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Shea Butter: The Gold Of Burkina Faso
What Is Shea Butter & What Are The Skin Benefits
Discover the story behind L’Occitane and the women shea butter producers of Burkina Faso.
L’Occitane began sourcing and producing shea butter in Burkina Faso in the 1980s and have since built strong relationships and a partnership with the female producers of Burkina Faso.
Before we continue with the story behind the Fairtrade sourcing of shea butter, let’s get into the benefits and what exactly shea butter is.
What Is Shea Butter?
The nourishing ingredient you find in many of your beauty products is derived from the Shea nut, which is famous for the fatty kernel it contains. The kernel is extracted and kneaded into a paste, which becomes the raw Shea butter.
Raw Shea butter is rich in active ingredients including:
- Omega-3
- Omega-6
- Vitamin E
- Karitene
These ingredients are what makes shea butter so nourishing and perfect for dry and dehydrated skin.
Women in Burkina Faso have been using shea butter for generations to protect their skin from the harsh conditions in the Savannah.
Shea Butter is known as the gold of Burkina Faso.
Benefits Of Shea Butter
As we’ve mentioned already, Shea butter is perfect for those that suffer from dehydrated and dry skin, however it’s suitable for the whole family due to its nourishing, hydrating, softening and protecting properties.
How To Use Shea Butter
Use it as a daily moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated, or you could use a shea butter based product to treat skin concerns such as eczema, chapped lips, razor burn and even nappy rash.
Shea butter is quickly absorbed into the skin forming a barrier, whilst also holding moisture without leaving your skin feeling oily and greasy.
The Women Of Burkina Faso
L’Occitane is committed to supporting and empowering the women of Burkina Faso. When L’Occitane first began sourcing shea butter in Burkina Faso there were about a dozen women producing the raw shea, now there are over 10,000!
“L’OCCITANE is committed to empowering the women of Burkina Faso by actively working with our foundation to further entrepreneurship and education of girls in the region. We aim to support 60,000 Burkinabé women by 2025.” - L'Occitane
