Unrefined Grade A shea butter for cosmetics in India
Unrefined Grade A shea butter for cosmetics shipped from Lagos to India.
Summary
- MOQ
- 20 t (trial from 5 t)
- Incoterms
- EXW, FOB, CIF
- Lead time
- Production plus ocean time; rolling shipments available
- Discharge
- Nhava Sheva
Why India buys Nigerian shea butter
India does not grow shea as a commercial crop. A Mumbai formulator, a Delhi distributor or a Bengaluru personal-care plant is buying Nigerian or West African fat landed at Nhava Sheva or Mundra. English-language specifications and a NIS 571:2013 COA are what the purchase order should carry.
CDSCO watches finished cosmetics under the Cosmetics Rules. FSSAI watches edible fats. Bulk shea as a raw material is not itself a registered Indian cosmetic. The Indian importer lodges the ICEGATE bill of entry and any FSSAI food-import file. EMI Agro issues the invoice, packing list and batch COA.
Nhava Sheva serves Mumbai and most South India hauls, including Bengaluru. Mundra is the Gujarat and North India alternative; Delhi-area warehouses usually take inland rail from either West Coast port. Typical ocean time from Lagos is about 18–30 days. Confirm the live schedule when you book.
India extends HS heading 1515.90 on the Customs Tariff. Duty follows the vegetable-fat / oils-and-fats bracket plus GST — confirm the eight-digit line on ICEGATE for the entry date. EMI Agro does not invent a shea-only Indian surcharge or compute landed duty.
Unrefined Grade A for cosmetics in India
Indian personal-care plants specify unrefined Grade A when the brief wants a natural West African fat rather than a refined white. Write FFA, peroxide value, moisture and colour into the purchase order. CDSCO registration of a finished Indian cosmetic stays with the Indian responsible person.
Mumbai plants usually name Nhava Sheva. Delhi distributors usually name Mundra or take inland rail from Nhava Sheva. Bengaluru hauls from Nhava Sheva. A 5-tonne trial is how most first lots start; 20 tonnes is the standard order.
How to buy from EMI Agro in India
Indian buyers choose EXW, FOB or CIF to Nhava Sheva or Mundra. CIF is often preferred when the buyer does not already have a Lagos forwarder. Each term prices different services beyond the butter. There is no published INR price list.
Standard orders start at 20 tonnes; trial lots start at 5 tonnes. Soap and personal-care plants that need a smaller first lot should still enquire — we review against current Ibadan production of 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter.
Lead time is production plus typical ocean time to Nhava Sheva or Mundra, then the inland rail or truck into Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Rolling shipments are available when the contract names a programme.
Duty, documents and clearance live on the import guide for India. Packs and the quote lane live on the supplier page.
Nigerian shea butter for India
India does not grow shea as a commercial crop. A formulator in Mumbai or a soap plant in Gujarat is buying a Nigerian or West African fat landed at Nhava Sheva. CDSCO watches finished cosmetics; FSSAI watches edible fats. Nhava Sheva and Mundra are the usual West Coast doors for Mumbai and Delhi buyers. EMI Agro works with 5,000+ women collectors in Kwara, Niger, Kaduna, Kogi. Nhava Sheva is the usual discharge.
Ask for a batch COA on a NIS 571:2013 basis: free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture, colour and melting point. Reject lots that smell sharply rancid or pour like liquid oil at room temperature. CDSCO filings sit with the India importer — they do not replace a COA.
Trial lots start at 5 tonnes; standard orders start at 20 tonnes. Send the request even if you need less — EMI Agro reviews every India enquiry against current production of 40 tonnes per week of finished shea butter and can schedule rolling shipments. Lead time is Ibadan production plus ocean time to Nhava Sheva. Quotes are EXW, FOB or CIF; each term prices different services beyond the butter.
Two questions. We show the grade, the documents that usually apply and the next step — we do not invent a price.
Recommended specifications for cosmetics
| Parameter | Target for cosmetics | Why it matters | Test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free fatty acid (FFA) | Available on request | Free acids drive rancid odour and shorten shelf life; the strongest predictor of how the emulsion smells at month 12. | AOCS Ca 5a-40 / ISO 660 |
| Peroxide value (PV) | Available on request | Oxidation already under way in the raw material shortens the finished product's stability window. | AOCS Cd 8-53 |
| Moisture and volatiles | Available on request | Water in an anhydrous fat feeds hydrolysis and microbial risk before the butter reaches the kettle. | AOCS Ca 2b-38 / ISO 662 |
| Unsaponifiable matter | Available on request | The triterpene-rich fraction that differentiates shea from other butters and supports active-rich positioning. | AOCS Ca 6a-40 |
| Slip melting point | Available on request | Sets the butter's contribution to emulsion body and skin-feel at application temperature. | AOCS Cc 3-25 |
| Colour | Available on request | Unrefined colour varies by season and kernel lot; an agreed band avoids batch-matching disputes. | AOCS Cc 13e-92 |
Frequently asked questions
Last reviewed September 2026 by EMI Agro Industries QC team.
Manufacturer-direct from Ibadan, Nigeria
Quote Unrefined Grade A shea butter for India
Name the grade, the volume and the discharge port. We reply with the document set and a current COA.
You have just read Unrefined Grade A shea butter for cosmetics in India. 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.