Database/Cleansing/Potassium Shea Butterate
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is Potassium Shea Butterate natural?

Yes. Shea butter fatty acids and a potassium mineral counter-ion are both natural-origin, so the soap salt is fully natural.

INCI namePotassium Shea Butterate
FunctionCleansing · Cleansing Surfactant
FeedstockMade by saponifying shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii nut…

How we scored it

Fatty acids from shea butter (natural) + potassium counter-ion (mineral, natural) = 1.0; no petrochemical atoms.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Made by saponifying shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii nut fat) with potassium hydroxide. The fatty acid chains come entirely from the shea nut; potassium is a mineral.

In plain English

A soap-like cleanser made by combining shea butter fatty acids with potassium. It comes from shea tree nuts and helps water and oil mix so dirt and excess oil rinse away in cleansers and washes.

CosIng definition: Potassium Shea Butterate is the potassium salt of the fatty acids derived from Butyrospermum Parkii Butter.

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2POTASSIUM SHEA BUTTERATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POTASSIUM SHEA BUTTERATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POTASSIUM%20SHEA%20BUTTERATE