Butters & Waxes
Butters and waxes are what give a formula its body. Both are solid at room temperature, but they behave differently once they're in a batch: butters melt at skin contact and deliver emollience, while waxes raise the melt point and hold a structure together.
This section profiles both — shea, cocoa, mango and the exotic tropical butters, alongside beeswax, candelilla, carnauba and the soy waxes used in candle making. Each profile covers where the material comes from, how it handles, and what it contributes to a balm, bar, lotion or candle.
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247 articles on oils, butters, extracts and formulation. Search by ingredient, concern or technique.
Natural Butters
7 DIY SKIN CARE RECIPES INSPIRED BY EXOTIC BUTTERS
Exotic Butters are plant-derived fats from tropical seeds and nuts, solid at room temperature but melting on skin contact. This guide sorts them by absorption rate — fast-absorbing Cupuacu, Kokum, Shea, and Tucuma for oilier complexions; slow-absorbing Cocoa and Ucuuba for very dry skin; medium-absorbing Bacuri, Mango, and Murumuru. Profiles both familiar and lesser-known butters, and points toward seven recipes.
DETOX & HYDRATE WITH EXQUISITE COFFEE BUTTER
Coffee Butter brings the antioxidant richness of coffee to skincare and haircare. Intensely moisturizing, it leaves skin smooth and supple, features widely in cellulite formulations thanks to its caffeine content, and conditions hair while cleansing the scalp. Explore the roles of chlorogenic acid, oleic and linoleic acids, phytosterols, lecithin, and Vitamin E — plus how its familiar, comforting aroma can lift the mood at either end of the day.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES TO MAKING YOUR OWN NATURAL MOISTURIZERS, BUTTERS, AND LOTIONS
Making your own moisturizer requires only three ingredients: a carrier oil, water, and an emulsifier. This guide explains why an emulsifier is non-negotiable, how optional additives like thickeners, butters, preservatives, and floral waters enrich a formulation, and how sterilizing everything prevents contamination. It also clarifies the practical difference between butters, creams, lotions, and milks — each simply a more diluted version of the last.
THE BEST NATURAL ALTERNATIVES FOR PETROLEUM JELLY
Petroleum jelly has been a household staple since Robert Chesbrough packaged it as Vaseline in 1870 — but concerns around incomplete refining, PAH contamination, and its inability to let skin breathe have many looking elsewhere. This guide covers that history and those concerns, then profiles six natural occlusive alternatives: Shea Butter, Beeswax, Olive Oil, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, and Mango Butter.
TOP 10 BENEFITS OF MORINGA BUTTER
Moringa Butter combines hydrogenated vegetable oil with nutrient-rich Moringa Oil for exceptional stability and rejuvenating performance. It moisturizes, repairs, and protects while improving the look of firmness and smoothness in skin and hair. Explore the contributions of its key constituents — oleic, behenic, palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acids, plus Vitamin A — and how each shapes the butter's texture, conditioning power, and cosmetic benefits.
Waxes
ALL ABOUT CANDLE WAXES
Choosing a candle wax shapes everything — burn time, scent throw, colour hold, and environmental impact. This guide covers the five main candle types and which waxes suit each, explains why paraffin remains popular despite its crude oil origins and VOC emissions, then compares four NatureWax options: C3 Soy, C-6 Soy/Coconut, Elite-200 Soy/Palm, and Elite-300 Palm Pillar, with scent loads and pour temperatures.
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BEESWAX
Beeswax never spoils, which is part of why it's been valued for millennia — from glazing cheeses and protecting fruit to being chronicled in China's Shennong Book of Herbs 2,000 years ago. Learn what gives beeswax its range of colours, the difference between Yellow, White, and Absolute grades, and its benefits across aromatherapy candles, lip balms, moisturizers, and haircare, including its protective barrier and soothing effects.
ALL ABOUT ECOSOYA WAXES
Soy Wax was developed in 1991 as a cost-effective natural alternative to Beeswax, and has since become a favourite for its plant-based origin and cleaner, longer burn. Learn why its lower melting point suits container candles, and how additives change that. Includes a detailed comparison of EcoSoya Q210 and Q220 waxes — what each replaces, which candle types they suit, and where they fall short.
ALL ABOUT CANDELILLA WAX
Candelilla Wax comes from the desert-dwelling Euphorbia cerifera shrub, where it naturally coats the plant's leaves and stems as protection against heat and moisture loss. Its name means "little candle." Learn how the wax is harvested and refined, why its plant-based origin makes it ideal for vegan formulations, and how its texturizing and barrier-forming properties suit lip balms, lotion bars, creams, soaps, and candles.
ALL ABOUT CARNAUBA WAX
Known as the "Queen of Waxes," Carnauba Wax is secreted by Brazil's Copernicia cerifera palm to guard against moisture loss — and it's one of the hardest natural waxes available. Learn how it's harvested and graded, and why its exceptionally high melting point makes it valuable for thermostability, binding, and hold in lipsticks, deodorants, creams, styling waxes, candles, polishes, and depilatory formulations.