By Thom Watson, founder of Phatstix, who has spent nearly two decades in beauty and far too long making lip balms in his kitchen before going professional.
Shea, cocoa and mango butter are all excellent conditioning ingredients for dry lips, and they work in slightly different ways. Shea is the most widely studied: a rich emollient that fills in the gaps between skin cells and forms a light protective barrier. Cocoa butter is denser and more occlusive, great at locking in moisture but heavier on the lips. Mango butter sits between the two: lightweight, non-greasy and very well-tolerated by most skin types. The honest answer is that all three together work better than any single one alone.
What does "butter" actually mean in a lip balm?
In cosmetics, a butter is a semi-solid fat extracted from a plant seed or kernel. Unlike liquid oils, butters are solid at room temperature, which is what gives them their rich, spreadable texture. The three main ones you'll see on lip balm labels (shea, cocoa and mango) all belong to the emollient family, meaning they condition skin by filling in the microscopic gaps in the outer skin layer, making it feel smoother and less rough.
None of them are the same as humectants (like glycerin or hyaluronic acid), which draw water into skin. Butters are primarily emollients and, at higher concentrations, occlusives: they sit on the surface and reduce water loss. That distinction matters: butters condition and protect dry lips. They do not add water to them.
How do shea, cocoa and mango butter actually differ?
Here is a straightforward comparison of the three, based on their fatty acid profiles and the published research on their skin-care properties.
| Property | Shea butter | Cocoa butter | Mango butter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texture on lips | Soft, creamy, melts quickly | Denser, waxy, slower melt | Lightweight, silky |
| Feel | Non-greasy, absorbs well | Can feel heavy; protective | Light and smooth |
| Main fatty acids | Oleic (~45%), stearic (~40%) | Stearic (~35%), oleic (~35%) | Oleic (~46%), stearic (~38%) |
| Key function | Emollient + mild occlusive | Strong occlusive | Emollient, very skin-friendly |
| Skin studies | Well-evidenced for dry, rough skin (Honfo et al., 2014) | Good barrier function; dense film | Strong emollience; low on the comedogenic scale |
| Fragrance | Mild, slightly nutty | Faint chocolate (barely detectable in refined form) | Very mild, almost odourless |
The research is clearest on shea butter. A 2014 review published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (Honfo et al.) confirmed shea's emollient and soothing properties and noted its long history of use in skin care across Central and West Africa. Cocoa butter's occlusive properties are well established: it forms a denser film than shea, which makes it useful for locking in moisture but can feel heavier. Mango butter is less studied than the other two but has a well-regarded safety and tolerability profile, and its fatty acid composition is very similar to shea (high oleic and stearic), which suggests similar benefits. A 2018 review in Journal of Ethnopharmacology (Lin et al.) on emollient plant butters notes mango's promise as a skin conditioner.
Is shea butter the best butter for dry lips?
Shea is arguably the most researched and most widely used butter in lip care, and with good reason. Its oleic and stearic acid content gives it a balanced profile: enough oleic acid to penetrate and condition, enough stearic acid to provide structure and mild occlusion. It is also one of the few plant butters with documented soothing compounds (triterpenes and plant sterols), which may contribute to the comfortable feeling people report after using shea-based balms.
That said, "best" depends on your starting point. If your lips are severely cracked and you need a strong barrier, cocoa butter's denser film has an advantage. If you want something that absorbs quickly and does not sit heavily on the lips, mango butter or shea will serve you better. For most people (dry, flaky, everyday-chapped lips) shea is an excellent first choice.
Is cocoa butter good for lips?
Cocoa butter has been used in lip care for decades, and its reputation is largely deserved. Its high stearic acid content makes it a solid occlusive: it sits on the lip surface and reduces trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), which is the mechanism by which wind, cold and dry air cause lips to lose moisture and crack. The denser the occlusive, the stronger that barrier.
The downside of cocoa butter used in isolation is that density. On its own, it can feel heavy or waxy, some people describe it as sitting on the lips rather than absorbing. This is why you rarely see it as the only or dominant butter in a well-formulated product; it works best in combination with lighter emollients. Refined cocoa butter, as used in The Balm, has most of the volatile compounds removed, which also reduces that distinctive chocolate scent to almost nothing.
What is mango butter and why does it appear in lip balms?
Mango butter is extracted from the seed kernel of Mangifera indica, the mango tree. The refined version is pale yellow to white, nearly odourless, and has a texture that is noticeably lighter than shea or cocoa. It melts readily at skin temperature, spreads easily and does not leave a heavy residue.
Its fatty acid profile is dominated by oleic acid (~46%) and stearic acid (~38%), which is very close to shea butter's composition. This gives it strong emollient properties and a similar skin-conditioning effect, while the lighter texture makes it feel less occlusive and more quickly absorbed. That combination (moisturising but not heavy) is one of the reasons mango butter appears in many premium lip balms and face products designed for everyday wear.
Mango butter is also widely regarded as low on the comedogenic scale (unlikely to clog pores), making it a sensible choice for multi-use balms used not just on lips but on facial skin, cuticles and dry patches.
Why do some lip balms use all three butters?
Because each one brings something different, and the combination outperforms any single butter alone. Shea conditions and has soothing compounds. Cocoa builds a denser barrier and reduces TEWL. Mango adds a lighter, silkier texture that prevents the formula from feeling too heavy or waxy.
A formula using all three gets emollience from shea and mango, occlusivity from cocoa, and a texture that spreads easily without sitting on the surface. It is a simple logic: redundancy in function, diversity in texture.
In The Balm, we use shea, cocoa and mango butter at 2% each: modest percentages, but part of a full formula of 9 ingredients in which a high-linoleic sunflower oil (20%) and golden jojoba oil (16%) do the heavy emollient lifting. The butters round out the texture and add their specific barrier and conditioning contributions. No single ingredient is doing all the work.
Does the percentage of butter in a balm matter?
It matters, but not as simply as "higher = better". A lip product that is mostly one butter can feel waxy or heavy (think a pure cocoa butter stick). In a balanced formula, butters at a lower percentage contribute their emollient and occlusive properties while the texture is controlled by the ratio of waxes and oils. What you are looking for is a formula where each ingredient has a purpose, not just a high butter percentage on the label.
For reference, beeswax and sunflower oil (20%) carry most of the structural work in The Balm. The butters at 2% each provide complementary conditioning and barrier contributions without making the product feel dense or hard to spread.
Are butters better than synthetic alternatives in a lip balm?
This is a "it depends" question, and anyone who gives you a flat yes or no is oversimplifying. Plant butters are well-tolerated by most people, have long safety histories, and come with a range of minor bioactive compounds (fatty acids, plant sterols, vitamins) alongside their emollient properties. The evidence base for synthetic emollients (silicones, mineral oil, petrolatum) is also extensive and they are regarded as safe by UK and EU cosmetic regulators.
The honest comparison: petroleum-based ingredients like petrolatum are excellent occlusives. They do one job very well. Plant butters tend to do several jobs less intensively: emollience, mild occlusion, minor soothing support from phytochemicals. If you want a 100% natural formula that conditions and protects without synthetic ingredients, plant butters are a genuine, substantiated route. If you want maximum barrier function regardless of origin, petrolatum is hard to beat. For more on this, the lip balm vs Vaseline comparison covers the occlusion argument in more detail.
What to look for on a lip balm ingredient list
Before you buy, scan the INCI list. Here is what the names mean in plain English:
- Butyrospermum Parkii Butter: shea butter
- Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter: cocoa butter
- Mangifera Indica Seed Butter: mango butter
- Cera Alba: beeswax (if you see this, the product is not vegan)
- Petrolatum / Paraffin / Mineral Oil: petroleum derivatives; occlusive but not natural
Position in the list matters: ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration, so an ingredient listed near the bottom is present at low levels. Butters near the top of a long list will have a greater effect than butters listed after seven other ingredients.
For a full breakdown of what you will typically find in a lip balm, and what some of the more controversial ingredients actually do, the complete guide to lip balm ingredients is worth a read.
Does Phatstix use these butters, and why?
All three. The full Phatstix formula uses:
- Shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii Butter): refined and responsibly sourced. Emollient and lightly soothing.
- Cocoa butter (Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter): refined. Occlusive and protective.
- Mango butter (Mangifera Indica Seed Butter): refined. Lightweight emollient with a silky texture.
Each sits at 2% in the formula. The heavier lifting comes from sunflower, jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed and raspberry seed oils, plus beeswax as the structural backbone. The butters sit alongside those to round out the texture and add their respective contributions to a balanced conditioning formula. The result is a balm that conditions and protects without feeling heavy or waxy.
The Balm is 100% natural, no synthetics, no petrochemicals, no water, no fragrance. It is a 30g stick, roughly 7 times the size of a standard lip balm, and lasts up to a year. The per-gram cost works out at around £0.80, roughly 25% cheaper per gram than a typical high-street balm, and far cheaper per gram than premium balms (around £1.11/g for Burt's Bees, ~£2/g for Rhode, ~£5.25/g for Fresh).
Take a closer look at The Balm: all nine ingredients are listed in full on the product page.
Frequently asked questions
Which butter is best for very dry or chapped lips?
Shea butter has the strongest evidence base for dry, rough skin, thanks to its emollient fatty acids and soothing compounds. For severely chapped lips, a formula combining shea with a more occlusive ingredient like cocoa butter or beeswax will perform better than either alone.
Is cocoa butter or shea butter better for lips?
Cocoa butter is denser and more occlusive, better at forming a protective barrier. Shea butter is lighter and conditions more deeply. Most good lip balm formulas use both, because they complement each other rather than duplicate.
What is mango butter good for in lip care?
Mango butter is a lightweight emollient with a fatty acid profile very similar to shea. It conditions and smooths without the heavier feel of cocoa butter, and is well tolerated by most skin types. It works well in combination with shea and cocoa to create a balanced, non-greasy texture.
Are natural butters better than petroleum jelly for lips?
Petrolatum is an excellent occlusive with a strong safety record. Plant butters offer conditioning as well as mild occlusion, along with a range of minor bioactive compounds. Neither is dangerous; the choice depends on what you want from a formula: purely natural ingredients, conditioning and occlusion together, or maximum barrier function. See our lip balm vs Vaseline comparison for more detail.
Does the amount of butter in a lip balm matter?
Yes, though higher percentages are not always better. Butters work in the context of the full formula, alongside waxes, oils and any other ingredients. A balanced formula at lower butter percentages can outperform a product that is mostly one butter but poorly textured.
Where do the butters in Phatstix The Balm come from?
The shea, cocoa and mango butter in The Balm are refined, cosmetic-grade plant butters, responsibly sourced. The full INCI list is on The Balm product page.
All three butters. One stick. 30g, and lasts up to a year.
The Balm uses shea, cocoa and mango butter alongside five oils and beeswax. 100% natural, made in England, fragrance-free. About £0.80 per gram, roughly 25% cheaper per gram than a typical high-street balm.