Shea Nilotica vs Shea Butter: The Ultimate Verdict

If body butters are your specialty you’ll certainly have heard of shea butter, the moisturizing body butter that is prevalent in many haircare and skincare products. But have you heard of shea nilotica?

Shea nilotica is derived from Nilotica Shea trees that are native to East Africa, whereas typical shea butter is made from the nut of the shea tree found in West Africa. While similar, these products also have their differences and some people certainly regard one more highly than the other.

In this article, I’ll be helping you to fully understand the similarities and differences between shea nilotica and shea butter, including my personal opinion on which is better!

Keep reading for everything you need to know about shea nilotica vs shea butter.

Similarities and differences between shea nilotica and shea butter

I’ve noted below some main similarities and differences between shea nilotica and shea butter to give you the key points, and have gone into some further detail on these in the sections below!

Similarities	Differences
Both are very moisturizing	Shea nilotica contains 25% more oleic acid, enabling it to be more moisturizing, and absorbable while offering better anti-aging properties
Both are natural, vegan body butters	Studies suggest shea nilotica may be antibacterial
Derived from trees in Africa	Shea nilotica offers advanced anti-inflammatory benefits, due to containing more allantoin and vitamin K

Similarities

While shea butter and shea nilotica come from different trees, there are some key similarities between these two products.

They are both derived from the nuts of the shea tree family, with the nilotica shea trees found in Northern Uganda and South Sudan in Eastern Africa and shea trees grown mainly in Senegal, Sudan, and the Ethiopian highlands in West Africa.

Both of these types of body butter are highly moisturizing and are completely natural making them suitable for vegans and those following plant-based diets.

Shea butter can come in both yellow and white varieties – here’s some information on the differences between white shea butter and yellow shea butter.

Differences

Just because these two products come from the same family of trees, that doesn’t mean they’ll be identical – in fact, they’re quite different.

Nilotica shea butter is considered to be a luxury shea butter, as it is trickier to obtain and provides a richer texture. It contains 25% more oleic acid, which is what gives it its richer texture and enables it to be more moisturizing, and easier to absorb into the skin while offering more anti-aging benefits.

It contains more allantoin and vitamin K than traditional shea butter, giving it anti-inflammatory benefits that make it great for soothing damaged or swollen skin. While not conclusive, some studies have even suggested that shea nilotica has some antibacterial properties too.

Best skin types for shea nilotica and shea butter

Shea nilotica and shea butter are both safe for all skin types. I’ve gone into a little more detail on this below to help you determine which of these body butters is best for your skin type.

Shea nilotica

Shea nilotica is best suited to dry skin, as it provides an intense level of moisturization helping to relieve dry patches and add nourishment to the skin. It’s also suitable for sensitive skin, including skin that is inflamed or swollen due to its anti-inflammatory benefits.

It’s also highly recommended for those with oily skin types, as it can help clear skin of excess sebum due to its composition of fatty acids. This helps to balance natural oils in the skin and ultimately leads to a clearer complexion.

Both shea nilotica and shea butter can even be used to create a nourishing lip balm – here’s a recipe for if your lips are feeling dry and in the need of nourishment.

Shea butter

Shea butter is also suitable for all skin types, as it doesn’t contain chemical irritants and therefore won’t dry out the skin, plus it’s also safe for oily skin types as it’s non-comedogenic.

While it can be used on sensitive skin, it won’t be as effective as shea nilotica as it doesn’t have as many fatty acids in its composition.

You can even use shea butter to make a natural, homemade SPF, check out the recipe!

The verdict

So what’s the verdict? In my opinion, shea nilotica is the clear winner here, providing a luxury version of shea butter that has all the benefits of traditional shea but with added benefits of extra moisturization.

I love that it’s anti-inflammatory and that there is potential for it to be anti-bacterial too!

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions that I’ve gathered to help you fully understand the differences between shea nilotica and shea butter.

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