Babassu Palm

The babassu palm (Attalea speciosa) is one of the most abundant palm species in Brazil, growing across vast areas of the Amazon transition zone — the region where tropical rainforest gives way to drier cerrado savanna. A mature tree can reach 20 metres in height and produces large clusters of coconut-sized nuts, each containing several small, oil-rich kernels inside an extremely hard shell.

Babassu oil is extracted from these kernels and has properties very similar to coconut oil: it is solid at room temperature, melts on contact with skin, and is used in both food processing and cosmetics. For millions of rural Brazilians — particularly women known as ‘quebradeiras de coco babaçu’ (babassu nut breakers) — collecting and processing babassu nuts is a vital source of income and a practice with deep cultural significance. Outside Brazil, babassu oil is a niche ingredient primarily found in specialty cosmetics and some industrial food applications.