Is Shea Butter Good for Skin? We Asked Experts

Cosmopolitan

5 days ago

"Doesn't trying so many skincare and makeup products irritate your face?" It's a question I get often, and for a long time, I thought, "Nope, my skin's just made of steel." But I was very wrong, as I discovered my hormonal acne isn't necessarily always to blame for my breakouts. Turn's out, a routine filled with pore-clogging ingredients wasn't making my situation much better. The biggest culprit, I realized while looking over ingredients lists, was shea butter.
Anyone with dry, coarse, and/or curly hair knows about shea butter. It's a moisturizing masterpiece. But shea butter for skin is a whole different world, especially if you're acne-prone or sensitive. In fact, aesthetician Madalaina Conti says she consistently sees patients who come in with acne, and she discovers quickly it's because their routines are filled with pore-clogging shea butter. It might not be the initial cause of their breakouts (usually, that's hormones and genetics at play), but it can be what's stunting them from getting clear. "For most acne-prone clients, we want to be strategic about how their hydrating and moisturizing products work with their actives," she says.
Shea butter is the fat derived from the nuts of shea trees (which are native to West Africa and where most all shea butter still comes from today). It's essentially a solid oil, just like coconut oil or cocoa butter, that feels like a hard soap but emulsifies when you warm it up.
The natural ingredient isn't necessarily new or trendy (it's been a staple for moisturizing hair and skin, predominantly in African households, for more than a thousand years), but it is constantly talked about.
Shea butter could be good for your skin, but it all depends on skin type. Generally, shea butter is a fantastic moisturizer and sealant, says Conti. Oils can usually be put in two categories: moisturizing or sealing. Some oils, like almond oil and sunflower seed oil, have a small enough molecular size that they can actually get inside your dermis and moisturize it. But many oils, like rice bran oil and jojoba oil, just can't penetrate your skin. Instead, these oils act as a barrier to keep in all the hydration you do have in your skin (also known as an occlusive), describes Conti. Shea butter is unique because it actually does both. It simultaneously seeps into your skin to hydrate it as it coats the surface to prevent that moisture from escaping, cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline previously told Cosmo.
That's not all, though. Shea butter is loaded with good-for-skin components. It's largely made up of fatty acids—including stearic, linoleic, oleic, and palmitic fatty acids—all of which help strengthen your skin barrier and increase skin's elasticity (key for skin that's bouncy, supple, and smooth). There's also vitamin A, D, and E, plus triglycerides, to even further prevent skin dehydration and dryness. Shea butter is also pretty fantastic for sensitive skin, since it's got allantoin to help soothe irritation. But...
Technically, shea butter is thought to be non-comedogenic (meaning it's not likely to clog pores). But comedogenocity ratings aren't always the end-all, be-all for acne-prone skin. Here's the thing: The only thing that firmly determines if something will break you out is genetics. It's why some people could coat their faces with coconut oil in the early aughts with no repercussions, while others (me) would wake up to a face full of acne. Same goes for shea butter.
But some general guidelines can help if you're acne-prone and not sure what'll break you out. Conti urges against heavy occlusive moisturizers, like anything with shea butter, which she says she recommends avoiding to her acne clients. If you've already got congested pores filled with bacteria, shea butter can be too occlusive and cause bacteria to fester even more, she explains.
As stated, any skin type can use shea butter, but it might be too heavy for oily skin. Conti recommends it mostly for those with very dry skin who don't tend to get acne. This is why shea butter lotions for body are so commonly loved. The skin all over your body isn't as oily or acne-prone (hence why the skin is usually drier than your face). So it's generally less of a risk for breakouts to slather your entire bod in shea butter as it would be on your face.
Although they might look similar, shea butter and coconut oil are fairly different, says Conti. Both contain fatty acids that help moisturize, but their consistency isn't the same. Shea butter makes products more rich and creamy, while coconut oil, when not in a solid, is much thinner and absorbent. However, the biggest difference is that coconut oil is generally seen as more pore-clogging. It's ranked at a four or five on the comedogencity scale (five is the highest possible, btw).
While you could use pure shea butter on your skin, the easiest way to incorporate the ingredient in your skincare routine is with a product that combines it with other ingredients. Shea butter fares really well in moisturizers (especially for body), as well as lip products, since it gives them a luscious consistency. With all occlusive products, Conti actually recommends layering on top of a hydrating serum to lock in even more moisture.
One of the first products launched by Hailey Bieber's Rhode, the Barrier Restore Cream uses shea butter, squalane, and peptides to make skin look more plump and firm. It's fantastic for massaging into skin after treatments like microneedling or laser facials.
Although I avoid shea butter-based creams for my face, I know they're legit magic for the dry, cracked skin on my hands in the winter. I always keep a tube of this body butter (which mixes shea butter with baobab and jojoba oil) to intensely nourish skin.
Consistently named one of the best moisturizers for dry skin, this cream is filled with peptides to increase collagen production, ceramides to boost skin barrier, hyaluronic acid to pull water into skin, and shea butter to lock in hydration.
The first time I tried this moisturizer, I knew even before looking at the ingredients that it contained shea butter. It's rich, emollient, and so smoothing on skin—all for less than $25.
Both Conti and beauty editor-at-large Julee Wilson agree: Mutha's body butter is freakin' delicious for hydrating your skin from the chest down. 'As someone who lives for luxe, skin-loving moisture, this butter is an absolute dream—rich, velvety, and unapologetically indulgent," writes Wilson. "The shea, cocoa, and mango butter trifecta is perfection.'
TikTok's favorite lip balm is more than just a juicy, glossy tint. It's actually extremely moisturizing and smoothing, thanks to the formula's MVP: shea butter.
TBH, Conti isn't a huge fan of a lot of skincare filled with shea butter (she's acne-prone herself, actually). "For acne-prone skin, I prefer products containing bisabolol and/or glycerin as they are non-comedogenic and non-occlusive," she says. "They will give a similar buttery feel to the skin, but will allow the passage of oxygen to the pore so they're less likely to cause breakouts."
Conti's favorite moisturizer for acne-prone clients, this Tizo cream is rich without feeling heavy on skin. "It has bisabolol for that creamy feel but won't clog your pores," she says.
Named the best wrinkle cream in Cosmo's 2025 Holy Grail Awards, this peptide-packed moisturizer is fantastic for smoothing and firming skin but doesn't aggravate acne.
Barrier-repairing products are typically occlusive and thick, but not this cream. It has a gel-cream texture that absorbs quickly into skin but seriously hydrates and seals—just like shea butter (but without it).
If you want glass skin without the pore-clogging oils, try this treatment from clean beauty brand MARA. It uses niacinamide, salicylic acid, and mandelic acid to gently exfoliate and smooth skin texture, but it's also mixed with a slew of acne-friendly oils that make skin look hella dewy.
Listen: Most body creams are packed with shea butter, which is great for cracked heels and dry elbows. But if you want a formula you can comfortably put on your acne-prone chest and back, this O.G. cream from CeraVe hydrates with ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
Lip pimples are the worst, which is why Personal Day (founded by acne-prone actress Lili Reinhart) created this acne-friendly lip balm. It hydrates the heck out of lips but nixes a lot of the ingredients that are most likely to clog pores, including shea butter.
If you have dry, cracked, or irritated skin, shea butter is probably gonna be the GOAT for you. But experts say it might be too heavy for acne-prone skin and could lead to breakouts. Ofc, it's impossible to tell off rip if something will break you out, though. Always, with everything, try a patch test first to see how your skin will react (I usually try a small area of skin next to my ear above my jawline).
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories that range from pimple patches to eye creams for bags.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.