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Breastfeeding · Sore nipples

For the first sore fortnight.

"Spreads without dragging."

A 50g tub of plant-based butter, soft enough to go on skin that already hurts without you having to press. It stays where you put it, and it doesn't need wiping off before the next feed.

Retail ₹799 · Pre-book ₹599, 25% off · The founding price, held until we ship

An open tub of nipple butter with a soft swirl, beside a note that it needs no wiping off 50g no wiping before a feed
50ga full tub No wipingsafe if baby feeds Plant-basedno lanolin 5 ingredientsall named on the label

It protects skin while it heals, that's the whole job

In the first fortnight of feeding, nipple skin takes more friction and moisture than it has ever had to deal with, and it cracks. A butter does two straightforward things: it puts a soft barrier over skin that's raw, and it keeps the area from drying out and re-cracking between feeds. Healing moist rather than scabbed is generally more comfortable and less prone to re-opening.

It is worth being clear about what that isn't. Butter doesn't fix the cause. If feeding hurts every single time, the usual culprit is the latch (how much of the areola your baby takes, and at what angle), and no cream fixes a latch. What butter does is make the days bearable while you and someone who knows what they're looking at sort the latch out.

We've made it plant-based rather than lanolin. Lanolin works well and is the traditional choice, but it comes from sheep's wool, which rules it out for some people, and a small number react to it. A shea and coconut base does the same job without either problem.

  • A barrier over skin that's raw between feeds
  • Stays soft at room temperature, so you don't have to rub it in
  • Nothing to wipe, so a hungry baby doesn't have to wait
  • No lanolin, so it suits vegans and anyone sensitive to it

Small things that matter at 4am

  • Soft straight out of the tub: the common complaint about nipple balms is that they're hard, so you have to warm them between your fingers and then press them onto the exact skin that hurts. Ours spreads at room temperature.
  • A wide tub, not a narrow tube: you can get a fingertip in without squeezing, one-handed, while holding a baby.
  • Five ingredients, all on the front: not a paragraph of INCI names in six-point type on the crimp.
  • Unscented: newborns feed by smell, and this is going right where they're rooting. Nothing added for the adult's benefit.

Five ingredients, and what each is doing

Shea butterThe base. Soft at room temperature, forms the protective layer.
Coconut oilHelps it spread thinly without dragging on sore skin.
Sunflower waxHolds the butter together so it stays put between feeds.
Calendula extractTraditionally used on irritated skin. Gentle, and long-standing in this category.
Vitamin EKeeps the oils from going rancid. It's there for the product, not a claim.
Not in itNo lanolin, no fragrance, no parabens, no petrolatum.
Size & price50g tub · Retail ₹799 · Pre-book ₹599

Three steps, after each feed

  1. Feed first. Butter goes on afterwards, not before.
  2. Take a little on a clean fingertip and lay it over the nipple and areola. Don't rub it in, a thin layer sitting on top is the point.
  3. Leave it. There's no need to wash it off before the next feed.

If you're also using breast pads, change them often, trapped damp is what turns sore skin into cracked skin.

!

What this can't do

It soothes and protects skin. It doesn't fix a latch, it doesn't treat thrush, and it doesn't treat mastitis. Persistent pain through every feed is a sign to get the latch looked at by a lactation consultant or your health visitor, not to apply more butter.

Please see a doctor if a nipple is deeply cracked or bleeding, if you have shooting pain during or after feeds or a shiny pink itch that could be thrush, or if part of your breast is hard, red and hot and you feel feverish. That combination can be mastitis and it needs treating.

Questions people ask before buying

Do I really not need to wipe it off?
No. Every ingredient is food-safe in the amounts involved, and what's left after a feed is a trace. Wiping means scrubbing sore skin several times a day, which is the opposite of helpful.
Why no lanolin?
Lanolin works, and if you're getting on with one you already have, keep using it. We went plant-based because lanolin comes from sheep's wool, which rules it out for vegans, and a small number of people react to it. Shea and coconut do the same job with fewer people excluded.
When should I start using it?
From the first feeds, if you like. It's easier to protect skin before it cracks than to settle it afterwards.
Feeding still hurts. Is something wrong with the butter?
Almost certainly not. Butter treats the skin, not the cause. Pain through every feed usually points at the latch, and that needs a person watching you feed, a lactation consultant, a midwife or your health visitor.
Can I use it anywhere else?
Yes. It's a plain protective butter, so people use it on dry hands, lips and a baby's cheeks in winter. Nothing in it is specific to nipples.

Reserve yours at ₹599

The founding price, 25% off the ₹799 retail price. Leave your details and we'll write to you when it ships.

What people are asking about the butter

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