What colour should unrefined shea butter be?

Ivory to pale yellow; both are normal. The yellow comes from carotenoids and processing, not from quality. Grey, green or dark brown are the colours to question. EMI Agro describes colour on the Certificate of Analysis; judge a sample as well as the paper.

Why is some shea butter yellow and some ivory in colour?

Carotenoid content varies by tree and origin, and warmer processing (roasting) deepens colour. Light exposure in storage bleaches it toward ivory. Very deep yellow or orange can also come from added plant dye, which is why colour cannot prove a butter is “raw”.

Does a white colour mean shea butter is refined?

Usually yes: white to off-white is the result of bleaching and deodorisation (N-RBD). Some unrefined butter is very pale but rarely truly white. Confirm on the Certificate of Analysis and the product description rather than by colour alone.

Does a grey, green or dark brown colour mean shea butter is bad?

It means something went wrong in processing or storage — smoke exposure, over-roasting, contamination, poor water, or age — and the sample should be investigated or rejected. A smoky or rancid odour usually accompanies it. Check free fatty acid and peroxide value before accepting.

Can colour grading alone prove shea butter is pure?

No. Dyes can make butter yellow, bleaching makes anything white, and adulterated blends can be perfectly ivory. Purity is shown by refractive index, saponification value, iodine value and unsaponifiables; freshness by free fatty acid and peroxide value. Colour supports the judgement.

How is shea butter colour measured on a COA?

Either as a descriptor against a fixed reference set, or in Lovibond red/yellow units with the cell length stated (AOCS Cc 13e-92 / ISO 15305), on a melted, clear sample. A Lovibond number without the cell length is not interpretable. EMI Agro states the colour line and method on the Certificate of Analysis.

Specifications

Shea Butter Colour Grading

Ivory, cream, yellow, grey, brown, white — what each shea butter colour usually means about how it was processed, how it is measured, and why it never proves purity.

Unrefined shea butter is naturally ivory to pale yellow; the yellow comes from carotenoids in the kernel and from processing, so both ivory and yellow can be genuine unrefined butter. Refined N-RBD is white to off-white because bleaching removes the pigments. Grey, greenish or dark brown or smoky butter usually indicates over-roasting, contamination or age. Colour alone never proves purity because dyed butter exists.

Colour at a glance

Unit: Descriptor scale (visual) or Lovibond red/yellow with cell length
Test methods: AOCS Cc 13e-92 · Cc 13b-45 · ISO 15305 · visual reference set
Unrefined typical: Ivory to pale yellow
Refined N-RBD typical: White to off-white
What yellow means: Carotenoids; not a purity or grade signal on its own
What grey / green / dark brown means: Over-roasting, smoke, contamination or age — investigate
Control lever: Process (drying, roast, bleaching) and storage

What colour tells you about shea butter

Carotenoids from the kernel give yellow; their level varies by tree, origin and how long the butter has been exposed to light (carotenoids bleach in light — surface lightening of a stored block is normal). Roasting darkens the butter toward tan/brown; smoke from open-fire processing adds grey/brown and a smoky odour; dirty water or equipment can add grey/green tones. Darkening with time tracks peroxide value.

Colour — or color in US spelling — is graded on a descriptor scale or by Lovibond. Shea butter colour is a record of pigments and processing — ivory and yellow are both normal for unrefined butter, white means bleached, and grey or brown means something went wrong in processing or storage.

Colour descriptors by grade

Colour by shea butter grade — EMI Agro does not publish standing grade descriptors here; the batch COA states the colour line
Grade	Valuevisual grade	What it usually indicates	EMI supply status
Grade A	—	Colour is an appearance specification, not a grade: ivory to pale yellow is typical of unrefined shea; white is typical of N-RBD.	Confirm on the batch COA
Grade B	—	Colour is an appearance specification, not a grade: ivory to pale yellow is typical of unrefined shea; white is typical of N-RBD.	Confirm on the batch COA
Grade C	—	Colour is an appearance specification, not a grade: ivory to pale yellow is typical of unrefined shea; white is typical of N-RBD.	Confirm on the batch COA
Refined N-RBD	—	Colour is an appearance specification, not a grade: ivory to pale yellow is typical of unrefined shea; white is typical of N-RBD.	Confirm on the batch COA

Colour is assessed with FFA, peroxide value and identity tests, never alone. The Certificate of Analysis governs the lot.

EMI Agro does not publish standing colour descriptors by grade on this page. Colour supports a judgement; it never replaces FFA, peroxide value and identity tests. Lot-to-lot colour variation is normal for unrefined butter.

Colour → likely cause — a reading guide (not a grading standard)
Hue	Likely cause	Action
Ivory / cream	Normal unrefined; lower carotenoid or light-bleached surface	Normal
Pale to medium yellow	Normal unrefined; higher carotenoid or warmer processing	Normal
Deep yellow / orange	Check for added plant dye (e.g. borututu root)	Check
Greyish / greenish	Contamination, poor water, mould risk	Investigate
Tan / dark brown, smoky odour	Over-roasted or smoke-exposed kernels	Investigate
White / off-white	Refined (bleached) or very pale unrefined — confirm on COA	Check
Surface lighter than core	Light exposure in storage, usually harmless	Normal

How shea butter colour is measured (Lovibond / AOCS Cc 13e-92)

Lovibond Tintometer (AOCS Cc 13e-92 Wesson method; Cc 13b-45; ISO 15305): melted, filtered sample in a glass cell of stated length (5¼ in / 133.4 mm for light fats; 1 in / 25.4 mm for dark); colour matched against calibrated red and yellow glasses; reported as e.g. “R 2.0 / Y 20, 5¼″ cell”. The cell length must be stated or the numbers are meaningless.

Most shea processors also use a visual descriptor against a fixed reference set. Assess a fully melted, clear sample in daylight-balanced light. See AOCS Cc 13e-92 and the COA interpreter.

Why colour matters to buyers

Specify colour as a descriptor range with the method, treat grey, green and brown as reasons to investigate, and never accept colour as proof that a butter is pure or unrefined.

White refined is specified for colour-sensitive or tinted formulations; ivory/yellow unrefined for “natural” positioning. See refined N-RBD and unrefined Grade A. Deep yellow/orange achieved with plant dyes is sold as “yellow shea” — see signs of adulterated shea butter.

Colour is not a purity or grade guarantee

Dyes make butter yellow; bleaching makes anything white; a blended or adulterated butter can be perfectly ivory. Identity is proven by refractive index and saponification value. Freshness is proven by free fatty acid and peroxide value, not by colour. Where colour sits in grading systems is explained on shea butter grades.

How EMI Agro controls colour

EMI Agro describes colour on the Certificate of Analysis. Judge a sample as well as the paper. See Certifications & Quality and the sample Certificate of Analysis.

Peroxide value tracks darkening with oxidation. Moisture can make the melt look cloudy. Free fatty acid often correlates with darker, smellier fermented kernels. Melting point is often specified together for lip products.

Shea Butter Specifications

FFA, peroxide value, moisture, refractive index, saponification value and more.

Complete Guide to Shea Butter

Master reference — grades, production, specifications, uses, sourcing, importing.

Shea Butter Grades

Grade A, B and C unrefined shea butter and refined N-RBD explained.

Peroxide Value (PV)

Peroxide value as the first oxidation marker in shea butter storage.

Moisture Content

Moisture and volatiles in shea butter and why a tight band matters.

Free Fatty Acid (FFA)

What FFA measures in shea butter, why it rises in kernels, and how it is tested.

Melting Point

Slip melting point and how it governs shea butter skin feel.

Unrefined Grade A Shea Butter

Ivory to pale yellow unrefined butter.

Refined N-RBD Shea Butter

White to off-white after bleaching.

Shea Butter Grade Checker

Grade bands including the colour descriptor.

Certificate of Analysis (sample)

How colour is reported on a COA.

Frequently asked questions

References & standards

AOCS Official Method Cc 13e-92 — Colour, Wesson method using Lovibond glasses — American Oil Chemists' Society
ISO 15305 — Animal and vegetable fats and oils — Determination of Lovibond colour — International Organization for Standardization
Honfo, F.G. et al. (2014). Nutritional composition of shea products and chemical properties of shea butter: a review — Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
Lovett, P.N. (2004). The shea butter value chain: production, transformation and marketing in West Africa — USAID / WATH

Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.

Manufacturer-direct from Ibadan, Nigeria

Judge the colour yourself — request a sample and the COA.

Tell us whether you need ivory unrefined Grade A or white refined N-RBD and your application; we'll send a sample and the current Certificate of Analysis.

You have just read Shea Butter Colour Grading. The next step is a real lot from the factory that produces it — EMI Agro, with factory-direct pricing and a batch Certificate of Analysis.

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We ship to European Union, United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Southeast Asia, China, India, Middle East, Latin America. Load ports: Apapa (Lagos) or Tin Can Island (Lagos).
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40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter, a Certificate of Analysis on every batch, NAFDAC registered and SON approved.

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