Soap & skin care supplies: Unrefined cocoa butter
Cocoa butter is extracted from cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao) and is available in several grades. The commonly available creamy white cocoa butter is usually solvent extracted from the residues remaining at the end of the expeller extraction process, and needs to be refined and deodorised.
A better option is expeller extracted cocoa butter, which is partially deodorised but darker in colour and still maintains a light, pleasant chocolate smell.
Among the oils and fats used in cosmetics, cocoa butter is the one that best helps create a protective "film" on the skin. In soapmaking, cocoa butter is used in small percentages (5% to 15% max) to create harder, longer lasting soaps.
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