Brazil nut oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Brazil nut oil has a saponification value of 191 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.136 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.191 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.136161 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.191 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 191 mg KOH/g
- INCI name
- Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Brazil nut oil with no superfat needs 13.6 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.1 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are linoleic (39.4%) and oleic (31.3%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 99.3% of the profile.
On its own it scores 29 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 71 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 29 : 71.
FNWL also lists deodorized Brazil nut oil at 180–210. 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% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 15.2% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 13.3% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 31.3% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 39.4% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0.1% | conditioning |
Basis: Peer-reviewed GC of Brazil nut kernel oil (Plants 2024, Table 2, BNKO column).
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 29 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 71 |
| 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: 191 mg KOH/g (Median of sources), from Muniz M.A. et al. (2015) Physicochemical characterization, fatty acid composition, and thermal analysis of Bertholletia excelsa HBK oil. Pharmacognosy Magazine 11(41):147-151, Wolters Kluwer Medknow (open access, peer-reviewed). Printed value: 178.5 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 186 - 196 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- Sap. value 180-210 mg KOH/g mg KOH/g — Skinchakra (German cosmetic-ingredient retailer, blog)
- 178.5 mg KOH/g — Wolters Kluwer Medknow (open access, peer-reviewed)
Fatty acids: Brazil Nut Semi-Defatted Flour Oil: Impact of Extraction Using Pressurized Solvents on Lipid Profile, Bioactive Compounds Composition, and Oxidative Stability. Plants 13(19):2678 (2024), MDPI. Also checked: American Chemical Society (Table 1).
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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