The Best Natural Butters for Eczema and What Each One Actually Does

If you have eczema, you've probably spent a lot of time reading ingredient labels and coming up empty. Most conventional moisturizers are loaded with preservatives, synthetic fragrances, and fillers that are some of the most common eczema triggers out there. 

Natural butters are a different story. They're oil-based, fragrance-free by nature, and rich in the fatty acids your skin barrier actually needs. Here's a breakdown of the best natural butters for eczema, what makes each one useful, and how to find a formula that puts them to work:

Note: This post is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have eczema or any other skin condition, please consult your dermatologist.

Why Natural Butters Work Well for Eczema-Prone Skin

Eczema is closely tied to a compromised skin barrier. When your barrier isn't functioning the way it should, your skin struggles to hold onto moisture and becomes more vulnerable to irritants, allergens, and inflammation. Managing your eczema is balancing relieving your in-the-moment symptoms and giving your skin the support it needs to repair itself (and ideally, prevent future flare-ups).

Natural plant butters are well-suited for this because their fatty acid profiles closely mirror the lipids found in healthy skin. They're also anhydrous, meaning they contain no water, so they don't need preservatives to stay shelf-stable. 

For eczema-prone skin, that shorter ingredient list means fewer potential triggers and a lot less guesswork on what will (or won’t) trigger a flare-up.

The Best Natural Butters for Eczema-Prone Skin

Not all butters do the same thing. Here's what each one brings to the table and why they're worth looking for in your moisturizer:

Shea Butter

Shea butter is probably the most well-known natural butter for eczema, and for good reason. It's rich in vitamins A and E, which support skin repair and protect against environmental damage. It also contains cinnamic acid, a naturally occurring compound with anti-inflammatory properties that helps calm redness and irritation. 

As an emollient, shea butter absorbs deeply into the skin and creates a moisture-sealing barrier that can last for hours. One study found that a cream containing shea butter was just as effective at soothing eczema symptoms in children as a medicated cream, which says a lot about how far good ingredients can go.

Kokum Butter

Kokum butter is less well known than shea, but genuinely impressive for sensitive and eczema-prone skin. It's hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores or cause reactions in most people. 

It absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue, which makes it a great pairing with richer butters like shea. Its anti-inflammatory properties help soothe irritation and redness, and its stearic and oleic acid content helps repair the skin barrier and prevent trans epidermal water loss. 

It also supports cell regeneration, which is helpful for skin that's been through repeated flare and one of the reasons it’s a key ingredient in our body butter sticks.

Mango Butter

Mango butter is extracted from the seeds of the mango fruit and is rich in vitamins A, C, and E — a combination that supports healing, boosts skin elasticity, and helps protect against environmental damage. 

It's lightweight relative to shea, absorbs well, and has natural anti-inflammatory properties that help calm irritated skin. It's particularly good for softening rough, flaky patches, which makes it a useful ingredient for skin that's in the middle of a flare or recovering from one.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is a rich emollient high in oleic, palmitic, and stearic fatty acids, all of which help restore the skin's natural barrier, reduce inflammation, and lock in deep moisture. 

It's been used for generations to help with stretch marks and very dry skin, and its barrier-supporting properties make it useful for eczema-prone skin that needs extra help staying hydrated. It’s one of the most popular natural butters used for body butters!

One thing to note: cocoa butter is heavier than shea or mango butter, so it works best for people with very dry or thickened skin rather than oily or combination skin types.

Jojoba

Technically a wax ester rather than a true butter, jojoba is worth including here because it behaves unlike anything else in natural skincare. Its molecular structure is so similar to the skin's own sebum that it absorbs without sitting on top of the skin or feeling greasy. 

For eczema-prone skin, that means it delivers moisture right where it's needed without adding heaviness. It's also non-comedogenic and very well tolerated by sensitive skin, which makes it a great supporting ingredient alongside heavier butters.

What to Look for In a Natural Butter Formula to Support Your Eczema

Knowing which butters are good for eczema is only part of the process to finding flare-up relief, the rest comes down to what else is in the formula. Even the best body butter can be undermined by synthetic fragrance, preservatives (like what’s common in body lotion), or alcohol. 

When you’re shopping for a natural butter product for your eczema-prone skin, you want a short ingredient list, no fragrance, and no petroleum derivatives or parabens.

When we formulated our solid body butter sticks, we considered the ingredients list. Since it’s in stick form, there’s no water added, meaning there’s no preservatives needed, and you can apply directly onto problem areas without transferring product to your palms first.

Your Skin Deserves Ingredients That Actually Support It

The goal isn’t to find one product that fixes or “cures” your eczema overnight, it’s to build a routine and have relief available from ingredients that truly support your skin barrier, without adding new potential triggers to the mix. 

Natural butters like shea, kokum, mango, cocoa, and jojoba are some of the most well-tolerated, barrier-friendly ingredients available!! Find a formula that puts them together without all the unnecessary add-ins and see what kind of relief you can find.