I wanted to write this to help you learn more about the ongoing cocoa and chocolate shortage that is happening worldwide. This has resulted in cocoa crops and cocoa butter becoming more scarce and costly.
From a recent CNBC News Article:
“The world is facing the largest cocoa supply deficit in more than 60 years and consumers could start to see the effect at the end of this year or early 2025, Joules said. The International Cocoa Organization has forecast a supply deficit of 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season, a 405% increase from a deficit of 74,000 tons in the previous season.
“The worst is still yet to come,” Joules said. Cocoa prices will likely remain elevated for some time because there are no easy fixes to the systemic issues facing the market.” CNBC, Consumer news and business channel, 26 Mar 2024
I know how beloved cocoa butter is to the beauty community, and it is disappointing that we can’t offer it in the quantities that our customers prefer at the moment. Cocoa butter’s deeply moisturizing, comforting and skin repairing power has been second to none since it was first introduced as a commercial beauty ingredient. But the sooner we share this with you, the sooner we can help find alternative ways to help your skin and hair stay happy and hydrated with other high quality natural ingredients that are readily available.
What happened to the chocolate crops?
Adverse weather patterns have been building up over the last 3 years due to an El Niño weather cycle: a warm cycle that creates a larger-than-normal amount of hurricanes and tropical storms. This has caused unprecedented drought and disease. This domino effect has then caused cocoa supply shortage throughout the global supply chain. The major production center is in West Africa which has been most impacted by climate fluctuations. Unfortunately, until the global crop and supply lines can recover and bounce back to more sustainable levels, it may take some time for cacao crops and chocolate cultivation to return to normal, no matter where they are sourced from. Even largely unaffected suppliers such as those in South America are scrambling to meet global demand and get ahead of the cacao shortage.
Historically, there has also been a lack of funding into cacao cultivation that is needed in order to modernize production and provide value for cocoa farmers to earn a living. Many chocolate producers have been searching for a way to manufacture and distribute ethically sourced chocolate and cocoa products. One way to help secure the future of cocoa crops and help prevent a world chocolate shortage is to purchase from ethical suppliers. These companies prioritize supply lines and the fair treatment of workers at every stage of cocoa cultivation, By helping cocoa farmers create a sustainable business model, this can increase the amount of cacao production around the world.
Why is chocolate still reasonably priced if cocoa butter is not?
So why haven’t chocolate products gone up in price as much as cocoa butter? It’s because cocoa mass – the portion of the roasted cocoa bean that isn’t the fat – is less expensive and easier to source. We are not experiencing as much scarcity as we are with the cocoa butter shortage. When dried and ground, cocoa mass becomes cocoa powder, a staple of baked goods, chocolate, and mocha drinks. It has such a naturally strong and concentrated flavor that much less is needed to create familiar chocolate-based products.
If you’re still not sure how cocoa mass is used or what it is, it may help to think of the process with peanut products. When peanuts are ground, the resulting peanut butter is a paste made of both peanut mass and oils. However, the peanut oil can be separated from the peanut mass. You may have seen peanut powders or flours being used as a low-fat alternative to peanut butter in recent years – this is the peanut mass in a shelf-stable form.
Why is cocoa butter more in-demand than cocoa mass? It is used to finish the highest quality chocolate and desserts, which gives them a velvety texture and unique flavor that only cocoa butter can provide. Along with this, with the rise in ketogenic diets it’s also gained popularity as a vegan cooking fat or supplement for keto coffee. Finally, the beauty industry worldwide regularly creates high demand because cocoa butter contains the same antioxidants as dark chocolate. When applied to skin it helps to deeply rejuvenate skin cells, which can help heal scars, strengthen the skin barrier and more.
In the USA, real chocolate must contain cocoa butter by definition. However, “chocolate candies” may contain other fats, such as edible varieties of shea and mango butters that can sometimes be used for culinary purposes. They help to boost the texture of chocolate based desserts while still providing a good flavor. These fat substitutes may be another reason why it’s possible to easily obtain chocolate for a little while longer.
What does cocoa butter do for skin and hair?
There are several properties that are responsible for cocoa butter’s popularity. It is a deeply penetrating and moisture-locking plant fat that melts into a light oil at body temperature and is quickly absorbed into the skin. It’s so rich with fatty acids and unrefined nutrients and antioxidants that it can actually penetrate to the dermis-level of the skin. Thankfully, current research is also showing that many natural plant fats (ie, butters and oils) can also do this, including shea, mango, kokum, cupuacu, apricot oil, jojoba oil and more. Fatty acids are particularly good at this because skin is naturally acidic.
Cocoa butter is also excellent for certain hair types, especially coarse, dry, or high porosity hair. Its deep moisturizing qualities can penetrate hair strands and provide lasting moisture that helps strengthen the structure of the hair itself.
What are good substitutes for cocoa butter?
The good news is, there are many solid plant fats available on the market that have properties and benefits that are very similar to cocoa butter and aren’t impacted by the weather patterns that have driven the cocoa bean shortage. Let me tell you a little more about two plant butters also derived from fruit seeds that are great substitutes for cocoa butter: Kokum Butter and Cupuacu Butter.
Kokum butter
Kokum is a fruit tree native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely consumed and known as “wild mangosteen”. It can be eaten on its own, or used in drinks, desserts, and wines.
The moisturizing properties of kokum butter are very close to those of cocoa butter, which is why it has always been a great substitute for those searching for the therapeutic properties of cocoa butter without the natural chocolate scent, Kokum is a nearly unscented butter.
In fact, kokum butter has a similar fatty acid structure to cocoa although very slightly firmer.
Cupuacu butter
Cupuacu is in the theobroma family, which is the same family of fruits that cocoa comes from and also has a very widespread culinary use in South America. It can be found as an ingredient on its own in smoothies, shakes and desserts.
Cupuacu butter functions similarly to a combination of shea butter and cocoa butter. In recent years it has become known as a “super butter” due to its humectant (water attracting), emollient (skin softening and lubricating) and occlusive (protective barrier) properties.
Cupuacu is a bit softer than kokum or cocoa butters, but not quite as soft as shea or mango butters.
Though both these butters have a slightly more waxy consistency than cocoa butter, both of these butters can be used directly on skin or hair and will melt at body temperature. Both can also be substituted 1-1 in any whipped cocoa butter recipes with very close results!
Below is a basic recipe that can be used as a substitute for a whipped cocoa butter recipe. We have found it to be very nicely moisturizing for hair, face, and body applications.
Kokum & Cupuacu whipped body and hair butter
2 oz kokum butter
1 oz cupuacu butter
2 oz jojoba oil
Optional: 10 drops of vanilla essential oil, cocoa absolute or cacao essential oil
- Melt your kokum and cupuacu butters in a double boiler setup on low heat until liquid
- Remove from heat and wait one minute
- Add your jojoba oil and stir
- Place in fridge until 50% solid
- Fold in optional essential oil
- Whip to perfection
I hope this blog has helped you learn more about the current state of global chocolate availability and cocoa crop production. An informed shopper is a prepared shopper, especially as we go into the holidays. There are many natural butters derived from fruit seeds that can help keep your hair and skin looking its best. In addition to helping your beauty routine you may just discover a new favorite! Please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] for any questions or further recipe tips.
Author: Natalie, DIY enthusiast
