Harvest N° 02 · 2026  ·  Kokum harvest window opens 5 May · 47-day yield ·  Reserve allocation →
Mango Kernel Butter — editorial still life
Dossier N° 02 · Ratnagiri & Sindhudurg, Konkan

Mango Kernel Butter

Mangifera indica

Each mango eaten produces a seed that India typically discards. We buy those seeds, dry the kernels, and press them slowly at low heat. The butter that falls out is pale gold, faintly sweet, and carries the oleic lightness of a summer fruit with the structural backbone of a butter.

N° 01
The grove & the press

What this butter actually is.

The Konkan produces Alphonso and Ratnagiri mangoes in volumes that feed the world for two months a year. What nobody photographs is the seed. It sits in the core of every mango and, once the flesh is pulped, becomes a disposal problem for processors. In Ratnagiri district alone, that amounts to roughly 15,000 tonnes of kernel waste every season.

We collect kernels from eleven named pulp houses. They are washed, shelled, and dried to below eight percent moisture before pressing. The extraction is cold — temperature held below 55°C — which preserves the tocopherols and keeps the colour pale. A final bleaching and deodorising step is available for formulators who need a white, odour-neutral butter; the unrefined grade we quietly prefer.

The butter your sustainability officer and your formulator both agree on.

The fatty acid profile is more balanced than kokum. Oleic sits between 45 and 50 percent, stearic between 40 and 45 percent. The result is a butter that behaves like a cross between shea and cocoa: soft enough to spread at 25°C, firm enough to hold structure in a lipstick at 40°C. It is our recommendation for any brand that wants to tell an upcycling story without sacrificing sensorial quality.

N° 02
Specifications

The numbers behind every kilogram.

Technical specifications

Reference sheet · Lot-to-lot

Melt point
32–36 °C
SAP value
188–200 mg KOH/g
Iodine value
40–50
Oleic acid
45–50 %
Stearic acid
40–45 %
Shelf life
24 months
MOQ
25 kg
Price band
₹400–600 /kg

Fatty acid signature

Fatty acidNotationTypical range
OleicC18:145–50%
StearicC18:040–45%
PalmiticC16:04–6%
LinoleicC18:22–4%
ArachidicC20:01–2%
N° 03
Formulation uses

Where it earns its keep.

Recommended applications by our technical desk. For co-development work, we dispatch a formulator onto site for the first production batch.

Face balms & night creams

Oleic richness suits dry to mature skin without occlusion.

Lip treatments

Softer than kokum, richer than shea — ideal for tinted formats.

Body butters

Primary lipid at 15–25%; pairs well with rice-bran squalane.

Hair masks

Smooths cuticle without weighing down fine hair.

Lipsticks

Structure booster at 8–12% in bullet formulations.

Baby skincare

Low irritation potential, high tolerability.

Substitution guidance

Swaps 1:1 for shea in most emulsions; lighter afterfeel. Blends with cocoa butter in confectionery-adjacent applications for a cleaner upcycled story.

Sample programme

Start with 50g of Mango Kernel Butter.

Complimentary for qualified formulators. Dispatched with CoA, lot number, and suggested inclusion windows — no commitment required.

Request the sample
N° 04
Also from the shelf

Three more dossiers.

A waste stream, made cosmetic-grade.

From Konkan with love.