Cocoa butter: what it is for?
Cocoa butter is a culinary ingredient found in foods such as white chocolate and is widely used in cosmetics such as creams and lip balms. It is extracted from the fatty part of the cocoa bean through processes such as roasting and pressing. Natural and culinary cocoa butter provides health benefits, while lip butter may contain dangerous compounds.
Benefits of cocoa butter in cooking
Excellent for the skin
Cocoa butter is rich in palmitic, stearic and oleic fatty acids . These compounds form a protective barrier for the skin, nourishing it and increasing its elasticity potential.
It is also rich in phytochemicals. These substances improve blood flow and help combat premature aging by protecting against damage from direct sunlight (ultraviolet rays) and free radicals. Studies suggest that cocoa butter can prevent and treat skin diseases.
It’s good for your bones
Another study showed that cocoa butter is a source of vitamin D , an important vitamin in the process of calcium absorption which is essential for bones.
Source of vitamin E
In addition to vitamin D, cocoa butter contains vitamin E. This vitamin is important for reproduction, vision, and blood, brain, and skin health.
Can fight malaria
Interestingly, a study has revealed that consuming cocoa may have a clinical effect against malaria. According to the researchers, this may be due to increased availability of antioxidants in plasma, increased plasma nitric oxide levels, activity of cocoa flavonoids and their derivatives, and enhanced immune system mediated by cocoa components, including cocoa butter , polyphenols, magnesium, and zinc.
How to use cocoa butter?
Natural cocoa butter can be used raw or diluted in fatty vegetable oil, such as castor oil , after being melted in a bain-marie. It can then be used to moisturize the lips and other parts of the skin, preventing wrinkles and dryness. In cooking, it is used to prepare desserts and savory dishes.
Risks of cocoa butter in cosmetics
Cocoa butter itself poses no health risks unless you are allergic to it, which is rare. The problem is that many creams and lip balms commonly found in perfumeries and pharmacies are made with harmful substances. Some of them don’t even contain real cocoa butter . Examples include the components BHA and BHT .
BHA (2,3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole) and BHT (2,6-ditert-butyl-p-creso) are harmful substances. Studies have concluded that BHA has carcinogenic effects, as it induces modifications in DNA, initiating mutagenesis. Another study indicated that both BHT and BHA mimic the body’s natural estrogens and are considered endocrine disruptors .
Furthermore, BHA and BHT are already present in sewage systems. And, as other research points out, these components are persistent in the environment and accumulate in the liver of living organisms and in sediments. Thus, they are present in food and cosmetics. It is also possible that BHA and BHT can be found in water that has already been treated and is available for consumption and even in aquatic organisms that will be ingested.
A study found that a product containing cocoa butter as a raw material had antiestrogenic effects. This means that the product reduced or blocked the effects of the female hormone estrogen in the body. And this can be dangerous, especially because exposure to products with antiestrogenic effects can affect the development of adolescents during puberty.
What can replace cocoa butter?
Replacing cocoa butter has its advantages. If you are concerned about additives in cosmetics, buy 100% cocoa butter and make your own skincare products. Or use shea butter, which provides similar moisturizing properties.
