SODIUM SHEA BUTTERATE

Substance information

"Sodium..." refers to a sodium salt. "Shea butterates" are esterification products or salts of fatty acids from shea butter.

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Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

CLEANSING

Cleans skin, hair or teeth

SURFACTANT - CLEANSING

Surface-active agent to clean skin, hair and / or teeth

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Origin

plant/synthetic (Information may exclusively reflect the status at initial entry of this ingredient into the relevant INCI dictionary; technological progress may have added new manufacturing options based on substances of different origin)

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Background information on use in cosmetics

Shea butter (INCI: as word component SHEA BUTTER or BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER) is obtained from the fruits of the shea tree. The fat obtained from the shea nut can be used in many different ways in cosmetics, since shea butter contains many valuable ingredients which are supposed to have a caring effect: apart from unsaturated fatty acids, it contains, for instance, the antioxidants Vitamin E and allantoin. Shea butter is a high-quality caring and moisture substance and is, therefore, particularly suited for the care of dry to very dry skin. Shea butter penetrates particularly well into the skin and makes it soft and receptive for other substances. Dry and brittle hair is provided by the butter with softness and suppleness because of the many fatty acids contained therein. Through ingredients such as allantoin, shea butter can also be used for skin irritations and contributes towards an acceleration of the cell structure as well as the cell formation and regeneration of the skin. Shea butter is also well suited for lipcare. Surfactants are so-called detergent substances and have a major significance in cosmetics for the cleansing of the skin and hair. Surfactants are substances which, based on their molecular structure, are able to reduce the surface tension of a liquid. In this way it is possible that two actually not mixable substances, such as oil and water, can be finely mixed. Because of their properties, surfactants have manifold uses in cosmetics: they can cleanse, produce foam and act as emulsifiers and mix substances with one another. In shampoos, shower gels and soaps, surfactants are, for instance, used to wash fat and soil particles with water off from the body. Surfactants are also used in toothpaste. Here they promote during tooth cleaning the rapid and full dissolution and distribution of the paste in the mouth. The surfactants used in cosmetic products are primarily produced synthetically on the basis of vegetable raw materials. Surfactants are often used in combination to equally meet all desired requirements – like dissolution of soil and formation of foam in combination with a good skin tolerance – in the best possible manner. Through a skilled combination of a surfactant – viewed on its own – with unfavourable skin tolerance but a very good soil removal property with a very mild, skin protecting surfactant altogether a product with good cleansing properties and the same good skin tolerances is obtained.

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Belongs to the following substance groups

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Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.