/foam10 products
foot odor control8 products
skin fading/lightener7 products
baby bubble bath7 products
CC cream7 products
setting powder/spray7 products
cuticle treatment6 products
nail treatment6 products
facial powder6 products
beard oil6 products
baby oil5 products
beard cleanser5 products
foot cleansing4 products
nail polish4 products
toners/astringents4 products
depilatory3 products
hair relaxer3 products
BB cream3 products
facial cleansing wipes3 products
body spray2 products
baby wipes1 products
mouthwash1 products
hair-loss treatment1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
glitter1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
tanning oil1 products
toothpaste1 products
body cleansing wipes1 products

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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CONCERN REFERENCE
any or allergies - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
54 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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