BUTTER
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- butter
A rich, solid plant butter used for heavy conditioning on coarse or dry hair. High in the list it makes a product decidedly heavy.
- products in our library
- 516
- of researched products
- 13%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #9
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Oil-soluble
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
Where the class sits between an ester and a butter.
How much it slows water leaving the strand.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a cleanser | 4 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with a cleanser | 2 of 5 |
| Weight | Heavy | 5 of 5 |
| Sealing | Strongest | 5 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
The heaviest of the emollients — welcome on coarse hair, obvious on fine hair.
Solid at room temperature, so it stays where it is put.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
Slows evaporation from the strand more than any other lipid class.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Needs a surfactant to remove. On a low-detergent routine it can build up over time.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
163 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Leave-in
87 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Mask / treatment
83 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Shampoo
65 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: curl cream
30 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Co-wash
19 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: gel
15 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
10 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Scalp treatment
9 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Finisher: oil
7 products
|
supporting · #8 |
11 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Heat protectant
7 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: mousse
6 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Finisher: serum
4 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: paste
3 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Finisher: end oil
2 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Finisher: shine spray
2 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: edge control
1 product
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
secondary · #11 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 163 | 23% | 9 | 3 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 87 | 21% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 83 | 22% | 9 | 1 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 65 | 8% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 30 | 29% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 19 | 19% | 8 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 15 | 10% | 8 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 10 | 18% | 10 | 2 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 9 | 6% | 8 | 5 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 7 | 4% | 8 | 3 | supporting |
| Heat protectant | 7 | 5% | 9 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 6 | 4% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 4 | 5% | 7 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: paste | 3 | 3% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 2 | 22% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Finisher: shine spray | 2 | 3% | 5 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 1 | 6% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 8% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 8% | 13 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 2% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 45 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 254 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 214 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 78 |
| 26+ | Trace | 18 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.
Butters do not disperse in water; a routine without a detergent wash gives them no way off the hair.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.High on a list, a solid fat is the heaviest thing in most formulas, and fine hair loses volume to it quickly.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8.Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- rich moisture for coarse or dry hair
- rich moisture
- a softer feel
- a barrier that slows water loss
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary butter, listed below the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- that it suits every hair type — weight is the trade-off
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 231
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 204
- Cetyl Alcohol · 188
- Tocopherol · 169
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 148
- Caprylyl Glycol · 144
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 142
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · 128
- Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil · 123
- Benzyl Alcohol · 121
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to soften the strand, improve feel after rinsing, and deliver a stated effect.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
SheaMoisture · Mask / treatment
Raw Shea Butter Moisturizing Hair Mask
#1 on the label · $3.28/oz
Adwoa Beauty · Mask / treatment
Blue Tansy Reparative Mask
#2 on the label
African Pride · Styler
Moisture Miracle Aloe & Coconut Water Hydrate & Define Smoothie Curl Enhancer
#2 on the label · $0.54/oz
African Pride · Leave-in
Moisture Miracle Hydrate & Strengthen Leave-In Cream
#2 on the label · $0.67/oz
Aunt Jackie's · Mask / treatment
Fix My Hair Intensive Repair Conditioning Masque
#2 on the label
Creme of Nature · Leave-in
Argan Oil from Morocco Moisture Recovery Leave-In Curl Milk
#2 on the label · $0.80/oz
Creme of Nature · Styler
Double Duty Curl Stretch & Define Pudding
#2 on the label · $0.48/oz
Creme of Nature · Styler
Pure Honey Hair Food Smoothing & Frizz Control Curl Defining Cream
#2 on the label · $0.49/oz
Creme of Nature · Styler
Pure Honey Moisture Whip Twisting Cream
#2 on the label · $0.67/oz
PATTERN · Styler
Styling Cream
#2 on the label · $1.80/oz
PATTERN · Styler
Styling Cream - 15.0 oz
#2 on the label · $3.27/oz
See all 516 products in the library that list Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- emollient
- sealant
- butyrosepermum parkii (shea butter)
- butyrospermum parkii
- butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)
- butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) fruit
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter (certified organic, fair trade)
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter (certified organic)
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter unsaponifiables
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter/beurre
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter^
- butyrospermum parkii (shea) nut extract (shea butter)
- butyrospermum parkii (shea/karite) butter
- butyrospermum parkii butter
- butyrospermum parkii butter (butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter)
- butyrospermum parkii glycerides (shea butter)
- shea butter
- shea butter (butyrospermum parkii)
- shea butter (certified organic)
- shea butter (fair trade certified organic)
- shea butter (fair trade, organic)
- shea butter (fair trade)
For your hair?
Whether Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 5th most-listed oil, butter or emollient in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above is read from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references — the consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Seed entry — sourcing in progress Written from our reference work; primary sourcing is still being attached.
No published source is attached to this entry yet.
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 516 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.