Choosing the right oils and butters isn’t just about what’s trending, it’s a critical formulation decision. Whether you’re creating a whipped body butter, a curl-defining cream, or a nourishing balm, how you pair your oils and butters can dramatically impact texture, stability, absorption, and efficacy.

Yet, many makers struggle with questions like:
“Why does my balm feel greasy?”
“Why does my butter whip collapse after two days?”
“How do I balance richness with a fast-absorbing finish?”

This blog answers all of that and more. Whether you’re a beauty brand founder or a kitchen-formulating DIYer, here’s your essential guide to unlocking the art (and science) of oil and butter synergy.

Why Oil and Butter Pairing Matters

Oils and butters serve as the base of most anhydrous skincare and haircare products. But each comes with its own fatty acid profile, melting point, and skin feel. When combined thoughtfully, they can:

• Boost product performance
• Improve spreadability
• Control greasiness
• Deliver targeted skin and hair benefits

What Makers Often Get Wrong

• Using only one butter, resulting in greasy or hard textures
• Pairing slow-absorbing oils with heavy butters, hello, greasy mess!
• Choosing butters based on name, not fatty acid composition or function
• Ignoring seasonal changes products too soft in summer or too stiff in Harmattan

How to Master Butter & Oil Combinations

1. Understand the Butters You’re Working With

Each butter offers unique properties. Here’s a cheat sheet featuring top butters from our collection:

• Cupuacu Butter: Ultra-hydrating, can hold 400% of its weight in water, great for balms, lotions, and curl creams.
• Kokum Butter: Non-comedogenic and hard with a dry finish. Great for non-greasy sticks and body bars.
• Murumuru Butter: Rich in lauric acid, ideal for haircare and sealing moisture.
• Illipe Nut Butter: Super firm, excellent for balms and lip products needing structure.
• Cocoa Butter: Rich and occlusive, loved for stretch mark and barrier repair products.
• Mango Butter (Unrefined): Softer, quick-absorbing, adds fluffiness to whipped products.
• Shea Butter: The classic all-rounder, soothing, rich in vitamins, great for dry skin formulas.

 Pro Tip: Pair a harder butter (like Kokum or Illipe) with a softer one (like Mango or Shea) to balance consistency.

2. Choose Oils Based on Absorption and Feel

When pairing oils with butters, consider:

• Fast-absorbing oils (like Grapeseed, Rosehip, Jojoba): Great with heavy butters to balance greasiness.
• Medium oils (like Sweet Almond, Olive Squalane): Perfect all-rounders for both skin and hair.
• Heavy oils (like Castor, Avocado): Use sparingly or balance with drier butters.

 Formulator’s trick:
Want a fast-drying body butter? Combine Kokum Butter with Grapeseed Oil.
Need a rich, overnight repair balm? Try Cocoa Butter + Avocado oil.

3. Fatty Acid Profiles Matter

• Linoleic acid (light and soothing) – Great for acne-prone or oily skin
• Oleic acid (rich and nourishing) – Ideal for dry or mature skin
• Lauric acid (antimicrobial) – Great in scalp and hair care

Your choice should reflect your target user’s skin or hair concern.

Common Formulation Combos You Should Try

Final Tips for Formulators

• Always test for texture in different seasons
• Whip only after cooling below 30°C to avoid deflation
• Use arrowroot, starches,  or sepigel 305,  alkyl Benzoate,  and  coco-caprylate  to cut greasiness.
• Consider essential oil compatibility with your oil phase.

Mastering oil and butter pairings is where the real magic happens in natural formulation. When you understand texture, absorption, and skin feel, you create products that not only perform, but delight.

Your next viral buttercream or best-selling balm? It starts here.

Ready to experiment?

Explore our curated range of premium butters here and level up your next formulations.