If you love the rich feel of body butter but don’t want something that feels overly greasy, an emulsified body butter is worth trying.
Unlike a traditional body butter made entirely from oils and butters, emulsified body butter contains both water and oils. The result is a thick, creamy product that feels rich on the skin but absorbs more like a lotion.
This is one of my favorite types of body care to make because you get the luxurious feel of a body butter without having to deal with quite as much of the oily residue.
If you’re new to making emulsions, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through the process step by step and explain what each ingredient is doing along the way.
If you’re just starting to learn about making your own skincare products, you may also want to start with my DIY skincare for beginners.
What Is Emulsified Body Butter?
Emulsified body butter is basically a combination of a body butter and a lotion.
Traditional body butter is made from oils and butters. Since there is no water, it can feel very rich and occlusive on the skin.
A lotion contains water, oils and an emulsifier. Because it contains more water, it usually has a lighter feel.
Emulsified body butter sits somewhere between the two.
It contains a substantial amount of butter and oils, but also contains water. An emulsifier is what allows those oil and water ingredients to stay combined.
The finished product is thick, creamy and moisturizing without feeling quite as heavy as an anhydrous body butter.
If you’d like to compare it with a traditional body butter, check out my Whipped Body Butter recipe.
Why Make an Emulsified Body Butter?
There are a few reasons I really like this type of formula.
It’s rich and creamy. The higher butter content gives it that luxurious body butter feel.
It spreads easily. Adding water makes the finished product easier to spread over larger areas of skin.
It can feel less greasy. You’re still getting plenty of oils and butters, but the water phase changes the overall feel.
You can customize it. You can experiment with different butters, oils and fragrances while keeping the basic structure of the formula.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s a great recipe for learning more about emulsions.
If you’ve already made homemade lotion, the process will look familiar. My Homemade Lotion Recipe walks through another example of making an oil-and-water emulsion.
How Does Emulsified Body Butter Work?
The important thing to understand is that water and oil don’t naturally mix.
That’s where the emulsifying wax comes in.
An emulsifier helps the water and oil phases form a stable mixture instead of separating.
This recipe also uses cetyl alcohol. It helps thicken the formula and gives the finished body butter a smoother, creamier feel.
The formula also contains glycerin, which is a humectant. Humectants help attract and hold water.
If you want to learn more about these different ingredient functions, I’ve broken them down in Humectants, Occlusives and Emollients Explained.
Watch the Video Tutorial on Making Emulsified Body Butter
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Emulsified Body Butter Formula
| Ingredient | Percentage | Amount (100 g batch) |
|---|---|---|
| Distilled Water | 43.5% | 43.5 g |
| Vegetable Glycerin | 4% | 4 g |
| Kokum Butter | 25% | 25 g |
| Cocoa Butter | 10% | 10 g |
| Safflower Oil | 5% | 5 g |
| Emulsifying Wax | 6% | 6 g |
| Cetyl Alcohol | 4% | 4 g |
| Fragrance Oil | 2% | 2 g |
| Germall Plus | 0.5% | 0.5 g |
| Total | 100% | 100 g |
Distilled Water
Water makes up a large portion of this formula and gives the finished body butter its creamy, spreadable consistency.
I recommend distilled water rather than tap water when making homemade skincare products.
Vegetable Glycerin
Vegetable glycerin is a humectant that helps attract moisture.
You don’t need a huge amount to benefit from it, and too much glycerin can make a product feel sticky.
Kokum Butter
Kokum butter is a firm plant butter that contributes to the thick, rich texture of this body butter.
It also helps give the finished product more structure.
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter adds richness and helps create the thick body butter consistency we’re looking for.
It also gives the finished product a lovely skin feel.
Safflower Oil
Safflower oil is the liquid oil in this formula. It helps soften the harder butters and makes the body butter easier to spread.
Emulsifying Wax
This is the ingredient that allows the water and oil phases to stay together.
Without an appropriate emulsifier, the formula would separate.
Cetyl Alcohol
Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol used to thicken and improve the texture of the body butter.
Despite the name, fatty alcohols are not the same thing as drying alcohols.
Cetyl alcohol also helps give the finished product a smooth, creamy feel.
Fragrance Oil
I’m using Nirvana fragrance oil in this recipe.
You can choose a different skin-safe fragrance oil if you’d like to customize the scent.
Germall Plus
Because this formula contains water, it needs a broad-spectrum preservative.
I’m using Germall Plus to help protect the finished product from bacteria, yeast and mold.
Preservative selection and usage rates matter, so always follow the supplier’s recommendations for the specific preservative you’re using.
If you’re still learning why preservatives are necessary in water-based skincare, read Why Preservatives Matter in DIY Skincare.
Shop My Supplies
Here are the ingredients and supplies I use for this project.
You’ll want:
- Kokum butter
- Cocoa butter
- Safflower oil
- Vegetable glycerin
- Emulsifying wax
- Cetyl alcohol
- Germall Plus
- Scale
- Heat-safe containers
- Immersion blender
- Spatula
- Infrared thermometer
- Containers for your finished body butter
- Double boiler or hot water bath
Shop My Fragrance Oils
Want to make this body butter your own?
I always make sure that I use a quality fragrance oil with all the manufacture’s recomendations.
Equipment You’ll Need
You don’t need a huge collection of equipment to make emulsified body butter.
You’ll need:
- Digital scale
- Two heat-safe containers
- Double boiler or hot water bath
- Immersion blender
- Spatula
- Infrared thermometer
- Finished product containers
A good scale is especially important when making skincare. Measuring by weight allows you to make small test batches and accurately resize your formula.
How to Make Emulsified Body Butter
Before beginning, clean and disinfect your equipment, work surface and containers.
Prepare the Water Phase
Weigh the distilled water and vegetable glycerin into one heat-safe container.
Set this aside while you prepare the oil phase.
Prepare the Oil Phase
Weigh the kokum butter, cocoa butter, safflower oil, emulsifying wax and cetyl alcohol into a separate heat-safe container.
Place both containers into a double boiler or hot water bath.
Heat until the oil phase ingredients are completely melted.
Stir the oil phase occasionally while it is heating.
Combine the Phases
Once the oil phase has melted, combine it with the water phase.
Using an immersion blender, begin blending the mixture.
Continue blending until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture begins to thicken.
You may need to blend, stop and scrape the sides of the container before blending again.
The mixture will continue changing in texture as it cools.
Add the Cool Down Ingredients
Allow the mixture to cool.
Once it has reached the appropriate temperature for your preservative, add the Germall Plus and fragrance oil.
Blend again to make sure everything is completely incorporated.
Package Your Body Butter
Once everything is thoroughly mixed, transfer the emulsified body butter into your containers.
Allow it to finish cooling completely before evaluating the final texture.
The consistency can continue to change as the product cools.
What Does Emulsified Body Butter Feel Like?
The finished product should be thick, creamy and easy to spread.
It has more body than a typical lotion but doesn’t have the same purely oil-based feel as a traditional body butter.
I especially like using this type of product on areas that need extra moisture, such as hands, arms, legs and feet.
For best results, apply it to slightly damp skin after bathing or showering.
Can I Change the Ingredients?
Yes, but this is where it’s important to understand that you can’t always make a direct one-for-one substitution.
The different ingredients have different jobs in the formula.
For example, replacing one butter with another may change the hardness and texture of the finished product. Changing the emulsifier can also change the stability and feel of the emulsion.
If you’re new to formulation, I recommend making the recipe as written first.
Once you know what the finished product feels like, you can start experimenting.
That’s one of the best ways to learn formulation—you have a known starting point to compare your changes against.
How to Customize Your Emulsified Body Butter
Once you’ve made the basic recipe successfully, you can start experimenting with the sensory properties.
Try changing the fragrance to create completely different versions.
You can also experiment with different oils or butters, but remember that every change can affect the finished consistency.
If you’re interested in learning more about what different skincare ingredients actually do, check out What Each Ingredient Does in Skincare Formulation.
Troubleshooting Emulsified Body Butter
Why is my body butter too thin?
The final consistency can depend on several things, including the ingredients used, processing and cooling.
Make sure all of your ingredients were accurately weighed and that the oil phase was completely melted before combining the phases.
Also remember that the product can thicken as it cools.
Why did my body butter separate?
Separation can happen when an emulsion hasn’t been properly formed or isn’t stable.
Make sure you’re using the correct amount of emulsifier and thoroughly blending the two phases together.
Accurate weighing and following the process consistently will also make troubleshooting much easier.
Why is my body butter grainy?
Butters can sometimes develop a grainy texture depending on how they are heated and cooled.
Make sure the hard ingredients are completely melted during the heating stage and allow the finished product to cool properly.
Does Emulsified Body Butter Need a Preservative?
Yes.
This formula contains water, so it needs a broad-spectrum preservative.
This is different from a traditional body butter made entirely from oils and butters.
Adding vitamin E does not replace a preservative. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help slow oxidation of oils, but it isn’t a broad-spectrum preservative.
If you’re making water-based skincare, preservation needs to be part of your formulation from the beginning.
How Long Does Homemade Emulsified Body Butter Last?
The shelf life of homemade skincare depends on the formula, preservative system, manufacturing process, packaging and how the product is stored.
Don’t assume that a homemade lotion or body butter has a specific shelf life simply because another recipe does.
If you want to learn how to think about shelf life for your own homemade products, read How to Determine the Shelf Life of Homemade Cosmetics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is emulsified body butter the same as lotion?
Not exactly. Both contain water and oil and require an emulsifier, but emulsified body butter generally contains a higher percentage of butters and oils, giving it a richer and thicker feel.
Is emulsified body butter greasy?
It can feel richer than a traditional lotion, but because this formula contains water, it generally feels less oily than a completely oil-based body butter.
Can beginners make emulsified body butter?
Absolutely. If you’ve never made an emulsion before, follow the recipe carefully, weigh everything accurately and don’t rush the process.
Do I need an immersion blender?
For a small batch like this, an immersion blender is a very useful tool for creating a properly mixed emulsion.
If you’ve never made an emulsified body butter before, this is a great project to try.
You get to learn how water and oil are combined, how an emulsifier works, how different ingredients affect texture and why preservation matters in water-based skincare.
And once you’ve made this recipe, you can start experimenting with your own variations.
If you want another project that uses similar formulation concepts, try my Homemade Lotion Recipe.
Or, if you want something completely different but still love making your own body care, check out my Emulsified Sugar Scrub Recipe.
The goal isn’t just to make one body butter. It’s to learn enough about the process that you can confidently start creating your own.
Printable Emulsified Body Butter Recipe
Emulsified Body Butter
Equipment
- Scale
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
Water Phase Ingredients
- 2.18 ounce | 43.5% Distilled Water
- 0.20 ounce | 4% Vegetable Glycerin
Oil Phase Ingredients
- 1.25 ounce | 25% Kokum Butter
- 0.50 ounce | 10% Cocoa Butter
- 0.25 ounce | 5% Safflower Oil
- 0.30 ounce | 6% Emulsifying Wax
- 0.20 ounce | 4% Cetyl Alcohol
Cool Down
- 0.10 ounce | 2% Nirvana Fragrance Oil
- 0.03 ounce | 0.5% Germall Plus
Instructions
- Measure out the kokum butter, cocoa butter, safflower oil, emulsifying wax and cetyl alcohol into a heat safe container.
- Measure out the water and vegetable glycerin into a separate heat safe container.
- Heat both containers on a double boiler over a low heat, until all of the butters have fully melted.
- Once melted and no solids remain, remove both containers from the double boiler. Wipe the bottom and the sides of the containers to remove any water from the outside of them.
- Immediately combine the two phases together and mix with an immersion blender. This should not take long for this to become a homogenous mixture and thicken up. You want to make sure that you use an immersion blender because you need the high shear to get it to mix correctly.
- Allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature.
- Measure out your cool down ingredients: germall plus and Nirvana fragrance oil.
- Add the cool down ingredients to your emulsified body butter and mix until it is fully incorporated.
- Package and enjoy!
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