Why the trees behind Shea Butter Beauty Cream are under threat:

The women’s gold is deeply under threat; the trees are chopped off brutally, risking the sustainability of the environment and the lifestyle of the people living which largely depends on the production of shea butter. 

The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), prized for its rich, nourishing butter, is vital to both ecological balance and economic stability in the Sahel region of Africa. However, growing threats are threatening not only the livelihoods of the millions of people who rely on this vital resource, but also its sustainability.

Shea trees, sometimes referred to as the "cocoa of the north", are under threat from multiple perspectives in Ghana (Etefe, 2025). With temperatures rising outside to 40°C, climate change has brought harsher circumstances that have reduced yields and even killed trees. This is made worse by the widespread deforestation caused by the need for firewood and charcoal, which has lost almost 1.64 million hectares of tree cover between 2000 and 2023 (Abulu, 2025). Shea tree depletion has been made worse by inadequate execution of programmes like the "One Village, One Dam" project, which aims to strengthen water resources for agriculture but has left many communities susceptible (Etefe, 2025).

Uganda presents a different story. Shea trees are being indiscriminately killed for charcoal despite legislative protections, which is driving them closer to extinction (Ayugi, 2023). Because shea trees grow slowly—it takes them 15 to 20 years to reach maturity—the loss of mature trees has long-term effects. Effective preservation and reforestation initiatives are further hampered by ambiguous land tenure rights and lax enforcement of conservation legislation.

It has significant financial implications. Over 16 million women in Africa make a living from the production of shea butter, which is mostly a women's business. From gathering nuts to making butter, women in places like northern Ghana and Uganda are the ones who preserve shea customs (Bagaga, 2025). However, patriarchal land ownership provisions frequently keep women out of decision-making processes about land use and tree conservation, and cultural taboos in some communities prohibit the planting of shea trees (Bagaga, 2025).

A Ugandan scientist is conducting a study to preserve the thriving trees that provide the cosmetic known as "women's cold," or shea butter. According to a BBC report, the scientist wants the local communities to stop cutting down trees for charcoal. 

Analysing a problem from both the perspectives of its advantages and its limitations that pose a threat to the environment is crucial (UNCCD, 2024). However, despite difficulties, there is hope because of community-led initiatives. To alleviate the strain on shea trees by offering substitute firewood sources, women from the Mognoni and Yazori communities in Ghana have planted more than 53,000 seedlings of fast-growing trees, like acacia.