SHEA BETTERTM
Sustainability program
better products. better world.
At eos, we believe that doing well and doing good go hand-in-hand. In partnership with the Global Shea Alliance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and our supply chain, eos is committed to making a positive impact on the communities from which we source our Shea.
With our Shea BetterTM sustainability program we’re creating meaningful change in the world, dedicated to improving the lives of women Shea harvesters in west Africa and supporting our Shea sourcing communities because that’s what Shea BetterTM means to us: better Shea to create better products that support a better world.
the stove project
eos’ inaugural Shea sustainability program debuted in 2018 and centered on building fuel-efficient stoves for women Shea harvesters across villages in Burkina Faso. Women participating in the program received health and safety training and learned how to build the fuel-efficient stoves using readily-available local materials.
Today we’ve already built fuel-efficient stoves for 1,242 women across 25 different villages in Burkina Faso, and this is just the beginning!
why fuel efficient stoves?
- The new and improved stoves are significantly safer for the harvesters—they inhale less smoke and get fewer burns while boiling the Shea kernels.
- Thanks to reduced water and wood (by one third!) use, these stoves are more cost- and time-effective for harvesters and have a lower carbon footprint for the planet.
global shea alliance
The GSA is a non-profit industry association with 500 members from 35 countries—including women’s groups, brands, retailers, suppliers, and NGOs. Through the public-private partnership, the GSA promotes industry sustainability, quality practices and standards, and demand for Shea in food and cosmetics.
sustainability working group
eos is a member of the GSA’s Sustainability Working Group, a subset of GSA members. The multi-stakeholder group collaborates on the implementation of the GSA’s sustainability workstreams like improving the empowerment of women collectors and protection of ecosystems.
SHEA 101
ORIGIN OF SHEA
Shea trees, which are indigenous to Africa, produce fruit that is collected and made – primarily by women – into Shea butter.
The Shea industry provides livelihood to 16 million women in 21 countries in west and central Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Togo.
Shea Butter: How It’s Made
Harvesters collect the Shea fruit that fall from the tree to the ground during the summer and then begin the process of making Shea butter. First, they boil and dry the fruit to extract the oil-rich kernels within.
After the harvester removes the kernels, they ground, roast, mill and knead them to ensure the Shea oil separates from the rest of the mixture. It is then extracted and heated to product Shea Butter.
Beauty Benefits
The beauty benefits of Shea are many. It’s super moisturizing and is a natural source of fatty acids (like oleic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid) and skin-softening allantoin, which improve skin condition immediately, help to retain moisture over time, and protect against environmental factors like wind and cold. It’s also quick-absorbing and deeply penetrating. Its composition of natural fats allows Shea butter to absorb quickly into deeper layers of skin to nourish, moisturize, and treat dryness, without leaving skin feeling greasy or weighed down.
Women in SHEA
Women are the predominant harvesters of Shea. Through their income, women collectors are able to provide basic necessity like food, clothing and housing for their household and also invest in their children's education and future. Business and quality trainings builds the capacity of women collectors to manage their operations, improve the quality of their products, maximize the profitability of Shea sales as well as earn additional income from alternative activities
eos 
shea
shea Yes! Shea is in every eos product. From our very first lip balm, Shea has been our all-star ingredient and is a sustainable, renewable natural resource. Our super soft Shea is what makes your lips and skin feel super soft.