TITLE:
Acute and Subacute Skin Toxicity of Shea Butter (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.) Based Milk and Body Cream Formulations in Mice Naval Medical Research Institute
AUTHORS:
Issouf Zida, François Tapsoba, Marguerite W. Bamogo, Bakary Tarnagda, Saamou Isaac Boni, Lehmane Halfane, Mohamed Ismael Hoteyi, Aly Savadogo
KEYWORDS:
Shea Butter, Body Lotion and Cream, Toxicity, Burkina Faso
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
9,
2025
ABSTRACT: The study aimed to evaluate the acute and subacute skin toxicity of the milk and body cream formulations based on shea butter on male and female Naval Medical Research Institute mice. The study was conducted in Burkina Faso. Two formulations (natural and stable body milk and cream) and a control (shea butter) were applied only on the first day for the acute skin toxicity test and daily from day 1 to day 28 for the subacute skin toxicity test. The animals were observed daily to note any abnormal signs or behavior, and their weight was measured weekly. For each test, the mice were euthanized using diethyl ether, blood was collected by cardiac puncture, and the major organs (heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen) were removed for macroscopic observations, weighing, and histological analysis. The blood samples were used for hematological and biochemical analyses. No mortality or signs of toxicity were observed in the animals following application of the formulations. Furthermore, application of the shea butter-based formulations did not negatively impact the animals’ weight in either the acute or subacute toxicity tests. Macroscopic observations of the major organs revealed no lesions, which was confirmed by histological analyses. In addition, there was no significant difference between the weight of these organs in the treated groups compared to the control group. The hematological parameters of mice treated with milk and body cream were normal compared to those of controls to which shea butter was applied (P > 0.05). The same trend was observed for biochemical parameters, with no significant differences between the groups of mice used for acute and subacute skin toxicity testing (P > 0.05). The results demonstrate the safety of shea butter-based milk and body cream formulations in NMRI mice and encourage the use of these formulations in cosmetics, although further studies are still needed.