Camelina seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Camelina seed oil has a saponification value of 185.8 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.132 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.186 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.132454 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.1858 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 185.8 mg KOH/g
- INCI name
- Camelina Sativa Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Camelina seed oil with no superfat needs 13.2 g of 100% NaOH, or 18.6 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are linolenic (39%) and linoleic (15.9%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 76.4% of the profile.
On its own it scores 8 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 69 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 8 : 69.
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 | 5.4% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 2.5% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 13.6% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 15.9% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 39% | conditioning |
Basis: Peer-reviewed GC of cold-pressed camelina oil (Foods 2024, Table 4), mean of two cultivars.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 8 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 69 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 8 |
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: 185.8 mg KOH/g (Median of sources), from Chantsalnyam B. et al. (2014) Physical and chemical characteristics and fatty acids composition of seeds oil isolated from Camelina sativa (L) cultivated in Mongolia. Mongolian Journal of Chemistry 14:80-83, Mongolian Journal of Chemistry (open access). Printed value: 185.8 mg KOH/g mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 185.8 mg KOH/g mg KOH/g — Mongolian Journal of Chemistry (open access)
- 182.66 mg KOH/g mg KOH/g — Bangladesh Journals Online (open access)
- 189.07–189.66 mg KOH/g — Frontiers (open access, peer-reviewed review)
Fatty acids: Comparative Evaluation of Camelina Seed Oils Obtained by Cold-Pressing and Solvent Extraction. Foods 13(22):3605 (2024), MDPI. Also checked: MDPI (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.
Last updated .