Kokum vs. Shea vs. Cocoa vs. Mango Butter: Which One(s) Should You Actually Use?

If you've ever shopped for a body butter and lost track of which butter is which and why you should care (shea, cocoa, mango, kokum, are there more!?), you're not alone. These plant butters are all over the place in skincare, and most brands tell you their butter is deeply moisturizing, nourishing, or some other word that sounds nice and is not wrong but doesn't actually help you choose.

But they are different, and you should know how so you know which one is right for you. They vary in how greasy they are, how fast they sink in, how likely they are to clog pores (their "comedogenic rating" in fancy skin words), how heavy they feel on the skin. And one, kokum, behaves differently enough that we built our balms around it.

Butter breakdown, coming your way.

Cocoa butter

Cocoa butter benefits

Cocoa butter is the heavyweight of the group. Moisturizers with cocoa butter go on thick, smells unmistakably like chocolate, and forms a substantial layer on the surface of your skin. If your heels crack every winter or your elbows feel like sandpaper, cocoa butter is very good at locking moisture in and protecting those areas.

How does cocoa butter feel on the skin?

The tradeoff is that you'll know it's there, for the entire time it's there. It has a waxier feel than the other butters, the closest to petroleum jelly out of this group, and can leave a noticeable film on the skin.

Is cocoa butter comedogenic?

Unfortunately the answer is yes, the cocoa butter comedogenic rating is 4 (fairly high). If you're prone to clogged pores or acne, cocoa butter is probably the one to be most cautious with on your face. It's fantastic for dry heels, elbows, knees, and other rough body areas, but I'd personally keep it below the neck unless you already know your skin loves it or you start with a small patch test to be sure.

Bottom line on cocoa butter

If what you want is maximum protection and you don't mind a heavier feel and the faint smell of dessert, the benefits of cocoa butter on the skin are hard to beat.

Shea butter

Shea butter benefits

Shea butter is the most popular and widely-used of this list, and it's well earned. It's rich, creamy, easy to spread, and does an excellent job softening dry skin. There's a reason it's found in so many lotions and body butters.

How does shea butter feel on the skin?

The downside is that it also doesn't really disappear. Hours later your skin may still feel moisturized, but it also still feels like there's something on it that will transfer to other things if you touch them. If you've ever moisturized your hands and immediately left fingerprints on your phone or laptop, that's what we're talking about here. If you're comparing shea butter vs. cocoa butter, shea is definitely less heavy, but it's still noticeable.

Is shea butter comedogenic?

With a comedogenic rating of 0-2 (low), shea butter has a surprisingly low reputation for clogging pores despite how rich it feels. Plenty of people use it on their face without issues, although everyone's skin is different. If you're acne-prone, patch test first, but shea is generally considered a safer bet than cocoa butter.

Bottom line on shea butter

For overnight body care or very dry skin, that's often a worthwhile tradeoff. If you're looking for something you can apply and then forget about, a shea butter cream probably isn't it.

Mango butter

Mango butter benefits

If you're considering mango butter vs shea butter, then mango butter is shea butter's laid-back sibling.

How does mango butter feel on the skin?

It has a lighter, silkier feel, very little scent (surprising, right? It comes from the seed inside the mango pit, so pretty far removed from the wonderful-smelling mango itself), and absorbs faster while still leaving skin feeling soft. It's a nice choice for everyday moisturizing, especially if you've always liked shea but wished it felt a little less rich.

Is mango butter comedogenic?

The mango butter comedogenic rating is 0-2 (low), so it's generally considered one of the lighter, more face-friendly plant butters. If you're looking for everyday moisture and you're worried about clogged pores, it's one of the better options on this list.

Bottom line on mango butter

That lighter feel also means it isn't quite as protective for severely dry or cracked skin. It's excellent for maintaining healthy skin, but if your hands split every winter or your heels are already in rough shape, you'll probably want something with a little more staying power.

Kokum butter

Kokum butter benefits

Kokum is the odd one out.

It's actually the hardest butter of the four when you touch it in the jar, but once it reaches skin temperature it melts almost immediately into an incredibly thin, protective layer.

How does kokum butter feel on the skin?

Instead of feeling rich or greasy, it leaves behind a soft finish that stays in place without transferring onto your clothes, phone, steering wheel, or keyboard.

That's the reason we built both of our balms around it.

We weren't looking for the richest butter we could find. We were looking for one that could stand up to genuinely dry, irritated skin without feeling like a heavy moisturizer for hours.

Is kokum butter comedogenic?

The kokum butter comedogenic rating is 0, so it's generally considered one of the least comedogenic plant butters available. Combined with its lightweight, dry-touch feel, that's one of the reasons it's become our favorite for products designed to be used anywhere, including the face and lips.

Bottom line on kokum butter

Does that mean kokum is objectively better than the others? Definitely not, it just solves a different problem with different tradeoffs. If you love rich, indulgent body butters, shea or cocoa might still be your favorite. But if you've always wished your moisturizer didn't feel quite so...moisturizer-y...kokum is worth a try.

So which one should you choose?

Honestly, there's no wrong answer. It depends on what you need.

Choose cocoa butter if your priority is maximum protection and you don't mind a heavier, waxier feel.

Choose shea butter if you love rich body butters and don't care if they stay noticeable for a while.

Choose mango butter if you want something lighter for everyday moisturizing.

Choose kokum butter if you want protection and moisturizing without feeling like you're wearing moisturizer for the rest of the day. It's pretty solid for lips, too, especially if you have that forever-chapped-lips situation, or chapstick addiction.

Why we chose kokum

We came across kokum butter randomly, one day at a farmer's market. After testing out that product on our own set of issues (hello, smart watch irritation, chapped lips, and skin flares), we realized that it both worked and felt differently than anything we'd tried before. And when we looked around online to try to buy more, we couldn't find anything with a significant amount of kokum butter in it. The few products that did use it just had it as a supporting ingredient, not the foundation of the formula.

So, we made it. We formulated for a high amount of kokum butter, additional ingredients that supported the goal and didn't just act as fillers, and a feel on the skin that was pleasant. Both Base Layer and Calm Balm include some mango butter to help with spreadability, for example.

Shop the balms here.