Introduction Ucuuba is a tupi denomination that means "tree that produces fatty". This designation is usually applied in the Brazilian Amazon for most species of the botanical genus Virola. 1 Virola surinamensis (Rol.) Warb, known as ucuuba, is considered as a typically Amazonian species and its habitat is the lowlands and igapós. The population thrives in flooded areas, river banks, igarapés and furos, or areas that might be reached by river flooding. 2 Thriving species in this environment are açaí, murumuru, patawa and buriti palms, and ucuuba, samaúba, munguba and rubber trees. It is considered as an important biological, social and economic resource for Amazon, as a key species for biological maintenance of flooded areas, due to its environmental interrelations. 3 In the 18th and 19th centuries, butter extracted from ucuuba seeds was initially used as a lighting fuel by Amazonian riverside communities. 4 However, it was in the 1970s and 1980s that the tree was intensely explored for national wood production. Until 1998, ucuuba was the third most exported and commercialized species, representing almost 50% of riverside communities' family income. 5 This factor led ucuuba to be in the international endangered species list of IUCN. 6 Despite the legal measures in Brazil, in the 1990s and the beginning of 2000s, ucuuba was still the third most exported tree species for the international market of tropical woods. 7 Currently, the species is once more in the spotlight, due to the non-timber potential. Butter extracted from the seeds has high moisturizing potential and, at the same time, a soft texture, rapid absorption and velvet dry touch. These characteristics make the ucuuba butter an interesting ingredient for cosmetic formulations.