When you hear cocoa or cacau, you’d probably think yummy chocolate. So do we. Chocolate is made out of the gummy pulp that surrounds cacau seeds. But guess what? The seed itself carries butter über-rich in omega 9 and fatty acids, which does wonders to your body. Natura uses this butter to create densely indulging and hydrating creams that protect, smooth and keep your skin nurtured.

Cacau is a tropical fruit. Its trees grow in the forests of Central and South America – back in the days, the Aztecs and Mayans used to make sour and spicy beverages out of it. For over four thousand years, cacaueiros, as we call cacao trees in Portuguese, have been spread throughout some parts of Brazil, starting wildly in the basin of the Amazon River. Cacaueiros can be as tall as 65 feet tall, but usually reach up to 10 or 16 feet, which makes harvest easier.

Most of Natura’s cacau harvest comes from Ilhéus, a coastal city in the south of the state of Bahia – also an ultimate refuge to glorious beach vacations. Natura proudly pairs up with cacau cooperatives that provide raw material without harming nature and shares its knowledge about the fruit to harvest with the smallest possible impact. The cacau fruit is delicate and therefore needs the shades of the surrounding tall trees to flourish. That said, the cacau helps preserve the forest. Wherever cacau is a source of income, there is less deforestation.

There are several steps to the cacau harvest. First, the fruits are collected and put into piles inside the forest where they are opened to reveal soft and sweet pulpy seeds. Then, the seeds are placed in caskets where they are left to dry for a week before putting out to dry under the sun. Then, they are stepped upon to accelerate the drying process. And finally, a butter is created from the seeds.

Cacau is sweet for our tasting palates but also for our skin. It pampers and indulges the skin while also restoring the skin’s elasticity and moisture barrier.