Tucuma butter
The palm is mainly found in Brazil in the regions of Pará, Maranhão and Amapá and is also called Tucuma or Tucuma-do-Pará. It was first described in 1824.
It grows multi-stemmed, with the individual stems having a diameter of 10-20 cm. It is said to be extremely regenerative and can sprout again even after fire.
The palm tree produces two to five fruit clusters per year, each containing an average of 300 fruits. When fully grown, it produces about 50 kg of fruit per year.
The kernel, which is also called toucan or large panama nut, weighs about 30 g. The kernel oil, which is used in cosmetics, is extracted from it.
The indigenous people made black rings from the hard heartwood, which they and the slaves wore as wedding rings. Today, the black rings have souvenir character and are worn as a sign of friendship, but also of solidarity with the poor.
The root extracts are traditionally used in folk medicine.
Arts and crafts use the robust fibres of the leaves for basket weaving.
The nutritious pulp is used in juice and ice cream and the so-called tucuma wine, as well as in cooking.
Valuable ingredients of tucuma butter
Tucuma butter (Astrocaryum Vulgare Seed Butter) is rich in saturated fatty acids. The ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids is 97/3.
Due to the high proportion of saturated fatty acids, such as the medium-chain lauric and myristic acid, it has a high resistance to oxidation and does not go rancid quickly.
The orange fruit’s high concentration of β-carotene (52mg/100g flesh) is worth mentioning. In comparison, carrots have 6.6mg/100g.
Lauric acid 45%
Myristic acid 28%
Oleic acid 14%
Palmitic acid 6%
Stearic acid 2,5%
Linoleic acid 2%
Capric acid < 1.5%
Palmitoleic acid <1%
Tucuma butter has a similar fatty acid profile to Murumuru butter and a similar high melting point at 30 – 32°C.
Tucuma butter in cosmetics
Due to its lauric acid content and consistency, Tucuma butter is suitable for natural soaps, as a consistency agent for cosmetic products, for pharmacy and pharmacy cosmetics, assuming pure quality. It makes an ideal base for lotions, soaps, ointments, hair treatments, shampoos, is suitable as a massage cream due to its substance and can be mixed well with other vegetable fats.
It reduces transepidermal water loss, restores the hydrolipidic film and strengthens the skin barrier.
It is suitable for dry hair, damaged hair and hair with split ends. It penetrates the cuticle to replace structuring lipids. It moisturises and smoothes, restoring elasticity and strength to the hair.
Thanks to its film-forming properties, it is suitable for the care of curly and frizzy hair, has an anti-frizz effect and gives the hair shine. In addition, the film protects against environmental influences (anti-pollution).
Tucuma butter spreads well on the skin, is absorbed without greasy shine and is therefore also suitable for oily skin. It leaves the skin feeling silky, soft and non-greasy.
100% natural substitute for silicone
Tucuma butter forms a transparent protective film on the skin due to its fatty acid composition, which is similar in effect to silicone.
Silicone oil is a low-viscosity oil with a water-repellent effect.
The synthetic polymers with silicon atoms are surface-active, chemically stable, skin-compatible, non-occlusive and have good spreading properties.
The most common representatives are dimethicones and cyclomethicones. Silicones are insoluble in water and have a low surface tension. The low surface tension is the reason for their good spreading properties; they form protective films on the skin and are used in cosmetics to create smooth, supple surfaces on skin or hair, to protect against external influences and to improve the sensory properties of skin and hair care products.
As hydrophobic substances, they are particularly suitable for skin protection creams, baby creams, sunscreens, have a non-greasy skin feel.
In lipsticks they improve skin feel, in shampoo and conditioner they improve the wet combability of hair and give hair shine and a silky feel without weighing it down. In decorative cosmetics, they optimise application and adhesion, give facial creams a smooth, non-greasy consistency, form a protective film without sealing, protect hair from split ends and add shine.
So, silicones are not bad per se. They are non-toxic, non-allergenic, safe because they are not petroleum-based, non-comedogenic, do not promote bacterial growth, reduce transepidermal water loss, are breathable and are used in the medical field for redness, e.g., rosacea or skin irritations.
Silicones have come in for criticism and “silicone-free” is now a positive product argument, justified primarily by poor biodegradability.
Cheap silicones can also contain harmful substances. Due to their film formation, they can prevent the absorption of care substances into the skin or hair, so they have only limited care properties. When silicones are described as water-soluble, this only means that they can be washed off the skin.
Tucuma butter is a silicone alternative with skincare effects. Tucuma butter has equivalent sensory properties and best spreading properties as Murumuru butter. (see > Murumuru), (see > Substitute for silicone)
Tucuma butter from the Brazilian raw material supplier Beraca is 100 percent natural, sustainable and an efficient alternative to silicones in cosmetic formulations.
Incidentally, like Murumuru butter, Tucuma butter can also replace coconut oil, providing a rich source of lauric acid.
Disadvantages
There are also inferior products on the market that are stretched with other fats and fillers.
That is why it is important to pay attention to the good origin, which is guaranteed with various certifications. For example, good quality Tucuma butter from the Brazilian raw material supplier Beraca is certified by Ecocert, Cosmos, USDA Organic, Organico Brasil, Euro-Bio-Label.
Profile: Tucuma butter
INCI: Astrocaryum Vulgare Seed Butter
CAS number: 942505-39-7
Origin: Brazil
Extraction: Cold pressing
Storage: cool, dry, protected from light
Storage temperature: 14 – 18 °C
Shelf life: unopened 18 months
Ingredients: lauric acid, myristic acid, oleic acid, β-carotene
Effect: maintains the moisture balance of the skin, strengthens the hair fibre, antioxidant, 100% natural alternative to silicone, easy to spread
Use: Skin and hair care products with new textures with exclusive sensory properties.
Concentration of use: 0.2 – 5%
New sensory experience
Whether in anti-ageing creams, moisturising creams, balms, lotions, natural soaps, Tucuma butter lends itself to skin and hair care products with exclusive sensory properties and as a versatile consistency enhancer. As a 100% silicone alternative, Tucuma butter justifiably allows the statement “without silicone” and makes it possible to combine pleasant sensory properties with caring properties. Cosmacon will be happy to advise you on the many possible uses of Tucuma butter and develop innovative formulations with this ingredient.
Literature:
Américo ÁVLDS, Nunes KM, de Assis FFV, Dias SR, Passos CTS, Morini AC, de Araújo JA, Castro KCF, da Silva SKR, Barata LES, Minervino AHH.Front Vet Sci. 2020 Jun 12;7:244
Emerging Lipids from Arecaceae Palm Fruits in Brazil.
Teixeira GL, Ibañez E, Block JM.Molecules. 2022 Jun 29;27(13):4188
Ferreira LMMC, Pereira RR, Carvalho FB, Silva Santos A, Ribeiro-Costa RM, Carréra Silva Júnior JO.Biomolecules. 2021 Apr 8;11(4):545
Ferreira LMMC, Pereira RR, Carvalho-Guimarães FB, Remígio MSDN, Barbosa WLR, Ribeiro-Costa RM, Silva-Júnior JOC.Polymers (Basel). 2022 Jul 18;14(14):2905