Cocoa butter: SAP value and fatty acids
Cocoa butter has a saponification value of 191.5 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.137 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.192 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.136517 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.1915 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 191.5 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 39
- INS
- 153
- INCI name
- Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Example: 100 g of Cocoa butter with no superfat needs 13.7 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.2 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are stearic (34.7%) and oleic (34.1%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 98.5% of the profile.
On its own it scores 61 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 37 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 61 : 37.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.1% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 26.6% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 34.7% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 34.1% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 2.9% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0.1% | conditioning |
Basis: USDA FDC SR Legacy 171421, converted to % of total fatty acids.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 61 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 37 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 61 |
| Iodine | 39 |
| INS | 153 |
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: 191.5 mg KOH/g (JP18 pharmacopoeia range midpoint (the current Codex cocoa butter standard has no saponification value)), from The Japanese Pharmacopoeia, 18th ed. (English), Crude Drugs and Related Drugs monographs, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Printed value: 188–195 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 188–195 mg KOH/g — Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
- 188–198 mg KOH/g — Parchem (supplier spec sheet)
- 192–200 mg KOH/g — Wikipedia
- 195 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
- NaOH 0.1378 / KOH 0.1941 g alkali per g oil — Certified Lye
Fatty acids and iodine: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Oil, cocoa butter (FDC ID 171421), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Also checked: Wiley (Table 2); Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) (PDF p. 889).
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 .