How to make a pumpkin spice whipped body butter

Autumn is truly here in Europe, and with it come darker evenings, falling leaves, and that unmistakable cosy feeling. The days feel shorter, the nights a little colder, and we naturally find ourselves reaching for snug blankets, warm drinks – and of course – pumpkin spice everything. But why stop at your latte?

This season, you can bring the same comforting, cosy autumnal feel into your skincare with a homemade pumpkin spice whipped body butter that feels like a warm, comforting hug for your skin.

Rich, fluffy, and lightly spiced, this body butter feels indulgent and pampering, yet is surprisingly easy to make. All you need are a few simple ingredients and basic kitchen tools. Here’s how to make it at home.

Why you’ll love this pumpkin body butter

Here are just a few reasons why you’ll love this pumpkin spice body butter:

1. Cosy autumn vibes: Infused with cinnamon and cardamom essential oils, this body butter screams cosy autumn vibes and pumpkin spice. The aroma is grounding and calming, slightly spicy.
2. Nourishing ingredients: Shea butter, pumpkin oil, and rice bran oil nourish dry, weather-damaged skin.
3. Comforting skin feel: The butter feels nourishing, comforting and incredibly luxurious on the skin. It’s the ultimate treat for your skin.
4. Multipurpose: Not only can you use this whipped butter on your body, but you can also use it on any dry areas of your skin that need a bit of TLC, like your elbows or knees. You can even use it as a lip balm!
5. Giftable: You can either keep this body butter to yourself (I won’t blame you!) or gift it to family or friends. You can also package it in small aluminium tins and use it as a lip balm, body butter, or even as a first-aid for dry spots to use on the go. It’s a nice and thoughtful gift to yourself or anyone you love!

And the best part? You can easily make this pumpkin body butter yourself by following the simple steps in our method below. You don’t need any fancy equipment either, just a hand mixer.

It’s also super easy to customise this butter. Simply swap the butters or adjust the starch to get the texture you desire. You can also play around with scent and colour to match your personal preferences. What’s not to love?

How to use this whipped butter

To use this pumpkin spice whipped body butter, it’s easy: apply it to your skin whenever it feels dry. You can apply the butter to your lips, body, or any other dry area of your skin. Anywhere you need, really.

It’s even better when used on damp skin; this will help lock in moisture even more.

Key ingredients

Here’s a quick peek at the ingredients used for this pumpkin spice body butter:

Shea butter

INCI: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter

Shea butter is the base of our pumpkin whipped body butter. It’s soft, easy to source, and relatively cheap. If you prefer a lighter and less greasy feel, you can always replace it with mango, ilipe, or kpangnan butter.

Just don’t replace shea with cocoa butter, as it’s a hard butter and has a heavier, greasier skin feel. You can, however, add cocoa to the formula to thicken the formulation, as a replacement for the plant oil and/or the beeswax.

Grapeseed oil

INCI: Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil

Grapeseed oil is a botanical oil with a medium absorption rate and pleasant skin feel. For this formula, I’ve infused it with dry (ground) cinnamon bark and cardamom for a natural pumpkin spice scent that’s not too overpowering.

To make this aromatic blend, infuse dried ground cinnamon and cardamom in grapeseed oil and leave to macerate for a week or two at room temperature.  You can shake the blend occasionally. After a few days, strain carefully to avoid any residue of the powders in the oil. You can find out more about the maceration process below:

How to make macerated oils

Rice bran oil

INCI: Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil

Rice bran oil is the perfect ally for dry and sensitive skin or those with an impaired skin barrier function, as it’s rich in linoleic acid and gamma oryzanol, which have regenerative properties.

You can learn more about the skin barrier below:

Skin barrier 101: Essential guide for natural cosmetic formulators

Pumpkin seed oil

INCI: Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil

The star of this pumpkin body butter is… you might have guessed it: pumpkin seed oil. This vegetable oil adds a beautiful hint of green colour to the butter and is perfect for the autumn theme.

Although pumpkin oil is typically used for cooking, it has some beneficial antioxidant and regenerative properties. It also contains carotene, chlorophyll, squalene and vitamin E.

Hemisqualane

INCI: Hydrogenated Farnesene

Hemisqualane is a lightweight emollient (moisturiser) derived from sugarcane. It gives your body butter a silky, non-greasy feel and is widely accepted in natural and organic formulations, as it is an Ecocert-approved ingredient.

It’s also a great natural silicone alternative. You can learn more about natural silicone alternatives in our membership site for formulators, the Lab at Formula Botanica.

Essential oil blend

To give this pumpkin spice body butter its iconic scent, I’ve used a very small blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, patchouli, black pepper, and cardamom for a warm autumnal aroma.

Please use these sparingly, as they are potent oils. Make sure to follow the exact measurements listed, as otherwise they could irritate your skin.

Other ingredients

I’ve used a few other functional ingredients, like a small amount of beeswax to slightly thicken the butter and prevent it from melting in warmer temperatures (or melting too quickly at room temperature), and tapioca starch to reduce the greasy feel of the butter and give it a smooth glide. 

I’ve also used GMCY (Glyceryl Caprylate), which is a naturally derived, skin-conditioning ingredient made from coconut and vegetable oils. It’s gentle, effective, and accepted by most natural certification bodies like Ecocert/COSMOS. You can learn more about natural and organic certification standards in this post.

Last but not least, I’ve added glyceryl caprylate, a powerful antimicrobial ingredient, effective against Gram-positive bacteria and yeast, and which will keep your body butter safe from microbial contamination.

What you need to make this body butter

Here’s all the equipment you’ll need to make this pumpkin spice whipped body butter:

• Glass beakers or heat-safe bowls
• 3 glass bowls
• Jewellery scale (0.01g precision)
• Stainless steel spatulas, glass rods, and a silicone spatula
• Hand mixer with whisk attachment
• Heat source (double boiler or hot water bath)
• Small containers for packaging

You can easily find all this equipment online or in a cooking/kitchenware shop near you. Everything is also listed on our Formula Botanica Amazon storefront.

How to make a pumpkin spice whipped body butter

• Makes: 100g
• Level: Beginner-friendly
• Formulation type: Hot process

Formulation method:

Follow this simple 10-step method to make your own pumpkin spice whipped body butter.

Before you start, remember to pre-infuse the ground cinnamon and cardamom into the grapeseed oil for 1-2 weeks and strain it before using. You can skip this preliminary step if you don’t want to use essential oils.

• Step 1: Clean and sanitise your equipment and workspace

The first step to make this pumpkin body butter is to clean and sanitise your equipment and workspace with hot soapy water. Let everything dry and spray with isopropyl alcohol or ethanol.

Also, make sure you’re wearing disposable gloves and an apron, and that you’ve tied your hair back. After all, you don’t want any hair falling in your butter!

• Step 2: Weigh the shea butter and beeswax and heat them

Next, weigh the shea butter and beeswax in a glass beaker and heat on a heating plate/in a hot water bath or in a suitable heating bowl.

Once this is hot and melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool a bit, to approximately 50°C.

• Step 3: Weigh the grapeseed oil, GMCY, rice oil and hemisqualane

In another beaker, weigh the previously macerated and strained grapeseed oil. In a glass bowl or beaker, weigh the glyceryl caprylate (GMCY). In two other small glass beakers, weigh the rice oil and hemisqualane.

• Step 4: Add these oils and the GMCY to the melted blend

Add the rice oil, hemisqualane and glyceryl caprylate to the melted blend of shea butter and beeswax. Stir to combine. The blend should now be around 40-42°C.

• Step 5: Weigh the pumpkin oil, essential oils, and vitamin E

In another glass bowl or beaker, weigh the pumpkin oil and add the essential oils very precisely. You can use a pipette for this. Then, add the vitamin E and set aside.

• Step 6: Weigh the tapioca starch

In another glass bowl or beaker, weigh the tapioca starch and set it aside.

• Step 7: Add the pumpkin blend to the main beaker 

Add the blend of pumpkin oil with essential oils to the main beaker and stir. Then add the tapioca starch and stir. 

• Step 8: Transfer to a bowl and store in the fridge

Now transfer this to a suitable (ideally stainless steel) bowl which can be used for whipping the butter. You can transfer the mixture in this bowl to the fridge for 10-20 minutes (depending on your batch size) to solidify.

• Step 9: Whip & repeat

When solidified, remove the butter from the fridge and start mixing/whipping. Then put it back in the fridge and repeat the process several times until you have a consistency you are happy with. The butter should be solid yet soft, with a slightly green tint, and it should melt upon contact with the skin.

• Step 10: Package & label

Once you’re done, transfer the butter to a suitable container, label it with the name and date, and that’s it! You’re done!

Formulation notes & customisation tips

Here are a few helpful things and tips to keep in mind when formulating this body butter:

Essential oils:

Essential oils are optional in this formula; they were included mainly to evoke an autumnal vibe. If you do use them, use them sparingly: they can be irritating or cause a burning sensation.

Always weigh everything precisely, follow the listed measurements, and resist the urge to increase cinnamon or clove oil for a stronger scent, as these are ‘hot’ oils that should be used in very low amounts. For more on warming and cooling herbs, check out this post.

Customising the butter:

One of the joys of formulation is being able to tailor a formula to your skin’s needs. Here are a few ideas to customise your pumpkin body butter:

• For a lighter, less greasy feel: increase the tapioca starch slightly, choose fast-absorbing carrier oils like rice bran or grapeseed, or include natural silicone alternatives such as dicaprylyl carbonate, squalane, undecane, or tridecane.
• For a richer, more indulgent feel: try swapping in heavier lipids. Cocoa butter will add density, while olive or avocado oil will bring more nourishment. Kpangnan butter is another wonderful option that I encourage you to try. It’s uniquely rich yet surprisingly non-greasy.

Experimenting with different butters and oils lets you shape the final texture. Dry or dehydrated skin will often enjoy the richness of heavier butters, while oily or combination skin will often prefer lighter, quick-absorbing lipids. Play around with these swaps and see what you prefer!

Final thoughts

I hope you have fun making this pumpkin spice whipped body butter! It’s super easy to make, smells like cosy pumpkin spice, and leaves your skin feeling wonderfully soft and nourished.

Let me know in the comments below how it turned out. You can also share your pumpkin butter formulation on social media and tag the Formula Botanica team using #formulabotanica.

If you want to dive deeper into all things pumpkin, check out our Mini Lab on Pumpkin, available exclusively to you as part of our membership site for formulators, the Lab at Formula Botanica. If you’re new to cosmetic formulation, check out our free training and learn how to make your own organic skincare from scratch and become a formulator instead of a recipe follower.

FAQ

• What is a body butter?

A body butter is a rich, oil-based moisturiser made from plant butters and oils. Unlike lotions, it doesn’t contain water, so it’s thicker, more nourishing, and perfect for treating dry skin. It melts on contact with your skin, leaving it soft and smooth.

• How do you make a pumpkin spice body butter?

Making this autumnal body butter is simple. You melt shea butter with a little beeswax, blend in nourishing oils (like grapeseed, rice bran, and pumpkin seed oil), then whip the mixture until light and fluffy. A hint of spice-infused oil or carefully measured essential oils gives it that seasonal pumpkin spice scent.

• How can I customise the body butter?

You can easily adapt the formula to suit your skin. Add more tapioca starch or lighter oils for a less greasy finish. Swap in richer butters (like cocoa or kpangnan) for a denser, more indulgent feel. Choose your favourite carrier oils to match your skin type and preferences. These are just some of the many options available to you!

• Where can I learn to make safe and effective skincare products?

If this has inspired you, why not take the next step? Check out our free formulation course at Formula Botanica and start learning how to create safe, effective, and professional-grade natural skincare from the comfort of your home.

Suggested suppliers

These are the suppliers I’ve used to make this pumpkin spice whipped body butter:

Aroma Zone

Nature Store

Alexmo

Handymade

If you’re based outside of Europe, don’t worry! There are many more suppliers available worldwide that you can source your ingredients from, such as:

INKY Ingredients (UK)

Aroma-Zone (EU)

Aromantic (UK)

Alexmo Cosmetics (EU)

Manske (EU)

The Soap Kitchen (UK)

Ellemental  (EU)

Lotioncrafter (USA)

Essential Labs (USA)

Go Native NZ (New Zealand)

Naturally Balmy (UK)

O&3 – The Oil Family (UK/EU)

Soap & More (Canada)

Handymade (EU)

Formulator Sample Shop (USA)

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Barbora Harmatova

Barbora Harmatova is a Formulator as well as a Tutor at Formula Botanica, where she helps our students to become better organic cosmetic formulators. Read more about the Formula Botanica Team.