Refined N-RBD Shea Butter for Lip Balm
Taste, odour and the colour of the stick decide refined N-RBD for lip balm; melting point and peroxide value decide whether that stick still glides at month 12.
Summary
Yes — refined N-RBD shea butter is the lip-balm grade when the stick must be tasteless, odourless and white: deodorisation removes the nutty note that unrefined Grade A accepts, and bleaching removes the ivory tint that shifts pale shades. Typical inclusion remains 10–30 % of the balm base with 15–25 % wax; melting point is not redesigned by refining (literature slip about 32–38 °C). EMI Agro specifies a tight peroxide value so the balm stays clean-tasting. Cocoa-butter hardness is compared on shea butter versus cocoa butter, not here.
- Product type
- Refined N-RBD
- INCI
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- Recommended for
- Lip Balm
- Decisive parameters
- PV · Melting point · FFA · Colour
- Typical inclusion
- 10–30 % of the balm base with 15–25 % waxes and liquid oils
- Standard basis
- NIS 571:2013; AOCS / ISO test methods
Recommended specifications for lip balm
| Parameter | Target for lip balm | Why it matters | Test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peroxide value (PV) | Available on request | Oxidised fat is tasted on the lip; refined starts lower, and lip use still needs the tightest peroxide value on the site. | AOCS Cd 8-53 |
| Slip melting point | Available on request | Glide at lip temperature; refining does not replace wax-level design. | AOCS Cc 3-25 |
| Free fatty acid (FFA) | Available on request | Free acids taste soapy; the refined ceiling, not Grade A. | AOCS Ca 5a-40 / ISO 660 |
| Colour | Available on request | Tinted and clear balms keep shade; ivory unrefined shifts pale pigments. | AOCS Cc 13e-92 |
| Moisture and volatiles | Available on request | Water in an anhydrous stick promotes bloom and hydrolysis. | AOCS Ca 2b-38 / ISO 662 |
| Unsaponifiable matter | Available on request | Still shea; do not market as raw. | AOCS Ca 6a-40 |
For refined N-RBD in lip balm, peroxide value and colour/taste decide the grade; melting point still decides glide. Design wax around the batch slip point. What deodorisation removes is in the refining guide. How to read the sheet is in the COA guide.
Why Refined N-RBD shea butter suits lip balm
- Deodorisation is why flavoured balms specify N-RBD — the flavour system is not fighting a nutty base.
- White fat keeps tinted shades on target under D65 lighting; unrefined ivory is a shade variable.
- Slip melting point stays in the low-to-mid 30s °C; refining does not redesign glide. Graininess remains a cooling-rate problem.
- Formula architecture is unchanged: 10–30 % shea, 15–25 % wax, balance liquid oils.
- Cocoa butter is harder, snaps, and carries a chocolate note; refined shea is softer and creamier with no cocoa taste — pick by texture.
- Lip balms remain cosmetics. Buyers who want food-style documents should also read the food-manufacturing page; this page is not a food-regulation brief.
Shade stability for tinted SKUs is the practical reason to specify white fat: measure ΔE of a pale tint against the same formula made with ivory unrefined under D65. Flavour panels at 0 / 3 / 6 months against the retained lot tell you whether peroxide value was held tightly enough. Graininess is still a cooling-rate problem — the method is on unrefined Grade A for lip balm. Buyers who want food-style documents should also see refined N-RBD for food manufacturing; lip balm remains a cosmetic.
Bench-test a refined lip-balm base:
- flavour panel refined versus unrefined at the same load;
- ΔE of a pale tint versus the same shade on ivory unrefined;
- heat-cycle pay-off on glass;
- peroxide value of the finished stick at three months.
This page describes composition and performance. It makes no claims about healing chapped lips.
When to choose unrefined Grade A instead
Choose unrefined Grade A for natural or raw balms that want the nutty note and ivory tint. Melting behaviour is not the reason to switch. Unrefined Grade A Shea Butter for Lip Balm.
Supply format
EMI Agro loads at Apapa (Lagos) and Tin Can Island (Lagos). Packaging, sample size, minimum order, Incoterms and lead time are confirmed on the quote for the grade and destination you name.
- MOQ
- Standard orders start at 20 tonnes. Trial lots start at 5 tonnes. Smaller volumes can still be requested — we review every enquiry against current production.
- Incoterms
- EXW, FOB, CIF
- Lead time
- Lead time is Ibadan production time plus ocean time to the named port. EMI Agro produces 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter and can schedule rolling shipments. Exact weeks depend on the quantity on the purchase order.
- Samples
- Trial lots start at 5 tonnes of the named grade. Send the request even if you need less — we review whether we can supply.
- Load ports
- Apapa (Lagos), Tin Can Island (Lagos)
Quality & traceability
Finished butter is specified on a NIS 571:2013 basis. Parameters in the table are measured on every finished batch; the Certificate of Analysis reports the measured values. Kernel lots are titrated for free fatty acid at intake and kept segregated. Kernels are wild-collected through a cooperative network of 5,000+ women collectors. Certification status: NAFDAC registered, SON approved, HACCP in progress, USDA NOP (Organic) in pursuit, EU Organic (EOS) in pursuit, COSMOS in pursuit. Detail sits on the quality page.
- Every finished batch is tested; measured values are reported on the Certificate of Analysis.
- Kernel lots are titrated for free fatty acid at intake and kept segregated.
Related pages
Complete guide to shea butter
Origin, grades, specifications and supply
Refined N-RBD Shea Butter
Refined N-RBD shea butter product page
Refined N-RBD for Cosmetics
Refined N-RBD shea butter for cosmetics: white, odourless, low-FFA butter for colour-critical, fragrance-sensitive skincare.
Refined N-RBD for Body Butter & Lotion
Refined N-RBD shea butter for body butter and lotion: texture and slip after refining, whipping structure, and the melting-point spec to request.
Unrefined Grade A for Lip Balm
Unrefined Grade A shea butter for lip balm: melting point, taste, peroxide value and graininess control, with the spec table to request.
Peroxide value (PV)
Peroxide value is the first oxidation marker; a rising PV on a stored lot is a storage or age problem, not a pressing problem.
Slip melting point
Slip melting point governs skin feel and the fat's behaviour in a chocolate or balm formula.
Free fatty acid (FFA)
FFA measures hydrolytic breakdown of the fat; it is set by kernel handling before pressing, not by filtration afterwards.
Colour
Colour is an appearance specification, not a grade: ivory to pale yellow is typical of unrefined shea; white is typical of N-RBD.
Contract Manufacturers
Refined or unrefined shea against a customer specification.
Shea Butter vs Cocoa Butter
Melting point, fatty acids and uses — shea butter compared with cocoa butter.
Shea Blend Melting Point Helper
First-approximation slip melting point of a shea blend.
How Shea Butter Is Refined: The N-RBD Process
Neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation — what each step changes.
How to Read a Shea Butter COA
Every COA line explained, with red flags and a buyer checklist.
N-RBD
Neutralised, bleached and deodorised refined shea.
Peroxide Value (PV)
Primary oxidation products in a fat, in meq O₂/kg.
Certificate of Analysis (sample)
How a batch is reported
Certifications & Quality
Status, testing and documents
Frequently asked questions
References & standards
- 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. — Taylor & Francis
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products — EUR-Lex
- AOCS Official Methods Ca 5a-40, Cd 8-53, Ca 2b-38, Ca 6a-40, Cc 3-25, Cc 13e-92, Cd 3-25, Cd 1-25 — American Oil Chemists' Society
- NIS 571:2013 — Shea butter — Standards Organisation of Nigeria
Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.
Manufacturer-direct from Ibadan, Nigeria
Test refined N-RBD shea butter in your lip balm formulation.
Request a sample against the specification above, or ask for the full spec sheet and a current COA.
You have just read Refined N-RBD Shea Butter for Lip Balm. 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.
Trusted manufacturer
EMI Agro Industries Limited (RC 9364495) presses the butter in Ibadan — we are not a trading company.
Competitive factory-direct prices
Quoted EXW, FOB or CIF — the buyer chooses. You pay the factory, not a chain of middlemen.
Export-ready supply
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).
Documented lots
40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter, a Certificate of Analysis on every batch, NAFDAC registered and SON approved.