Don’t you feel annoyed when the skin on your face and body becomes dry, giving you a sensation of rubbing your hands across sandpaper? For most of us, it is not only annoying but is also considered to be a threat to the overall health of our skin.

It is common for our skin to develop dryness, especially during the winter months. The skin loses its hydration; and as a result, it develops dry patches. Compromised dermal tissues can also lead to a disruption in the skin barrier. Hence, this results in various skin-related issues.
Nevertheless, we have a variety of different options that go on top of your skin and penetrate deep into its layers to provide ultimate hydration. Let us introduce you to a fascinating list of Brazilian butters that have the potency to provide nourishment and moisturisation to your dull, dehydrated skin.

We will shed light on the hydrating qualities of the 4 types of Brazilian Butters. Apart from this, we will also compare them in order to understand their effectiveness as an ingredient.

Brazilian butters and their characteristics

Before we begin with the characteristics of different types of Brazilian butter, let us first get an introduction to body butter.

Body butters are derived from plant-based oils and fat extracts. Their extraction is mostly from seeds or tree nuts.

These butters have a dense emollient texture due to their nutrient-rich components. Their application protects the epidermal tissues and provides moisture to the dehydrated areas of the skin.

Like all other body butter, Brazilian butter is made from the seeds or the tree nuts that grow in Brazil, mainly in the Amazonian region. One thing that sets Brazilian butter from its other competitors is the fact that it provides ultra nourishment and protects the health of both skin and hair.

Apart from this, Brazilian butter is also effective in treating skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, inflammation, ageing, and dryness. (source National Library of Medicine)

We will talk about the 4 kinds of exotic butter varieties found in the preserved regions of the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. They are- Tucuma, Bacuri, Cupuaçu, and Murumuru. Let’s find out their physical and chemical characteristics to know how they perform as skincare and haircare ingredients.

Bacuri Butter

The first on the list is Bacuri butter. Its chemical properties state that

1. 1. It has high nutritional value and contains vitamins like D2, E, and K. Besides this, the butter melts at an optimal temperature ranging from 53-56°C. Moreover, it also contains significant amounts of magnesium, calcium, and zinc.
   2. Bacuri butter increases cellular energy in the epidermal cells due to the presence of tryptophan (an amino acid). Hence, it provides hydration into the deeper layers of the skin and improves the skin barrier integrity.
   3. The fatty acid composition of Bacuri butter has significant high percentages of Palmitic acid (54.0-70.0%) and Oleic acid (17.5-30.0%).

The above characteristics of Bacuri butter indicate that it is a potent skin care and scalp care product. Not just this, it is also a nourishing ingredient that provides moisturising benefits for mature skin. The essence of the rainforest really brings out the skin-benefiting properties in this butter variant.

Tucuma Butter

The second Brazilian butter is Beraca Tucumã Butter. However, its chemical characteristics differ widely from Bacuri butter.

1. 1. Its melting point ranges from 27-37°C.
   2. The other properties of Beraca Tucumã Butter include its ability to maintain skin moisture; while also promoting 100% natural silicone gel. It means the compound is emollient in texture.
   3. Although emollient in texture, it has a non-greasy feel.
   4. The unique characteristic of this butter is that it has a light texture and a faster absorption rate when applied.
   5. This butter could be an ideal ingredient in formulating products for individuals with oily skin and scalp.
   6. The compound displays high spreadability.
   7. The fatty acid composition displays higher amounts of Lauric acid (45.0-58.0%), Myristic acid (16.0-28.0%), and Oleic acid (7.0-16.0%). Hence, it is a good source of Lauric acid.

Beraca Tucumã Butter is a suitable compound for skin care and hair care products. Apart from this, its emollient properties allow easy formulations for developing new textures.

Cupuaçu Butter

The next one is Cupuaçu butter which is derived from the Cupuaçu Tree. This tree is found in Northern Brazil, mainly in regions of the Amazon rainforest.

1. 1. The fruit of the Cupuaçu tree is the source of this butter.
   2. This butter is quite emollient as its melting point is between the range of 25 – 37°C. This is an optimal temperature for a seed butter to melt.
   3. The application of Cupuaçu butter may lead to long-lasting moisturizing activity because of its emollient texture.
   4. The hydrating qualities of this butter allow it to strengthen skin barrier functions and improve skin elasticity.
   5. The fatty acids composition of this butter displays significant concentrations of Stearic acid (26.0-36.0%) and Oleic acid (30.0-50.0%).
   6. The butter is effective against dry and damaged skin due to its antioxidant benefits.

Apart from this, it also provides nourishment and hydration to the parched strands of hair.
Besides this, it provides nourishment to brittle hair; and also encourages healthy hair growth.
Therefore, Cupuaçu butter can be included in skincare as well as hair care products.

Murumuru Butter

The last Brazilian butter on the list is Beraca Murumuru Butter. This butter is sourced from the Murumuru nuts that fall from a palm tree: native to the Amazon rain-forest. The seeds of this tree are used for extraction of the white-yellow fat which is later processed as butter.

1. 1. The melting point of Beraca Murumuru Butter remains the same as Cupuaçu butter, i.e., 25-37°C.
   2. The butter is rich in both saturated and unsaturated fats. It makes it an effective natural treatment to strengthen skin barrier functions.
   3. On the other hand, this butter is an ultimate moisturising ingredient for your hair that helps retain moisture and keep them hydrated.
   4. Moreover, it also repairs damaged strands and deeply conditions the hair shaft.
   5. This butter is a rich source of Lauric acid (35.0-50.0%) and Myristic acid (25.0-35.0). And, hence used in the formulations of skincare and hair-care items.

How Brazilian butters are a gem for your skincare products?

Have you ever wondered how plant-derived butter can make a visible difference to your skin? If not, you are missing out on precious ingredients that can transform your skin with the potency of natural-based compounds.

Brazilian butter, i.e., Bacuri, Tucuma, Cupuaçu, and Murumuru, have incredible formulations that can magically transform your skin and hair. They possess various skin care and hair care benefits – from strengthening skin barrier to healing dry/brittle hair. Brazilian butters cover numerous horizons of personal care.

The common skincare benefits that the above four Brazilian butters share are:

1. 1. They come from the preserved lands of the Amazon rain-forest.
   2. 100% natural and plant-based.
   3. Provides long-lasting skin hydration.
   4. Promotes moisturizing activity
   5. Strengthen skin barrier integrity
   6. Fast skin absorption
   7. Improves skin texture and elasticity by enhancing cellular activity.
   8. These work by targeting skin issues like – patchiness/dryness, rough skin texture, and tightness of the skin.
   9. Easy to formulate to develop various types of skin care products.

What makes Brazilian butters so nourishing and hydrating for the hair?

Since we know how effective Brazilian butters are for the skin, their benefits do not end here.

Bacuri, Tucuma, Cupuaçu, and Murumuru butter are also equally productive for hair treatment. Their creamy and soft texture positively impacts the hair shaft and enhances their ability to stay hydrated.

Brazilian butters are emollient and contain the essential fatty acids that are effective in treating hair problems. Not just this, the butters work for delivering intense hydration and deep nourishment into the deepest layer of the hair strands.

The moisturizing ability of these kinds of butter helps restore the moisture and natural oils of the hair while also repairing the damage. So, the following points are the potential benefits of using Brazilian butters in hair-care

1. 1. Controls frizz
   2. Delivers long-lasting hydration and adds moisture
   3. Reduces dryness
   4. Prevents hair breakage
   5. Provides intense conditioning benefits
   6. Smoothens hair texture
   7. Moisturizes the scalp

Brazilian butters: comparative data

Although Bacuri, Tucuma, Cupuaçu, and Murumuru butter come from the fertile lands of Brazil rain forest, they differ in their characteristics as an ingredient.

Let us cover some interesting facts regarding their efficiency based on the given parameters.
Comparison of these butters on the basis of

1. Spreadability

Spreadability plays an important role in determining how well a cream can spread on a surface. Based on this parameter, the increasing order of the spreadability of Brazilian butters is – Bacuri, Cupuaçu, Murumuru, and Tucuma.
It means Bacuri butter has the least spreadability while Tucuma has the highest among the four.

2. Oiliness

It refers to when an ingredient contains a lot of oils, it tends to make your skin feel buttery and look shiny after application. Based on the oiliness, the four Brazilian butters, from the least to the oiliest finish are – Bacuri, Cupuaçu, Murumuru, and Tucuma.
It suggests that Tucuma butter has the oiliest texture while Bacuri has the least. Apart from this, it also concludes that Tucuma butter would be a better alternative in formulating skincare products for individuals with dry skin while Bacuri butter is convenient for people with oily skin.

3. Tackiness

Tackiness refers to the ability of an ingredient to cause stickiness when applied to the skin.
The feeling of tackiness may remain in the initial product and reduce once the end product forms.
The increasing order of Amazonian butters with respect to their tackiness is – Tucuma, Murumuru, Cupuaçu, Bacuri. This reflects that Tucuma butter feels the least chance of feeling tacky on the skin while Bacuri butter has the most stickiness.

4. Silicon feel

This parameter refers to the ability of an ingredient to feel soft and silky on the skin. Ingredients with a better silicon feel will provide a more supple and smoother finish. This parameter is used to judge how well an ingredient can soften rough patches and lock in hydration.

Brazilian butters based on the increasing order of their silicon feel are – Bacuri, Cupuaçu, Murumuru, and Tucuma. This data shows Bacuri butter to deliver the least silicon feel while Tucuma butter has the most silicon feel and would provide a smoother skin texture as compared to all others.

Conclusion

Brazilian butters – Bacuri, Tucuma, Cupuaçu, and Murumuru possess the potential for benefiting numerous aspects of both skincare and haircare.

Even though their properties as an ingredient differ from each other, they are unique in their own way. Additionally, their natural and plant-based origin allows formulators to combine them into the best-suited products.

Not only are these kinds of butter intensely moisturising, but are also deeply nourishing. Therefore, they make it on top of the ingredients list as a suitable ingredient for personal care products.