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Data: Limited

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter

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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, and VITELLARIA PARADOXA (SHEA BUTTER)

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 Reingredientive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

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moisturizer1239 products
lipstick566 products
lip balm538 products
conditioner452 products
facial moisturizer/treatment444 products
bar soap379 products
antiperspirant/deodorant359 products
exfoliant/scrub268 products
lip gloss267 products
hand cream258 products
shampoo230 products
body wash/cleanser226 products
mask219 products
hair treatment/serum218 products
recreational sunscreen218 products
foundation181 products
concealer178 products
hair styling aide158 products
around-eye cream123 products
daily use with SPF114 products
facial cleanser110 products
baby lotion105 products
bath oil/salts/soak103 products
liquid hand soap85 products
body firming lotion85 products
lip balm with SPF81 products
beard care76 products
blush71 products
bronzer/highlighter70 products
styling gel/lotion64 products
serums & essences59 products
lip liner53 products
baby sunscreen51 products
shaving cream47 products
foot moisturizer44 products
42 products
makeup primer40 products
eye shadow37 products
diaper cream36 products
baby soap35 products
anti-aging32 products
mascara27 products
brow liner26 products
eye liner25 products
hair color and bleaching25 products
bubble bath24 products
baby shampoo24 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)24 products
detangler23 products
damaged skin treatment23 products
sunless tanning21 products
shaving cream (men's)20 products
after sun product18 products
lip plumper18 products
muscle/joint soreness16 products
after shave14 products
makeup remover13 products
baby bubble bath12 products
body oil12 products
beard oil12 products
hand sanitizer11 products
cuticle treatment10 products
foot cleansing7 products
hair spray7 products
styling mousse/foam7 products
hair relaxer7 products
baby oil6 products
skin fading/lightener5 products
nail treatment5 products
toners/astringents5 products
CC cream5 products
setting powder/spray5 products
BB cream4 products
glitter4 products
fragrance for men4 products
depilatory3 products
foot odor control3 products
beard cleanser3 products
fragrance for women1 products
baby wipes1 products
nail polish1 products
mouthwash1 products
facial powder1 products
eyelash glue1 products
tanning oil1 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

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.
  • 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
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

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
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

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