Buttered Up

When Akua Wood fell for a Brit and moved to England with him 11 years ago, the cold, damp winters and raw winds came as a shock — especially to her skin. A Ghanaian native who had spent a year studying in Italy, she was used to kinder climes ... and better moisturizers. So she made a virtue out of necessity and started concocting her own, using an ingredient native to her country of birth: shea butter.

Since 2002 she has sold the moisturizer and other homemade bath products under her Cioccolatina brand (www.cioccolatina.co.uk).

Adherents are gluttons for her Tiramisu body butter, Rooibos soap, Ashanti Gold soap and La Mocha body scrub — and enjoy a clear conscience as well as clear skin. The shea and other ingredients come from individual Ghanaian producers or farmer-run co-ops; sellers are guaranteed a fair price. Since 2004 Wood has imported ingredients in bulk for other European cosmetics manufacturers, too (www.akuawood.co.uk). And shea? It's her biggest seller, her bread-and-butter business.