Rowan & Thistle

PLATE No. 039

Ingredient Collection

Kokum Butter

Garcinia indica

Botanical plate of Kokum (Garcinia indica): a branch of glossy dark green leaves bearing deep red-purple fruit and small green unripe fruit, beside pale pink flowers and buds, a ripe fruit cut across to show pale segments in purple rind, and a single pale green seed.

Figure Key

  • Fig. 1 Mature flower
  • Fig. 2 Flower buds / developing flower cluster
  • Fig. 3 Immature fruit
  • Fig. 4 Mature fruit
  • Fig. 5 Longitudinal section of ripe fruit
  • Fig. 6 Seed

The Ingredient

Kokum butter begins inside the deep purple-red fruit of the kokum tree. Hidden within the fruit are large seeds that are pressed to produce a naturally firm plant butter. Kokum is particularly rich in stearic and oleic acids—fatty acids that help condition and soften the skin, while its high proportion of stearic acid also gives the butter its characteristically firm texture.

From Plant to Ingredient

  1. Kokum Butter, step 1 — Kokum Fruit: a whole glossy, deep red-purple kokum fruit with its green stalk.

    1. Kokum Fruit

    The kokum tree produces rounded fruits that deepen from green to dark purple-red as they ripen.

  2. Kokum Butter, step 2 — Inside the Fruit: a kokum fruit cut across showing pale seed segments arranged like petals in purple rind.

    2. Inside the Fruit

    Cutting open the ripe fruit reveals the seeds held within its fleshy interior.

  3. Kokum Butter, step 3 — Kokum Seed: a single smooth, pale green kokum seed.

    3. Kokum Seed

    The seeds are the part of the fruit used to produce kokum butter.

  4. Kokum Butter, step 4 — Kokum Butter: a rough-cut chunk of creamy white butter.

    4. Kokum Butter

    The seeds are mechanically pressed and the resulting fat is refined into the pale, firm butter used in our products.

Why We Chose It

Kokum is one of the firmer botanical butters, giving us rich skin conditioning without the softer, heavier character associated with some other plant butters. Its fatty acids help soften dry, rough-feeling skin and support the skin's protective barrier, helping it hold onto moisture.

What You'll Notice

  • Softer Skin — Helps rough or dry-feeling skin feel smoother and better conditioned.
  • Moisture Support — Helps reduce moisture loss and keep skin feeling comfortable.
  • Rich Conditioning — Provides substantial conditioning for areas prone to dryness.
  • Less Heavy Feel — Despite being a very firm butter, kokum has a comparatively light, less greasy skin feel.

Botanical Profile

Scientific Name
Garcinia indica
INCI Name
Garcinia Indica Seed Butter
Plant Part Used
Seed
Final Ingredient
Butter
Origin
India

A Closer Look

Kokum is noticeably firmer than many familiar plant butters, and its natural fatty-acid composition is a big reason why. It is particularly rich in stearic acid—a fatty acid that helps give plant butters structure and firmness. That is why kokum can feel surprisingly hard in its natural state while still melting when warmed against the skin.

Products Featuring Kokum Butter Featured In

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