DEAS 967-1: 2019  
ICS 71.100.70 
 
© EAC 2019                                                                                                                              1st Edition 2019  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Butter for cosmetic use – Specification Part 1: Shea butter  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 967 -1: 2019  
ii © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East Afri can 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 a nd 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 the Nation al 
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 
stakeholders inclu ding 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 and incorp orated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards. XXXXXX.  
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.  
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 967 -1: 2019  
 
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  1 
 Butter for cosmetic use – Specification Part 1: Shea butter  
1 Scope   
This Draf t East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for shea butter for 
cosmetic use derived from the kernels of the sheanuts ( Butyrospermum parkii ). This standard does not cover 
products for wh ich therapeutic claims are made . 
2 Norma tive 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.  
ISO 15774, Animal and vegetable fats and oils -- Determination of cadmium content by direct graphite furnace 
atomic absorption spectrometry  
EAS 346, Labelling of cosmetics — General requiremen ts  
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 of 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 and oils — Determination o f 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) 
endpoi nt 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 probable number technique  
ISO 5 555, 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 copper, iron and nickel c ontents — Graphite 
furnace atomic absorption method  DEAS 967: 2019  
2 © EAC 2019 – All rights 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 o f food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration 
of yeasts and moulds  
ISO 22716, Cosmetics — Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) — Guidelines on Good Manufacturing 
Practices  
ISO 22717, Cosmetics — Microbiology —Detection of Pseudomo nas 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 standar dization 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 Butyrospermum pa rkii, from the Sapotaceae  family by 
manual or mechanical 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 
grad e A shea kernels  
kernel free from moulds, decays, weevils, cracks, discoloration and sprouts. They are not spilt, shrivelled, 
decayed, damaged, skinned, broken or empty.  
3.3 
refined shea butter  
oleaginous material obtained from the nut kernel of Butyrosper mum parkii,  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. The result of refinement is an odourless, 
white butter  
4 Requirements  
4.2 General requirements  
Shea butter  for cosmetic use shall be : 
a) a soft solid of uniform colour with a characteristic odour ; 
b) free from visible foreign matter ; and  
c) insoluble in water  and soluble in organic solvents.  
Shea butter for cosmetic industry  shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with  ISO 22716 . 
 DEAS 967:2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  3 
 4.3 Specific requirements  
Shea butter  for cosmetic industry  shall comply with the specific requirements given in Table 1 when tested in 
accordance with the test met hods specified therein.  
Table 1 — Specific  requirements for shea butter for cosmetic industry  
Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
Pure  Refined  
Moisture content,%, m/m, max.  0.2 0.1 ISO 662  
Free fatty acid, % as oleic,max.  1 0.1 ISO 660  
Peroxide value, m Eq/kg, max.  6 5 ISO 3960  
Insoluble impurities,% m/m  <1 <1 ISO 663  
Unsaponifiable matter,%  >6 4 – 9 ISO 3596  
Saponification value, mgKOH/g  170 - 190 178 - 195 ISO 3657  
Acid value, max.  6.0 1.5 ISO 660  
Iodine value, Wij’s  50 - 61 50 - 70 ISO 39 61  
Melting point  28 - 42 
 ISO 6321  
 
4.4 Microbiological requirements  
Shea butter  for cosmetic industry shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 2 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein . 
Table 2 — Microbiolo gical limits for shea butter for cosmetic industry  
Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
Total viable count for aerobic mesophyllic 
micro -organisms per g, max.  1 000 ISO 21149  
Pseudomonas aeruginosa   
Not detectable in 0.5 g of cosmetic 
product  ISO 22717  
Staphylococcus aureus  ISO 22718  
Candida albicans  ISO 18416  
Total Coliforms  Not detected  ISO 4831  
Yeast and moulds Not detected  ISO 21527  
 
4.5 Heavy metals  
Shea butter  for cosmetic industry shall comply with the limits for heavy metal contaminants gi ven in Table 3 
when tested in accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
 DEAS 967: 2019  
4 © EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  
 Table 3 — Heavy metal limits for shea butter for cosmetic industry  
Heavy metal  Maximum limit  
mg/kg  Test method  
Lead  0.1  
EAS 847 -16  
 Arsenic  0.1 
Mercury  0.1 
Iron  5 ISO 8294  
Cadmium  0.1 ISO 15774  
 
6 Packaging  
Shea butter for cosmetic industry  shall be packaged in suitable containers and sealed in manner to ensure the 
safety and quality throughout the shelf life of the product.  
7 Labelling  
In addition to t he labell ing requirements in EAS 346, the package shall be legibly and indelibly  marked with the 
following information:  
a) manufacturer's name and physical address;  
b) product name as “ pure shea butter ” or “refined shea butter” , “; 
c) batch number;  
d) net content of the materi al when packed;  
e) country of origin;  
f) month and year of manufacture and expiry ;  
g) recommended storage conditions , and 
h) caution statement.  
8 Sampling  
Sampling shall b e carried in accordance with ISO 5555 . DEAS 967:2019  
© EAC 2019 – All rights reserved  5 
 Bibliography  
[1] Dynasty Shea & Essentials, Organically R efined Shea Butter Specifications  
[2] Quality characteristics 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, Ph ilip Mensah, Vanessa 
Adams and Catherine Kannenberg at the 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 Treatmen ts on Shea Butter 
Physicochemical Criteria and Wrapper Hygienic 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 characteri zation of shea butter sold on Benin markets.  
[7] SCCS/1564/15, 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: 2019    
 
© EAC  2019 – All rights reserved