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Ingredient on hair labels

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter

TheWashDay editorial · Updated · From the EU ingredient register and the makers’ own labels · How we match names

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Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter is on 57 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 18 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register are viscosity controlling and skin conditioning. 9 of these labels name it among the first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

In the register’s words: “Butyrospermum Parkii Butter is the fat obtained from the fruit of the Shea Tree, Butyrospernum parkii, Sapotaceae.”

EU register name (INCI)
BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER
CAS number
194043-92-0 - 91080-23-8
EC number
293-515-7
Written on these labels as
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter; Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter where the register says BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER. Both are the same ingredient.

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.

Viscosity controlling

Makes a product thicker or thinner, so a gel holds its shape or a shampoo pours. Gums, cellulose and some salts carry this role.

Register definition: “Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.”

Skin conditioning

The register’s broad role for ingredients that keep skin in good condition. On a hair label it often sits beside a hair role, or marks a plant oil or extract.

Register definition: “Maintaining the skin in good condition.”

Where it sits on each label

US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.

Every label, product by product (57)

Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.

Your next step

Find products without Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Check every name on your own label All ingredients on the labels we compare

Other viscosity controlling ingredients on these labels

Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.