Have you ever read the ingredients of your chocolate? or maybe your cream claims to have this particular ingredient in it- Cocoa butter? So what is all this fuss around it? Let's find out!

Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil, is a pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It is used to make chocolate, as well as some ointments, toiletries, and pharmaceuticals. Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavour and aroma. Its melting point is just below human body temperature, which explains why chocolate melts in the mouth!

Cocoa butter is obtained from whole cocoa beans. For use in chocolate manufacture, the beans are fermented before being dried. The beans are then roasted and separated from their hulls to produce cocoa nibs. About 54–58% of the cocoa nibs is cocoa butter. 

Recently, there has been a lot of talks around cocoa butter. There are many benefits of cocoa butter. It is high in fatty acids, which is why it’s often touted for its ability to hydrate and nourish the skin and improve elasticity. The fat in cocoa butter forms a protective barrier over the skin to hold in moisture.

Cocoa butter is also rich in natural plant compounds called phytochemicals. These substances may improve blood flow to the skin and slow skin ageing by protecting against damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays. One common use of cocoa butter is to smooth scars, wrinkles, and other marks on the skin. Many women believe cocoa buttercreams and lotions can be used during and after pregnancy to prevent and minimize the appearance of stretch marks. 

But these statements are not backed up by scientific research, which makes you question why it is being highly promoted if it is not a proven fact. while the makers deem it safe, A 2015 study found that one cocoa butter product had anti-estrogenic effects. This means it reduced or blocked the effects of the female hormone, estrogen, on the body. Being exposed to products with anti-estrogenic effects might have an effect on an adolescent’s development during puberty. Yet this evidence is still new, and cocoa butter hasn’t been proven to affect children’s development.

Rest assured, if you have been using cocoa butter, no harm done! these have been mere speculations and the truth about the mysterious cocoa butter is yet to be revealed!