Baobab seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Baobab seed oil has a saponification value of 190 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.135 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.190 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.135448 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.19 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 190 mg KOH/g
- INCI name
- Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Baobab seed oil with no superfat needs 13.5 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.0 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are oleic (39.7%) and linoleic (30.5%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 99% of the profile.
On its own it scores 29 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 70 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 29 : 70.
FNWL also lists unrefined baobab at 140–205. A Tanzanian lab study measured crude oil at 211–220, well above supplier figures. Use your supplier COA. Published sources for this oil differ by more than 3%, so checking your supplier's certificate of analysis matters more than usual.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.2% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 24.7% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 3.9% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 39.7% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 30.5% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0% | conditioning |
Basis: Peer-reviewed GC of warm-pressed baobab seed oil (RSC Adv 2025, Table 2, reference method column), normalised from wt% of oil to % of identified fatty acids (sum 94.9).
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 29 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 70 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 29 |
Each score adds up certain fatty acids, the way Soap Ledger scores a whole recipe. They are for comparing recipes; they don't predict how a bar will feel, and they say nothing about safety or skin.
Sources
SAP value: 190 mg KOH/g (Median of sources), from Msalilwa U.L. et al. (2020) Physicochemical Properties, Fatty Acid Composition, and the Effect of Heating on the Reduction of Cyclopropenoid Fatty Acids on Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) Crude Seed Oil. Journal of Lipids 2020:6691298, Hindawi (open access, peer-reviewed). Printed value: 219.87 ± 2.8, 217.45 ± 0.77, 210.83 ± 0.45 (three Tanzanian regions) mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 180 - 200 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- 190 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
- 219.87 ± 2.8, 217.45 ± 0.77, 210.83 ± 0.45 (three Tanzanian regions) mg KOH/g — Hindawi (open access, peer-reviewed)
Fatty acids: A sustainable approach to extracting baobab oil: neat supercritical CO2 optimization. RSC Adv. 15(27):21803-21810 (2025), Royal Society of Chemistry. Also checked: Hindawi (open access, peer-reviewed) (Table 3).
NaOH and KOH values are converted from mg KOH/g with the molar masses 39.997 and 56.106 and rounded to 6 decimals, exactly as in the Soap Ledger app. Real oils vary by origin, grade and lot: check your supplier's certificate of analysis. Verify every weight before you make this, and follow lye safety. Not a safety or compliance certification.
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