Cosmetic Butters & Oils UK

Essential ingredients for building stable, high-performing oil-based formulations.

If your product feels too greasy, absorbs too slowly, or becomes unstable over time, the issue often comes down to your choice of butters and oils. These ingredients, from shea butter and cocoa butter to lightweight oils like jojoba and coconut oil, directly control texture, absorption, and overall performance.

Choosing the wrong combination can lead to poor customer experience or delays when it comes to your CPSR. We select every ingredient with both formulation performance and CPSR requirements in mind, so you can build your product with confidence, not second-guessing.

Speak to an assessor about your formulation

Butters
Butters
Carrier Oils
Carrier Oils
Animal Fats
Animal Fats

Browse Our Butters & Oils

The ingredients you choose will shape how your product looks, feels, and performs. Understanding how each type behaves makes it much easier to build a formulation that performs well. This is especially important when formulating products like lip balms, lotions, and hair care products, where the balance of butters and oils directly affects performance.

  • Cosmetic Butters

    Used to give products body, structure, and a more solid consistency. Common examples include shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, avocado butter, and kokum butter, each contributing different levels of firmness, richness, and skin feel.

    • Common in balms, body butters, and solid formulations.
    • Help products hold their shape and remain stable over time.
    • Add conditioning properties to Cold Process Soap, providing enrichment and label appeal.
    • Can affect the melt point, firmness, and overall texture.

  • Carrier Oils

    Used to dilute, carry, and balance other ingredients in your formulation. Popular carrier oils include jojoba and coconut oil, which are widely used in facial oils, hair care products, and lightweight formulations.

    • Control how quickly your product absorbs into the skin.
    • Can feel light and fast-absorbing or rich and slow to sink in.
    • Often make up the majority of facial oils and serums.
    • Play a key role in overall skin feel and customer experience.

  • Animal Fats

    Used when you want to fine-tune performance or positioning.

    • Can influence texture, absorption, and conditioning properties.
    • Increase lather, improve longevity of the bar in use, and create a really solid, high-performing soap.
    • Help improve hardness, stability, and overall product structure.
    • May be selected for specific formulation goals or marketing claims.

Who Are These Butters & Oils Suitable For?

These ingredients are typically used by formulators building products from the ground up, rather than working from pre-made bases. We work with:

  • First-time makers who want to avoid early formulation mistakes
  • Small brands preparing products for sale online or at markets
  • Growing businesses refining texture, absorption, and consistency
  • Experienced formulators optimising performance and stability

Let customers speak for us

from 166 reviews
Olive Pomace oil
Oily goodness

Always go to oil for all products. Consistent good quality and excellent price.

Rachiebabz
Olive Pomace oil
CPSR Liquid Antimicrobial Soap Vegan | Single Essential Oil Variants
Amazing recipe!

I am so happy I with this recipe and assessment! If you're not new to liquid soap making I highly recommend it. It creates a beautiful lathering soap and very easy to make with videos available. Don't be afraid of liquid soap making! Thank you to all CSS team, all your hard work is appreciated :)

Hajni
CPSR Liquid Antimicrobial Soap Vegan | Single Essential Oil Variants
CPSR Beard Balm Vegan | Essential Oil Blends | 7 Variants
Excellent, transparent service and a great product

The product makes up beautifully and the combination of a ready made CPSR is an absolute dream; making an otherwise very complex process very user friendly and transparent meaning that the focus as a small business can be on other areas of compliance.
Thank you

Amanda Lankford
CPSR Beard Balm Vegan | Essential Oil Blends | 7 Variants
CPSR + Ingredients Kit Whipped Soap | EO Blend Variants | Mica
Absolutely awesome!

I love this assessment, the recipe is easy to follow and Tanias video is super helpful to check consistency and how it should be looking! My husband (aka guinea pig) absolutely loves it, he’s threatened divorce if he finds his personal stash empty when he wants to use it 😂

Hayley Cheshire
CPSR + Ingredients Kit Whipped Soap | EO Blend Variants | Mica
CPSR Tallow Balm | Full Body/Hands/Face/Feet | Essential Oil Blends
CPSR Tallow Kit Review

I ordered a CPSR Beef Tallow kit from Cosmetic Safety Solutions. The service i received was outstanding. The order was delivered next day together with the Recipe and easy to follow Method to allow me to manufacture my first batch with complete success. The follow up communication via e mail was brilliant and answered all of my subsequent questions speedily. Within one week i was able to refine my manufacture process and produce Tallow Balm and Whipped Tallow ready for market. I would not hesitate to recommend Cosmetic Safety Solutions to anyone looking for a professional partner in the supply of Skin Care products. Outstanding.

Michael Scott
CPSR Tallow Balm | Full Body/Hands/Face/Feet | Essential Oil Blends
CPSR + Ingredients Kit Whipped Soap | Perfume Oil + Essential Oil Variants
Whipped soap mousse with exclusive fragrances

Wow, I cant say enough great things about this recipe and assessment, the fragrances are gorgeous, the micas are beautiful to work with and the recipe is simple but pure indulgence. Outstanding CSS once again 👏

Sammi Anton
CPSR + Ingredients Kit Whipped Soap | Perfume Oil + Essential Oil Variants
CPSR Allotment Soaps Vegan | Fresh Veg, Essential oils + 8 Variants
Allotment Soap

Started making these soaps and they are wonderful. Lather is great and the smell is amazing.

J Wayman
CPSR Allotment Soaps Vegan | Fresh Veg, Essential oils + 8 Variants
Luxury Serum, Calendula & Chamomile, Infant suitable and Vegan friendly
It's a winner

I use this personally and it is just brilliant. It transforms skin and a little really does go a long way. I have lots of repeat customers of all ages for this and they all love it too.

Joanne M
Luxury Serum, Calendula & Chamomile, Infant suitable and Vegan friendly
CPSR Beard Oil Range Vegan | Single Essential Oils | 7 Variants
Fantastic

Brilliant value for money. The Recipe is lovely with a good choice. The ingredients are excellent quality

Michelle Shaw
CPSR Beard Oil Range Vegan | Single Essential Oils | 7 Variants
Rosehip Seed Oil
A really high quality oil

This has to be one of the only RH oils that doesn't smell a bit rancid after time. The quality is really really good and I am a repeat purchaser.

Dalia Hawley
Rosehip Seed Oil
Tallow Refined White Premium Grade
Tallow

Omg it’s absolutely gorgeous but then again all your ingredients are the best. I won’t shop anywhere else now

Nicola Greene
Tallow Refined White Premium Grade
CPSR Whipped Shea Body Butter Vegan | Essential Oil Blends
Great texture and scents!

I'm thrilled with the body butter recipe, and the scent blends. The texture is great, feels lovely and luxurious on the skin. My customers are going to love it! Super quick turnaround as well. I got the CPSR in a few days!

Antonia Fiander
CPSR Whipped Shea Body Butter Vegan | Essential Oil Blends

Why Choose Cosmetic Safety Solutions’ Butters & Oils?

With oils and butters, small decisions make a big difference. The wrong combination can leave you with a product that feels greasy, separates over time, or fails assessment due to missing or unsuitable documentation.

Because we write CPSRs as well as supply ingredients, we see these issues every day, often after time and money have already been invested.

When you source from Cosmetic Safety Solutions:

  • Ingredients selected to reduce common CPSR approval issues

  • Documentation prepared to meet assessor requirements

  • Transparent sourcing so you know exactly what you are using

  • Direct access to qualified safety assessors when you need guidance

Blog posts

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Using Butters & Oils? Here’s What Comes Next

If you are planning to sell a product made with oils and butters, it must meet UK cosmetic regulations and pass a CPSR.

A common mistake is assuming simple or ‘natural’ formulations using natural butters and natural ingredients require less scrutiny. In reality, these products still need full assessment, particularly when used on the skin.

What happens next:

  1. We review your chosen oils and butters to identify potential issues
  2. We check your documentation against CPSR requirements
  3. We flag anything that could affect safety, stability, or compliance
  4. We provide a clear, no-obligation CPSR quote

There are no consultancy fees and no obligation to proceed. You get clear, practical guidance so you can decide your next step with confidence.

Speak directly to a safety assessor

Butters & Oils FAQs

Do oil-based products still need a CPSR?

Yes, oil-based products still need a CPSR. Even if your product only contains butters and oils, it must be assessed before it can be legally sold in the UK. A formulation doesn’t need water or preservatives to require a safety report.

What’s the biggest mistake people make when choosing oils and butters?

The biggest mistake people make when choosing oils and butters is buying ingredients before checking if they’re suitable or properly documented. We regularly see customers stuck with ingredients they can’t use because they don’t meet CPSR requirements.

Why does my product feel too greasy or heavy?

If your product feels too greasy or heavy, it usually comes down to the oils you’ve chosen and how they are balanced. Some oils absorb quickly, while others sit on the skin and create an occlusive layer. Using too many heavier oils, or not balancing them with lighter options, can lead to a formulation that feels unpleasant to use. This is often adjusted during formulation testing or flagged during CPSR review.

For example, heavier ingredients like cocoa butter or mango butter can feel too rich for facial products, while lighter oils such as jojoba are often better suited for products designed for dry skin.

Does ‘natural’ mean the ingredient is easier to get approved?

No, ‘natural’ doesn’t mean an ingredient is easier to get approved. Natural oils and butters still need full documentation and must be used correctly within a formulation to pass a CPSR.