DRA FT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 1931  
First Edition  
2017 -mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 1931 : 2017 
© UNBS 2017   
  
Shea butter  for cosmetic industry — Specification  
 DUS 1931 : 2017  
ii © UNBS 2017  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its  correct application  
© UNBS 2017   
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 DUS 1931 :2017  
© UNBS 2017  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agree ment  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
includ ing government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments  before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS /TC 5, Chemicals and 
Environment , Subcommittee SC 1, Industr ial and public health chemicals.  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 1931 : 2017  
 
© UNBS 2017  – All rights reserved  1 
 Shea butter  for Cosmetic  industry  — Specification  
1 Scope   
This Draft Uganda standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for shea butter  for cosmetic 
use derived from the kernels of the sheanuts (Butyrosper mum parkii).  This standard does not cover products 
for which therapeutic claims are made.  
2 Normative references   
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this do cument. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
FDEAS 846, Glossary of terms relating to the cosmetic industry  
FDEAS 847 -16, Oils for co smetic industry — Methods of test — Part 16: Determination of Heavy metal 
Content  
FDUS ISO 18416, Cosmetics — Microbiology — Detection of candida albicans   
FDUS ISO 22717, Cosmetics — Microbiology —Detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa   
FDUS ISO 22718, Cosme tics — Microbiology — Detection of Staphylococcus aureus  
FDUS ISO 24153 —.Random sampling and randomisation procedures  
ISO 21149, Cosmetics -- Microbiology -- Enumeration and detection of aerobic mesophilic bacteria  
US EAS 346, Labelling of cosmetics — General requirements   
US ISO 662 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of moisture and volatile matter content  
US ISO 660 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of acid value and acidity  
US ISO 3960 , Animal and vegetable fats and o ils — Determination of peroxide value — Iodometric (visual) 
endpoint determination  
US ISO 663 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of insoluble impurities content  
US ISO 3596 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of unsaponifia ble matter — Method using 
diethyl ether extraction  
US ISO 3657 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of saponification value  
US ISO 3961 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils – Determination of iodine value  
US ISO 6321 , Animal and vegetable fat s and oils — Determination of melting point in open capillary tubes 
(Slip point)  DUS 1931: 2017  
2 © UNBS 2017  – All rights reserved  
 US ISO 5555 , Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Sampling  
US ISO 22716 , Cosmetics  -- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) -- Guidelines on Good Manufacturing 
Practices  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in FDEAS 846 and the following apply . ISO 
and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses: — ISO 
Online browsing platform: a vailable at http://www.iso.org/obp  
3.1 
pure (raw or unrefined)  shea butter  
fat or oil extracted from the  kernel of the nut of the shea tree  without the use of chemicals or preservatives . 
3.2 
grade A shea nuts  
nuts free from moulds, decays, weevils, cracks, discoloration and sprouts. They are not spilt, shr ivelled, 
decayed, damaged, skinned, broken or empty.  
3.3 
refined shea butter  
fat or oil extracted from the kernel of the nut of the shea tree by the use of chemicals or preservatives  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  The shea butter shall be ex tracted from grade A shea nuts. The shea butter shall be white, off -white, 
ivory, or beige yellowish  soft solid  with a characteristic od our. 
4.1.2  The shea butter shall be  free from any other visible foreign matter  
4.1.3 Shea butter shall be  insoluble in w ater and solubl e in organic solvents.  
4.2 Quality requirements  
Shea butter shall comply with re quirements specified in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein.  DUS 1931 : 2017  
© UNBS  2017  – All rights reserved  3 
  
Table 1 — Quality requirements for Shea butter for cosmetic  industry  
Characteristic  Requirement  Method of test  
pure  Refined  
Moisture content,% , m/m,  Max 0.2 0.1 ISO 662  
Free fatty acid,%  as (oleic), 1 – 5 0.1(max) ISO 660  
Peroxide value, meg/kg , Max. 10 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 3961  
Melting point  28 – 42 US ISO  6321  
 
4.3 Microbiological requirement s 
Shea butter  shall comply with the microbiological limits given in Table 2 when tested in accordance with the 
test methods specified therein  
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for shea butter  for cosmetic industry  
Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
Total via ble count for aerobic 
mesophyllic micro -organisms per g, 
max.  100 ISO 21149  
Pseudomonas aeruginosa   
Not detectable in 0.5 g of cosmetic product  FDUS ISO 22717  
Staphylococcus aureus  FDUS ISO 22718  
Candida albicans  FDUS ISO 18416  
 
4.4 Heavy metals  
Shea butter shall comply with the limits for heavy metal contaminants given in Table 3 when tested in 
accordance with the test methods specified therein.  
Table 3 — Heavy metal limits for shea butter  for cosmetic industry  
Characteristic  Limit  Test method  
Lead, mg/kg, max.  20 FDEAS 847 -16  
Arsenic, mg/kg, max.  2 FDEAS 847 -16  
Mercury, mg/kg, max.  2 FDEAS 847 -16  
NOTE  The total amount of heavy metals as lead, mercury and arsenic, in combination , in the 
finished product shall  not exceed 20 mg/kg  
 DUS 1931: 2017  
4 © UNBS 2017  – All rights reserved  
 5 Hygien e 
Shea butter shall be produced, prepared and handled in accordance with  US ISO 22716  
6 Packaging  
Shea butter shall be packaged in suitable containers and sealed in manner to ensure the safety and quality 
throughout the shelf life of the product.  
7 Labelli ng 
In addition to the labelling requirements in US 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 material when packed;  
e) country of origin;  
f) month and year of manufacture and expiry , and  
g) recommended storage conditions  
8 Sampling  
Sampling shal l be carried in accordance with US ISO 5555 . DUS 1931 : 2017  
© UNBS  2017  – All rights reserved  5 
 Bibliography  
[1] Dynasty Shea & Essentials, Organically Refin ed 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, Philip  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 Treatments o n 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 characterizati on 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  
[9] US 1636:2016, Shea nut – Specification  
 DUS 1931 : 2017  
© UNBS 2017  – All rights reserved  7 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standar ds Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mar k on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Sta ndards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 DUS 1931 : 2017    
 
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