How It's Madeby Matta
Cocoa butter, illustrated
IngredientUsed in 5 products hereNot listed yet

What is cocoa butter used for?

Cocoa butter is the pale yellow natural fat of the cocoa bean, pressed from cocoa mass. It is solid at room temperature and melts at about 34–38 °C, just below body temperature, which makes it essential in chocolate (especially milk, white and couverture chocolate), valued in cosmetics such as lotions and soaps, and a traditional base for suppositories in pharmaceuticals.

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Key facts

Name on labels (INCI)
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Also called
Theobroma oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (INCI), Cacao butter
Grade to ask for
Food grade, natural or deodorised

The pale yellow fat pressed out of roasted cocoa beans.

Functions

What it does

Melt and snap in chocolate
Gives chocolate its gloss, clean snap and melt in the mouth. Its most stable crystal form (form V) is what tempering aims for.
Emollient in cosmetics
Softens skin and adds a rich texture and characteristic scent to lotions, balms and soaps.
Pharmaceutical base
Non-toxic, solid at room temperature and melting at body temperature, making it a classic suppository base.
Used in

Products on How It's Made that use cocoa butter

ProductIts role there
Milk chocolate barMelt and snap. The fat that makes chocolate solid at room temperature yet melting just below body temperature, giving the snap and the melt in the mouth.
Dark chocolate barMelt and snap. Extra cocoa butter makes the chocolate flow during processing and gives a glossy snap and smooth melt.
White chocolate barMelt and snap. The defining ingredient and the only part of the cocoa bean in white chocolate. It gives the melt and snap. Deodorised cocoa butter gives a milder flavour.
Chocolate wafer barChocolate coat. Gives the chocolate coating its snap and melt.
Chocolate chip cookiesChocolate chips. The fat in the chocolate chips. Bake-stable chips are formulated to keep their shape in the oven.

On How It's Made, cocoa butter is in milk, dark and white chocolate, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate wafers.

Grades

Grades and specifications

Natural cocoa butter
Retains a cocoa aroma; used in dark and milk chocolate.
Deodorised cocoa butter
Steam-deodorised for a neutral flavour; preferred for white chocolate and many cosmetics.
Origin and hardness
West African butters crystallise at a medium rate, between harder Asian and softer Brazilian butters, which affects how chocolate sets.
Safety and quality

Handling, safety and regulation

Stored cool, dry and away from odours, because fats absorb smells. Buyers specify free fatty acids, melting profile and colour. Incorrect cooling causes fat bloom, the white surface on badly tempered chocolate.

Chocolate definitions protect cocoa butter: the US requires cocoa butter as the fat in chocolate, while the EU allows up to 5% of certain other vegetable fats if declared. Foods in Nigeria require NAFDAC registration.

Supply chain

Where cocoa butter comes from

Cocoa nibs are about 54–58% cocoa butter. Nibs are ground into cocoa mass, which is pressed to separate the butter from the solids that become cocoa powder. Africa grows most of the world's cocoa, about 76% in the 2018/19 season, but a large share is pressed into butter in Europe and Asia, so West African chocolate and cosmetics makers often import it.

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Sourcing cocoa butter through Matta

Request cocoa butter

Send Matta a request with the grade, quantity and delivery location you need. For the wider category, see Matta's commodities page.

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No matching listing was found in the searches made on 27 Oct 2026 (searched: cocoa butter, cocoabutter, cocoa butter deodorised). A listing titled “Cosmetic butter” from 225 Cafe, which also sells cocoa powder and cocoa liquor, gives an iodine value of 33–42, the range typical of cocoa butter. It does not say it is cocoa butter and is sold as cosmetic, so it is not counted here. Ask the supplier.

Related ingredients

Cocoa massSoy lecithinShea butterWheat flour

Sources and method

  1. Wikipedia: Cocoa butter
  2. Barry Callebaut: From cocoa to chocolate
  3. ICCO Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics: production of cocoa beans (2018/19 season)
  4. Cocoa Supply: The legal definition of chocolate in the EU (Directive 2000/36/EC)

Published by Matta · Last updated · Ingredient lists and Matta listing matches come from the How It's Made dataset; see how pages are made.

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