When we think of cocoa butter, the first thing we think of is our favorite tasty treats, be it candy bars, hot cocoa, chocolate cake, or chocolate chip ice cream. And yes, cocoa is a crucial ingredient in all things chocolate. But did you know that cocoa butter also has properties that promote healthy skin? That’s right, some versions of cocoa butter go on the skin.
And perhaps best of all, this is a type of cocoa that won’t make you gain weight!
Cocoa Butter and Your Skin
Let’s define this miracle of tasty goodness and skincare. Quoting healthline1:
“Cocoa butter is a type of fat that comes from cocoa beans. To harness cocoa butter, the beans are taken out of the larger cacao plant. Then they’re roasted, stripped, and pressed to separate out the fat—the cocoa butter. The remnants are then processed into cocoa powder.“
– Healthline.com
While the cocoa powder goes on to make much of the chocolatey goodies we all know and love, the remaining cocoa butter can be used for a variety of purposes. More recently, researchers found that cocoa butter has unique properties which promote healthy skin.
There are two prominent reasons why cocoa butter is now used in organic face cream and all-natural skin cream.
- The first benefit can be summed up in one word: phytochemicals. Cocoa butter helps promote blood flow to the skin, and cocoa butter also helps protect the skin against damage from the sun’s powerful UV rays. The key to these protective features is the phytochemicals found in cocoa beans. Phytochemicals are potent substances that enrich skin tissue, pump blood to the skin (a healing component there as well), and generally boost the skin’s own protective layering.
- Cocoa butter is also high in fatty acids. Fatty acids provide the nourishing, hydrating components of the butter. The fatty acids are why this substance is often used in natural face moisturizer, eczema cream, psoriasis lotion, body cream, etc. It’s the fatty acids that hydrate, improve elasticity, reduce scarring, smooth wrinkles, and minimize stretch marks.
The dual nature of cocoa butter’s phytochemicals and fatty acids also work together within the skin, combining to relieve unpleasant skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, dry skin, red skin, itching skin, etc.
There’s even research that suggests that cocoa butter has the potential to prevent and treat skin diseases. Such healing properties have been hinted at for a long time, ever since archaeologists found evidence that ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations2 from more than 3,000 years ago used cocoa butter for medicinal purposes. (They even used cocoa as a currency!)
And now we have preliminary scientific research3 which suggests that cocoa butter could be used to prevent and heal skin disease.
Combining Cocoa Butter with Other Active Ingredients
At Avera Organics, we created a wonderful Face & Body Cream, an organic face moisturizer and lotion for dry skin that has countless benefits. Cocoa butter is a prominent ingredient in our Face & Body Cream, but it is just one of many. Our natural face moisturizer and skin cream also has:
- Organic Aloe
- Organic Sunflower Oil
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Beeswax
- Organic Jojoba Oil
- Shea Butter
- Tamaru Oil
- Macadamia Nut Oil
- Kukui Nut Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Borage Oil
- Flax Seed Oil
- Evening Primrose Oil
- Vitamin B5
- Vitamin E
- Organic Green Tea
- Organic Passionflower
- Organic Calendula
- Chamomile
- Lavender
- Wild Geranium
And those are just some of the active ingredients! This aloe vera cream capitalizes on the healing, regenerative nature of aloe vera while adding in the moisturizing and protective aspects of cocoa butter. Combine that with the other active ingredients listed above, and you have the best face cream for taking great care of your most prominent features, your face and your skin!
Order a jar of Avera Organic’s Face & Body Cream. This face moisturizer is one you’ll want to tell your friends about.
Sources:
1 https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/cocoa-butter-benefits
2 https://chocolateclass.wordpress.com/2016/02/19/when-money-grew-on-trees-cocoa-beans-as-currency-in-mayan-and-aztec-societies/
3 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/6/8/3202/htm