Kokum Butter

Often used as a substitute for Cocoa Butter, Kokum Butter's own beneficial characteristics are often overlooked.  This unique butter comes from the fruits of the Garcinia Indica Tree in India.  The fruit kernels produced by this tree yield an emollient white butter.  Kokum Butter tends to be hard and brittle, with a relatively high melting point.  Like Cocoa Butter, it remains solid until it comes in contact with the skin.  Upon contact this butter melts slightly, making it an ideal ingredient for balm formulations.  Kokum Butter is also an exceptionally stable product.  With an average shelf life of around two years this butter can lend its stability to complex formulations.  In soap, Kokum Butter can be used to produce a hard creamy bar.  Superfatted soaps may also benefit from Kokum Butter's stability. 
While Kokum Butter can be a pleasure to formulate with, its appearance can seem bizarre at first.  In its pure form, Kokum Butter tends to form cracks or fissures upon its surface while cooling.  Sometimes, Kokum Butter can even expand, forming extremely unique shapes and patterns.  These puzzling and often beautiful formations can range from barely noticeable to striking, depending on the particular batch of butter.  When remelting Kokum Butter be sure to leave empty space in your container in case the butter expands or climbs as it cools.