Harvest Chronicles: Murumuru, The Butter Hidden Behind Thorns

Wednesday, 15th July 2026

By Paula Perrelli dos Anjos

The newest chapter of Harvest Chronicles explores murumuru, an Amazonian palm that is finding its way into the global beauty market. The murumuru (Astrocaryum murumuru) has a solid trunk and bushy leaves covered in spiked armour, a tree that can measure up to 26 feet, so inhospitable that communities once cut it down simply to avoid the thorns.

The fruit produces a butter rich in restorative fatty acids, a product harvested sustainably by Amazonian families, especially women, and increasingly valued by international brands. When the fruits ripen, the clusters of murumuru seeds drop to the forest floor and families collect them by hand, leaving the tree untouched.

Split open, each honeycomb cluster reveals a kernel packed with white fat. Rich in lauric, myristic and oleic acids, murumuru butter melts slowly, with a higher melting point than other Amazonian butters. It softens skin, repairs moisture barriers and nourishes hair without the heaviness of coconut oil.

As brands search for plant‑based alternatives to silicones, murumuru has become a preferred emollient for moisturisers, conditioners and anti‑ageing products. Analysis from Transparency Market Research (TMR) projects the murumuru butter market to reach USD 3 billion by 2030, with growth above 7% a year. 

The biggest buyers are in North America and Europe. In the UK, Lush is developing 100% vegetarian and handmade facial oils using murumuru. For communities in the Amazon, this product is more than a cosmetic ingredient. It is a pathway to better income. 

In Madre de Dios, Peru, where murumuru is known as huicungo, our partner cooperative, AFIMAD, works with two communities that collect around 6,000 kg a year. The cooperative plans to expand to six communities in 2027, increasing collection to 50,000 kg and generating an estimated USD 22,000 in profit.

AFIMAD already operates a small processing plant and aims to sell directly to Natura. The expansion will benefit communities managing more than 87,000 hectares of forest. From this land, they have approved a collection volume of 125,834 kg across 323 hectares.

Amazonia Impact Ventures (AIV) is also strengthening the murumuru chain beyond Peru. In the next few weeks, we will announce a new partnership with BioTara, a Basel‑based company sourcing essential oils and butters from Pará (Brazil) and Suriname. The financing will provide working capital to meet international orders for murumuru butter and other climate‑positive ingredients. 

Biotara’s model links forest communities directly to global cosmetic brands, using traceability tools to guarantee origin and sustainability. AIV’s work on the bioeconomy of the Amazon supports forest‑dependent families, improving income stability for harvesters and reinforcing standing‑forest economies that prevent deforestation. 

Murumuru Benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory

• Anti-bacterial

• Supports hair growth and skin health

• Anti-aging: rich in vitamins A and C, and high in lauric, myristic and oleic acids.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Afimad.

Taking inspiration from initiatives like UK PACT, this series aims to spotlight the Amazon’s bioeconomy and the local organisations shaping the future for the forest. 

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#HarvestChronicles #AmazonBioeconomy #Murumuru #ImpactInvesting #SustainableValueChains #BiodiversityEconomy