Madhuca longifolia
Pressed from the seed of India's oldest cosmetic tree — a species that has fed and oiled forest communities across the Deccan for centuries. The butter is softer than kokum or sal, with a balanced stearic–oleic profile and a gentle, faintly sweet aroma. It carries the quiet authority of an ingredient that has simply always been used.
Mahua is the heritage lipid of India. The tree flowers in late summer, drops its golden corolla onto the forest floor, and yields a seed whose oil has been a staple of tribal kitchens, cosmetic practice, and Ayurvedic medicine for longer than any written record survives. The sourcing intent is named co-operatives across the Mandla and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh — communities for whom the mahua tree is not a crop but a relative.
The butter itself is chemically distinct from the Konkan set. Palmitic acid sits at 15 to 18 percent, unusually high for a natural butter, giving the lipid a softer melt and a more emollient feel. Stearic acid lands between 25 and 35 percent. Oleic climbs to 37 to 46 percent. The result is a butter that melts across a wide range — 28 to 35°C — rather than snapping at a single temperature.
Formulators reach for mahua when they want body without structure, and skin-feel without tack. It slots naturally into soaps, massage bases, low-cost body creams, and traditional Ayurvedic salves. For industrial users it lends itself to candle wax blends, leather conditioners, and bio-lubricants — a legitimate second market that helps us offer fair prices to the forest co-operatives.
The lipid India has always used. Our aim is simply to ship it cleaner.
| Fatty acid | Notation | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Oleic | C18:1 | 37–46% |
| Stearic | C18:0 | 25–35% |
| Palmitic | C16:0 | 15–18% |
| Linoleic | C18:2 | 12–17% |
| Other | — | <5% |
Applications where this lipid is generally used, drawn from published formulation practice.
Balanced hardness and lather. A workhorse saponified lipid.
Traditional carrier; warms on skin; tolerates essential oil loading.
Cost-effective emollient at 5 to 12 percent inclusion.
Industrial grade extends soy wax without paraffin.
Heritage application; conditioning without residue.
We refine to cosmetic grade for contract manufacturers.
Mahua substitutes shea at 1:1 in soap formulas for lower cost and faster cure. In creams, pair with 10 to 15 percent kokum or mango stearin to restore body. Not a direct replacement for cocoa butter — the polymorphism is wrong for confectionery.
Every specification on this page is a published typical value for the botanical species, compiled from supplier technical data sheets and the peer-reviewed literature. Real ranges shift with origin, season, kernel quality and refining route: treat these as indicative, and always specify against your supplier’s own CoA.
Register interest and we will write to you personally when there is validated pilot material.
Anchor
Garcinia indica
The hardest natural butter on the shelf. β-prime stable, near-zero comedogenicity.
Read dossier →
Green grade
Shorea robusta
Firm, structured, unexpectedly elegant. The backbone of our non-palm CBE.
Read dossier →
Upcycled
Mangifera indica
Balanced oleic–stearic. Pressed from kernels that would otherwise be burned.
Read dossier →The heritage lipid of the Deccan forest.
From Konkan with love.