Camellia (tea seed) oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Camellia (tea seed) 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
- Iodine value
- 85
- INS
- 106
- INCI name
- Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Camellia (tea seed) 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 oleic (78.6%) and palmitic (10.4%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 99.7% of the profile.
On its own it scores 13 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 87 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 13 : 87.
JP18 covers Camellia japonica (tsubaki); tea seed oil (C. oleifera) is similar but not identical. Codex added camellia seed oil in 2024, but that text couldn't be accessed.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 10.4% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 2.8% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 78.6% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 7.2% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0.7% | conditioning |
Basis: Peer-reviewed GC of Camellia oleifera seed oil from four Hainan producing areas (Food Chem X 2026, Table 4), mean.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 13 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 87 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 13 |
| Iodine | 85 |
| INS | 106 |
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 (Midpoint of JP18 pharmacopoeia range (Camellia japonica)), from The Japanese Pharmacopoeia, 18th ed. (English), Crude Drugs and Related Drugs monographs, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Printed value: 188 – 194 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 188 – 194 mg KOH/g — Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
- 188 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
Fatty acids and iodine: Advancing quality evaluation and origin tracing of Hainan Camellia oleifera oil through Lipidomics and multidimensional analysis. Food Chem X 36:103985 (2026), Elsevier. Also checked: Termedia / Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry PAS (Table 3); U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (Fatty acid nutrients (g/100 g food)); Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) (PDF p. 1821).
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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