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Shea butter to enlarge the buttocks: fact or fiction?

Shea butter appeals for its natural origin and nourishing, repairing properties. It’s also credited with surprising effects on the buttocks, such as increasing their volume. What does the evidence say? We review it in this article.

Summary
Published May 4, 2023, updated on July 10, 2025, by Manon, Scientific Editor — 4 min read
Shea Butter

Focus on the trend of natural treatments to plump the buttocks.

In recent years, methods to enlarge the buttocks in one week, even three days, have driven many social media trends. Claims of rapid results attract many consumers, as do home remedies that suggest using natural ingredients like garlic or turmeric to sculpt the body. In this context, so-called “volumizing” formulas have proliferated on the market. Available as creams, oils, or gels, these products claim to increase the volume of targeted areas: buttocks, hips, chest, cheekbones, or lips. Many include self-massage instructions to enhance active ingredient penetration and stimulate local circulation.

The action of these formulas relies on the presence of phytoestrogens. These nonsteroidal plant compounds share a chemical structure similar to that of estrogens in humans and can bind to receptors normally targeted by estrogens. They occur, for example, in fenugreek extracts or anemarrhena root. Other ingredients, including some plant oils like the sesame oil, are also promoted for their presumed ability to nourish skin and increase volume in certain body areas.

If phytoestrogens are used so widely, it is because estrogens regulate body fat distribution. Biologically, high estrogen levels associate with a gynoid (pear-shaped) body, characterized by a preferential accumulation of fat in the hips and thighs rather than in the visceral region. Estrogens exert their physiological effects via various receptors (ERα, ERβ, GPR30) found in adipocytes. They limit inflammation and fibrosis in adipose tissue and influence mTOR signaling, autophagy suppression, and adipocyte differentiation.

In reality, so-called volumizing treatments do not provide an effective solution to enlarge the buttocks or breasts.

Phytoestrogens do not appear to have the same biological activity as estrogens and their ability to interact with our receptors appears limited. Scientific evidence that phytoestrogens could produce a targeted increase in fat volume, whether by oral intake or by topical massage, is lacking.

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Shea butter: a natural alternative to increase gluteal volume?

To date, no scientific study has shown any capacity of shea butter to enlarge the buttocks or another body area, such as the chest.

However, the shea butter is recognized for its nourishing and emollient properties, derived from its high content of unsaturated fatty acids, including oleic acid. This natural ingredient is therefore particularly relevant for dry to very dry skin. When used regularly, the shea butter helps strengthen the skin barrier, reduce transepidermal water loss, and improve skin suppleness and elasticity. Although it does not alter fat storage, shea butter can improve the appearance of skin on the buttocks or chest, making it firmer. This may create the impression of increased tone and more defined contours. This is only an optical effect and does not indicate a real volume increase.

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