The INCI is Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
For cosmetic labeling, the correct INCI name for shea butter is Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, and it applies to both the East African and West African subspecies. INCI nomenclature does not distinguish Nilotica from West African shea; both appear under the same ingredient name. This is by design: INCI names botanical ingredients at the species level and is not, in itself, legally binding, so it does not resolve below the species for any plant. The EU’s CBI confirms both subspecies share this one name, and the nomenclature committee keeps names stable to avoid industry-wide relabeling, so the shared designation is permanent rather than a gap awaiting a fix.
'Vitellaria nilotica' is a synonym, not the INCI name
Because Nilotica's distinctiveness is a selling point, some products place Vitellaria nilotica in the ingredient list. The Personal Care Products Council does recognize Vitellaria Nilotica Shea Butter as a technical synonym, but it is filed under the single Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter monograph, not as a separate INCI name. It points to the same entry as West African shea, so naming the subspecies on the label does not, by itself, establish that the material is the subspecies.
Why this matters for compliance
Under FDA's Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, ingredient labeling and claim substantiation carry real weight, and the FTC expects a brand to support a distinguishing claim. Putting the subspecies name in the ingredient list does not substantiate anything, because the synonym and the INCI name resolve to the same entry; the distinction has to be established by evidence, not by the name.
How to make a defensible Nilotica claim
The compliant pattern is straightforward: use Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter in the ingredient list, and make the Nilotica distinction as a substantiated marketing claim backed by evidence, such as gas chromatography subspecies analysis and lot-level documentation. The label stays correct; the claim stays defensible.
Documentation, not a claim.
Burgess Origin Co is establishing the first U.S. documentation standard for verified Vitellaria nilotica shea butter, authenticated by gas chromatography (AOCS Ce 1h-05) and supported by lot-level Ugandan government laboratory reports.
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Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, the same INCI name used for West African shea. INCI does not distinguish the subspecies.
Not on its own. The INCI name is Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter. Vitellaria Nilotica Shea Butter is a recognized technical synonym, but it resolves to that same single entry, so it does not distinguish the subspecies on a label.
You can make a Nilotica claim as substantiated marketing language, supported by laboratory evidence, while using the correct INCI name in the ingredient list.