A Survey of Indigenous Raw Materials Available in Benue State for Making Cosmetics

The survey of indigenous raw material available in Benue state for making cosmetics formed the focus of the study. Two specific objectives guided the study, to identify the available raw materials for cosmetics and specifically those raw materials for cosmetics used for body cream, hair cream and face powder. Descriptive survey design was adopted in a population of one million, one hundred and sixty thousand, three hundred and ninety nine (1,160,399) women of 18 to 80 years were used and formed the population of indigenous cosmetics sellers’ and cosmetologists. Using a multistage sampling technique, 270 women were proportionately selected from six Local Government Areas of Benue state using the Taro Yamane formula. A structured questionnaire was developed and titled ‘’Raw Materials for Cosmetics Questionnaire’’ (RMCQ) was tested and found reliable. The data collected was analyzed using SPPS version 23 to obtain mean and standard deviation for research question 1 and 2 .While the hypothesis was tested using t-test at 0.05 level of significant. The findings reveals indigenous raw materials for making cosmetics, including, Shea butter” Chamen,”Coconut oil,”Mkurem makyewe”, Palm Kernel Oil”Ate”, Calabar Chalk “Inyajoo”,Kohl”Togii”, Teak”Kpav”, Lele “Lele” From the result, Shea Butter “Chamen” Coconut oil “Mkurem makyewe” Palm Kernel Oil “Ate” were specified for making body and hair creams .The null hypothesis tested at 0.05 level of significant was therefore rejected. It was concluded that the use of indigenous raw materials for making cosmetics, will reduce the cost of these items and revive cosmetic companies. The findings of this study could be useful study could find application in schools home Economics education curriculum at all levels of learning, and at the training centers where women will be trained on how to use indigenous raw materials to make cosmetics.