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.
'Vitellaria nilotica' is not an INCI name
Because Nilotica's distinctiveness is a selling point, some products place Vitellaria nilotica in the ingredient list as though it were the INCI name. It is not a recognised INCI name, and using it there is technically non-compliant, however well-intentioned.
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 in the INCI field does not substantiate anything; it simply creates a labeling defect.
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.
Request an Originilotica sample with COA Read the white paperFrequently asked
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, the same INCI name used for West African shea. INCI does not distinguish the subspecies.
No. Vitellaria nilotica is a botanical name, not a recognized INCI name. Listing it as the INCI is technically non-compliant.
You can make a Nilotica claim as substantiated marketing language, supported by laboratory evidence, while using the correct INCI name in the ingredient list.