West Africa’s “women’s gold”: a butter that comes from nuts gathered and processed almost entirely by women for centuries.

What is shea butter?

Shea butter is produced from the seeds of the tree Vitellaria paradoxa (formerly Butyrospermum parkii), which grows wild in a 5,000-kilometre belt of savannah south of the Sahara. The fruit is gathered from the ground, the kernels are boiled, dried, ground and kneaded with water until the fat separates. The butter is made up of oleic and stearic acid, but what sets it apart is its “unsaponifiable” fraction — up to 10%, many times that of other plant fats — with triterpenes, vitamin E, carotenoids and cinnamic esters.

What are the benefits of shea butter?

It is one of the richest emollients in nature. Applied topically it:

• Deeply nourishes and softens dry skin
• Forms a protective film that limits moisture loss
• Offers vitamin E and triterpenes with antioxidant activity
• Soothes skin that feels tight or flaky
• Suits dry, mature and sensitive skin

A women’s economy

In Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria, millions of women make a living from shea — the tree is not cultivated but protected, and takes 15–20 years to bear fruit. Traditional unrefined butter is ivory to yellow with a characteristic smoky, nutty smell; refined butter is white and odourless but loses part of its valuable unsaponifiable content. Many cooperatives today certify it as fair trade.

Where does it come from?

From the “shea belt” of West and Central Africa — Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, with Ghana and Burkina Faso the main exporters.