Karethic - a tribute to the skills of African women

It all started with roots: Karethic's French founding sisters Carole and Glwady Tawema were born in Benin, West Africa. When they grew up, they wanted to create a natural cosmetics line as a tribute to African ingredients and the expertise of African women. Indeed, the main ingredient in all Karethic products is the world's highest quality, unrefined "Grand Cru" shea butter, which comes from Benin. The handcrafted shea butter is produced by 12 partners, by African women.

- Our shea butter treats people's skin while improving the lives of the African women who produce it," says Carole Tawema, manager of the Responsible Shea Butter Production Network.

Fair compensation for shea butter producers is more important to her than high profits. As a result, Karethic is honoured to take good care of its raw material producers, paying the women who make its shea butter more than three times the wages of ordinary shea butter producers.

- Both humans and karité trees are all living creatures and share the same energy. We all have the vitality and potential to create life," the Tawema sisters say and continue:

- African women have a unique know-how, preserved over generations, which they use to naturally regenerate shea butter while preserving its richness and vitality.

Karethic's shea butter differs from the industrially extracted versions in its traditional production methods and soap-free ingredients. Everything is done with respect for nature: for example, the fruit of the shea tree is not picked from the tree but waited for the tree to drop its ripe fruit, full of nutrient-rich oil, onto the ground. For the women producers of northern Benin, producing high-quality shea butter is a matter of honour, born of an appreciation for nature and for themselves.

How do you recognize good quality shea butter?

Tens of thousands of kilos of shea butter are imported into Europe every year. Most of this is chemically cleaned, treated with solvents and very cheap. Shea butter from the cheapest cosmetics brands is heated to over 180 degrees, which destroys some of the valuable skin-nourishing ingredients. That's why it's a good idea to pay attention to quality when choosing shea butter - both Karethic shea butter and other shea butters sold at Ruohonjuuri are responsible, effective and unrefined choices.

In terms of skincare benefits, unrefined shea butter is by far the best choice because it retains all the nutrients. That's why real shea butter is so much better for your skin than processed shea butter.

Use of Shea butter

Shea butter has been called the sacred balm of African women - and with good reason: pure shea butter nourishes, moisturizes and softens the entire body from head to toe.

In fact, shea butter is a masterclass in versatility, suitable for all skin types and the whole family. Shea butter is suitable for year-round use to soothe the skin, but especially in winter frosts it's a great choice to protect against the chill and cold. Effective and fragrance-free, shea butter is also a safe skincare product for atopic dermatitis, dry skin, people with scent sensitivities, children and babies. It's also ideal for men after shaving and as a massage cream to relax sore muscles.

Shea butter is especially recommended for problem areas; dry elbows, knees, cuticles, hands, chapped lips, and frizzy hair in need of revitalization. It also soothes a variety of skin problems such as allergies, psoriasis, acne, wounds, burns and stretch marks.

Gentle shea butter also regenerates skin cells by repairing minor skin damage.