If you’re like me, your skin gets chapped during the winter months. (Especially when I’m stressed!) You need a reliable moisturizer for daily use, and if you (Iike me) have sensitive skin, you want all-natural and simple ingredients. No artificial stuff – chemicals, fragrances, petroleum, parabens, you name it.
Unfortunately, the internet is filled with people hawking all kinds of skin products, many of which are full of all these unnecessary and unnatural extra chemicals.
Fortunately, there is a way to get good-quality, natural skincare – and that’s by using coconut oil or cocoa butter, each of which is made from just one ingredient (coconuts or cocoa beans.)
But when deciding between coconut oil vs cocoa butter, which is better for your skin? Let’s take a quick look.
Comparing coconut oil and cocoa butter
| Coconut oil | Cocoa butter | |
| Moisturizes + hydrates skin? | Yes | Yes |
| Antimicrobial properties? | Yes | Yes |
| Has antioxidants? | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-inflammatory? | Yes | Yes |
| Natural SPF | 4-5 | Minimal |
| Skin type compatibility | Dry, normal, combination, sensitive | Dry, normal, combination, sensitive |
| Potential difficulties | Can block pores, so be careful when using with oily skin | Same issue |
| Ideal for… | Cleaning and moisturizing skin, reducing signs of aging (think: wrinkles), nourishing skin and evening out skin tone | Moisturizing skin and helping repair UV damage to skin (not a sunscreen!), minimizing stretch marks and wrinkles, diminishing dark spots |
| Easily made at home? | Yes | No |
As you can see, cocoa butter and coconut oil have a lot of similar uses. Both are effective moisturizers and hydrate skin without causing skin irritation – which is particularly helpful if you have sensitive skin! Both also have plenty of antioxidants, like stearic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid in cocoa butter, while coconut oil has polyphenols and tocopherols.
Both can also help with skin repair and cooling and soothing inflamed skin – important if you have sensitive skin or are looking to repair some UV damage. As an added benefit, both have some natural SPF, which is always great in a skin moisturizer, although neither should be used as a sunscreen all by itself. (For what it’s worth, if you’re looking for a great all-natural sunscreen, I love this homemade coconut oil sunscreen recipe.)
Both also have antimicrobial properties, which means they can help treat acne. However – if you have acne or oily skin, be aware that coconut oil and cocoa butter can both clog pores since they’re so thick. Meaning that their use can also lead to additional acne breakouts. (Your mileage will vary, but something to be aware of.)
Can I use coconut oil and cocoa butter on my face?
Yes, you can use either coconut oil or cocoa butter on your face as a moisturizer, cleaner, and also to smooth out dark spots and even out skin tone. Of course, if you’re acne-prone or have oily skin, it’s important to note that both could clog your pores, so please moisturize carefully and monitor your face for acne breakouts.
Can I use coconut oil instead of cocoa butter?
Yes, you can substitute coconut oil for cocoa butter. I actually think of them as pretty interchangeable in most recipes. Simply sub in with a 1:1 ratio (so, for example, a half cup of coconut oil instead of a half cup of cocoa butter, or vice versa). Now, I do narrowly prefer coconut oil to cocoa butter — more on that in a moment — but generally they do a lot of the same things.
And here’s how to make both:
A simple coconut oil recipe
Coconut oil has just one ingredient: Coconuts! You can either buy a coconut straight from the store and use one of these coconut milk recipes, or, to save time, cut out the extra step and start with coconut milk from the can. If you buy canned coconut milk, please check the label for additional additives – see my list of top coconut milk brands to help you avoid this frustrating problem.
Once you have the coconut milk, heat it over a stovetop until the fat separates, skim off the fat from the top, strain it, store it, and you’ve got coconut oil.
For more detail, here’s the full, in-depth recipe for how to make coconut oil.
(Or if you’d rather just take out all the extra steps and buy, here’s a list of high-quality coconut oils you can buy.)
How to make cocoa butter
Cocoa butter is not nearly as simple to make as coconut oil. You need to start by finding cocoa pods and extracting the beans whole. (I’ve never done this personally, but from everything I’ve read, it takes a long time.)
Then you’ll need to ferment the cocoa beans for around two weeks, followed by drying them, grinding them, and ultimately pressing them. You can also just buy cocoa butter on Amazon.
Coconut oil and cocoa butter storage
Cocoa butter can last a very long time (up to years) in storage so long as it’s somewhere dark, cool, and dry – like a refrigerator. Coconut oil is more flexible, requiring just dark and dry space – so a pantry or medicine cabinet will work effectively, and you don’t have to use refrigerator space.
Coconut oil vs cocoa butter: The ultimate verdict
Coconut oil is better than cocoa butter, in my personal opinion. Why? Simply because:
Coconut oil is generally more flexible than cocoa butter. It’s easier to source online and a LOT easier to make at home, as I’ve discussed above. What’s more, coconut oil travels better and is easier to store because you don’t need to use precious refrigerator space like with cocoa butter. In terms of actual efficacy, my general sense is that they’re pretty similar, although there does seem to be a lot more research out there confirming coconut oil’s various virtues, which I think makes it a generally safer bet.
But to be honest, I don’t think you have to pick between them. Because my favorite chocolate body butter recipe includes BOTH cocoa butter and coconut oil! Here are the details…
The chocolate body butter recipe with the best of BOTH worlds
This whipped chocolate body butter recipe is amazing. It smells like sweet chocolate, and because it includes both cocoa butter and coconut oil, you get the benefits of both.
The recipe walks you through the steps to combine these awesome moisturizers with a couple other ingredients to make a delightful and silky chocolate body butter that can make a huge difference in your skincare routine.
FAQ
I think coconut oil is slightly better than cocoa butter for skin. There just seems to be quite a bit more evidence out there pointing to its beneficial effects. So I view it as the safer option for someone looking to lock in the benefits that both purport to provide.
You absolutely can mix the two. In general, I’d do a 1:1 mixture (so, for example, half a cup of cocoa butter and half a cup of coconut oil). This helps you get the benefits of both cocoa butter and coconut oil. And in fact, my favorite whipped chocolate body butter recipe has both ingredients.
Yes, cocoa butter clogs your pores. This is because it’s so thick and rich. If clogged pores are a concern (like, for example, if you have oily skin), it’s probably best to avoid cocoa butter. (Coconut oil has the same problem, for what it’s worth.)
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