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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

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
● 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

Expand content Collapse content
moisturizer1338 products
lipstick672 products
lip balm579 products
facial moisturizer/treatment537 products
conditioner531 products
bar soap529 products
exfoliant/scrub385 products
antiperspirant/deodorant358 products
lip gloss324 products
hand cream289 products
shampoo285 products
foundation257 products
mask250 products
hair treatment/serum241 products
body wash/cleanser228 products
recreational sunscreen222 products
concealer213 products
hair styling aide174 products
around-eye cream156 products
blush137 products
facial cleanser126 products
baby lotion108 products
bath oil/salts/soak101 products
beard care89 products
liquid hand soap77 products
daily use with SPF76 products
styling gel/lotion67 products
bronzer/highlighter67 products
serums & essences67 products
eye shadow60 products
lip balm with SPF58 products
shaving cream56 products
brow liner52 products
lip liner51 products
baby sunscreen46 products
foot moisturizer45 products
anti-aging42 products
41 products
eye liner37 products
makeup primer37 products
mascara36 products
baby soap34 products
body firming lotion32 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)31 products
diaper cream30 products
lip plumper26 products
sunless tanning24 products
detangler23 products
fragrance for women23 products
shaving cream (men's)23 products
baby shampoo23 products
damaged skin treatment22 products
hair color and bleaching20 products
after sun product16 products
body oil16 products
after shave14 products
bubble bath13 products
hand sanitizer13 products
muscle/joint soreness12 products
makeup remover10 products
hair spray9 products
styling mousse/foam9 products
baby bubble bath8 products
CC cream7 products
beard oil7 products
cuticle treatment6 products
skin fading/lightener6 products
nail treatment6 products
hair relaxer6 products
foot odor control6 products
beard cleanser6 products
setting powder/spray6 products
baby oil5 products
foot cleansing5 products
facial powder4 products
toners/astringents4 products
BB cream3 products
nail polish2 products
tanning oil2 products
baby wipes1 products
hair removal waxes1 products
body spray1 products
glitter1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
toothpaste1 products
facial cleansing wipes1 products

Allergies/immunotoxicity

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

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
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • 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.

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

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September 23, 2023 | Los Angeles, CA

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