// Definition
A mixture of two immiscible liquids stabilised by surfactant molecules. In cannabis concentrates, “buttering” occurs when trace water interacts with concentrated extract, and polar molecules from waxes act as surfactants to stabilise the mixture — similar to how milk fat is solubilised in water by glycoproteins.
// From the Episode
Mark Scialdone gave an accessible explanation: “What you’re seeing in a butter is an emulsion just like cooking butter, which is an emulsion between the fat layer and the water layer. It’s the polar molecules that stabilise that emulsion.” This helped the community understand the “buttering” phenomenon that had puzzled hash makers for years.