 DEAS  967-1: 2022  
ICS 71.100.70 
 
© EAC 2022                                                                                                                               2nd Edition 2022  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Butter for cosmetic use – Specification Part 1: Shea butter  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 967 -1: 2022  
ii © EAC 2022 – All rig hts reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement.  
Violators may be prosecuted . DEAS 967 -1: 2022  
© EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the E ast African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when  goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of th e National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholde rs including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed an d incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for develop ment of East African Standards . 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African S tandards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EASC /TC 071, Cosmetics and related 
products.  
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
This second  edition  cancels and replaces the first  edition (EAS 967 -1:2020), whi ch has been technically 
revised.  
  DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 967 -1: 2022  
 
© EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  1 
 Butter for cosmetic use – Specification Part 1: Shea butter  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for shea butter for 
cosmetic use derived from the kernels of the sheanuts Vitellaria paradoxa  and Vitellaria  Nilotica . This standard 
does not cover products for wh ich therapeutic claims are made . 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some  or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
EAS 346, Labelling of cosmet ics — General requirements   
EAS 846, Glossary of terms relating to the cosmetic industry  
EAS 847 -16, Cosmetics — Analytical methods — Part 16: Determination of lead, mercury and arsenic content   
ISO 660 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination o f acid value and acidity  
ISO 662 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content  
ISO 663, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of insoluble impurities content  
ISO 3596, Animal and vegetable fats an d oils — Determination of unsaponifiable matter — Method using 
diethyl ether extraction  
ISO 3657, Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of saponification value  
ISO 3960, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of peroxide value — Iodometric (visual) 
endpoint determination  
ISO 3961, Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of iodine value  
ISO 4831 , Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of coliforms — Most probabl e number technique  
ISO 5555, Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Sampling   
ISO 6321 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of melting point in open capillary tubes (Slip 
point)  
ISO 8294 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of c opper, iron and nickel contents — Graphite 
furnace atomic absorption method  
ISO 15774, Anim al and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of cadmium content by direct graphite 
furnace atomic absorption spectrometry  DEAS 967 -1: 2022  
2 © EAC 2022 – All rig hts reserved  
  
ISO 18416, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of candida albicans   
ISO 21149, Cosmetics -- Microbiology -- Enumeration and detection of aerobic mesophilic bacteria   
ISO 21527  (all parts), Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of yeasts and mould s  
ISO 22716, Cosmetics — Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) — Guidelines on Good Manufacturing 
Practices  
ISO 22717, Cosmetics — Microbiology —Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa   
ISO 22718, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of Staphylococcus aureus  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  ISO and IEC maintain 
terminological databases for use in standardization at th e following addresses:  — ISO Online browsing 
platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1 
pure (raw or unrefined) shea butter  
oleaginous material obtained from the nut kernel of the Vitellaria paradoxa  and Vitellaria Nilotica , from the 
Sapotaceae  family by manual or mec hanical methods. It is obtained through a thermal process or cold 
pressed, which does not alter the nature of the fat. It can be purified by washing with water, settling, filtering 
and centrifuging.  
3.2 
refined shea butter  
oleaginous material obtained from the nut kernel of Vitellaria paradoxa and Vitellaria Nilotica , from the 
Sapotaceae  family by manual, mechanical or solvent extraction, and has undergone further chemical 
alteration processes such as bleaching and deodorizing to remove its natural scent and colour.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 raw material  
Shea butter shall be manufactured from shea kernels that are free from moulds, decays, weevils, cracks, 
discoloration and sprouts. They shall not be spilt, shrivelled, decayed, damaged, skinned, broken or empty  
4.2 General requirements  
4.2.1 Shea butter  for cosmetic use shall be : 
a) a soft solid of uniform colour ; 
b) free from visible foreign matter ; and  
c) insoluble in water  and soluble in organic solvents.  
4.2.2 Refined shea butter may contain  other additives such as colour, perfumes  
4.2.3 Shea butter for cosmetic use  may be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with  ISO 
22716 . DEAS 967 -1 :2022  
© EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  3 
 4.3 Specific requirements  
Shea butter  for cosmetic use  shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific  requirements for shea butter for  cosmetic use  
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
Pure  Refined  
i.  Moisture content,%, m/m, max.  0.2 0.1 ISO 662  
ii.  Peroxide value, m Eq/kg, max.  10 ISO 3960  
iii.  Unsaponifiable matter,%  >6 4 – 9 ISO 3596  
iv.  Saponification value, mgKOH/g  170 – 190 178 - 195 ISO 3657  
v.  Iodine value, Wij’s  50 – 61 50 – 70 ISO 3961  
vi.  Insoluble impurities,% m/m , max  15 ISO 663  
vii.  Acid value, m ax. 15 ISO 660  
viii.  Melting point , °C 28 - 42 ISO 6321  
 
5 Microbiological limits  
Shea butter  for cosmetic use  shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 2 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein . 
Table 2 — Microbi ological limits for shea butter for cosmetic use  
S.N Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
i.  Total viable count for aerobic mesophyllic micro -
organisms per g, max.  
 100 ISO 21149  
ii.  Pseudomonas aeruginosa   
Not detectable in 0.5 g of 
cosmetic product  ISO 2271 7 
iii.  Staphylococcus aureus  ISO 22718  
iv.  Candida albicans  ISO 18416  
v.  Total Coliforms  Not detected  ISO 4831  
vi.  Yeast and moulds 100  ISO 21527  
 
6 Heavy metals contaminants  
Shea butter  for cosmetic use  shall comply with the limits for heavy metal contaminan ts given in Table 3 when 
tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
 
 DEAS 967 -1: 2022  
4 © EAC 2022 – All rig hts reserved  
 Table 3 — Heavy metal limits for shea butter for cosmetic use  
S/N Heavy metal  Maximum limit  a 
mg/kg  Test method  
i.  Lead (as Pb)  10 EAS 847 -16  
ii.  Arsenic  (as As ) 2 
iii.  Mercury  (as Hg ) 2 
aThe total amount of heavy metals as lead, mercury and arsenic, in combination, in the finished product shall not 
exceed 10 mg/kg”  
 
7 Packaging  
Shea butter for cosmet ic use  shall be packaged in suitable containers and sealed in manner to ensure the 
safety and quality throughout the shelf life of the product.  
8 Labelling  
In addition to t he labelling requirements in EAS 346, the package shall be legibly and indelibly  marked with the 
product name as “ pure shea butter ” or “refined shea butter” , “; 
9 Sampling  
Sampling shall b e carried in accordance with ISO 5555 . DEAS 967 -1 :2022  
© EAC 2022  – All rights reserved  5 
 Bibliography  
[1] Dynasty Shea & Essentials, Organically Refined Shea Butter Specifications  
[2] Quality characteri stics of West African shea butter (Vitellaria Paradoxa) and approaches to extend 
shelf -life by Hee Seung Nahm, May, 2011  
[3] Shea butter export guide, September 2005, by Peter Lovett, Emily Miller, Philip Mensah, Vanessa 
Adams and Catherine Kannenberg at t he West Africa Trade Hub (WATH).  
[4] Safety Assessment of Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) -Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics  
[5] Journal of Food Research; Vol. 2, No. 5; 2013.Effect of Nut Treatments on Shea Butter 
Physicochemical Criteria and Wrapper H ygienic Quality Influence on Microbiological Properties  
[6] Journal of Stored Products and Postharvest Research Vol. 3(3), pp. 24 – 29, 8 February, 2012, 
Microbiological and physicochemical characterization of shea butter sold on Benin markets.  
[7] SCCS/15 64/15, The sccs notes of guidance for the testing of cosmetic ingredients and their safety 
evaluation, 9th revision, 25 April 2016  
[8] US 1635 2016, Shea butter – Specification  
 DEAS 967 -1: 2022    
 
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