Ucuuba Butter -  (Virola surinamensis, Myristicaceae)

This hard, golden, rare Amazonian butter comes from a small, wild harvested fruit and can be used for so much more than people know - give it a chance and fall in love.

• Extraction Method: mechanically pressed seeds.

• Quality: 100 % pure, cold pressed without any synthetic treatment, cosmetic quality.

• Country of origin: Brazil - wild harvested.

• Appearance: light brown with golden speckles, very hard butter.

• Smell:  rich, warm beeswax like.

• Touch: very hard, must be mixed with another butter or a carrier oil for application.

• For chemical data and fatty acid composition refer to pictures.

• The second picture is of the present batch we are carrying.

Ucuuba is a tall tree that produces small red fruit. They are collected from the ground, on my last trip to the Amazon I actually helped one of the harvesters (on the 6th picture). The butter is made from the seed, that is very cute and also used for jewelry by the locals.

Ucuuba Butter is considered to have anti-aging properties and can be used to replenish tone and moisture to dry and mature skin. 
The fatty acids also make this butter helpful preventing hair damage from free-radicals, helps improving shine and elasticity in hair (leading to less breakage), and help keep hair hydrated longer.

PROPERTIES:

• Unique fatty acid profile with over 75% of it being myristic acid

• Rich in vitamin A 

• Improves shine and elasticity in hair

APPLICATIONS:

• Aging-well products

• Hair pomades

• Lipsticks and lip balms

• Vegan softer substitute to beeswax

• Candle making

ECOLOGY

 Ucuuba is a native tree of the floodplains found throughout the Amazonian region, extending to the states of Maranhão and Pernambuco. The indigenous name of the tree means grease (ucu) and tree (yba). This species prefers flooded regions, and reaches a height of 25 to 35 m. A mature tree can produce between 30 to 50 kg of seeds per year.  The wood is of excellent quality and is used for particleboard and laminated wood. The extraction of trees for these uses is endangering the remaining forest resources.

Locally, the butter is used as an ingredient of candles and to burn for light, which spreads an aromatic odor.  The butter of ucuuba, which is hard and brownish yellow, can be used in combination with other ingredients for the production of candles and plant-based soaps, and is a substitute for paraffin, which is made with petroleum. 

*The Amazonian butters and oils have been tested by generations of rainforest's indigenous and ribeirinho people. They are used for cooking, baking, healing, moisturizing and protecting against the elements.

When we consume Amazonia's sustainable, non-timber-products, we give the local people an alternative to logging and farming which are the two largest responsible factors of the deforestation of such an important ecosystem.

Rainforest Chica's products are wild harvested or ethically farmed. With constant focus on sustainability and fair treatment of harvester, farmers, transporters and producers.

Product for cosmetic use only, not suited for human consumption!

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Warnings: Avoid contact with eyes, do not ingest. In case of eye contact, flush thoroughly with water, call physician if irritation persists. Keep out of reach of children.