Which tree's nuts are processed to make shea butter?

Shea butter is made by processing the nuts of the shea tree, Vitellaria paradoxa. This African tree produces fruit containing an oil-rich seed, commonly called a shea nut, and the fat extracted from that seed becomes shea butter.

Traditional processing usually involves gathering the fruit, removing the pulp, drying or roasting the nuts, grinding them, and separating the fat from the plant material. The result can be used as a skin moisturizer, hair conditioner, cooking fat, waterproofing material, or ingredient in ointments and soaps.

Shea trees grow widely in the savanna regions of West and Central Africa. They are slow-growing and may begin producing fruit after roughly 10 to 15 years, reaching full production around 20 to 30 years. Individual trees can continue bearing nuts for many decades. Shea butter is not made from cocoa, olive, or argan trees, although those plants also provide oils used in food and cosmetics. The botanical name Vitellaria paradoxa is the most precise scientific identification.